SpaceX

• [New] The defense contractor, seeking to grow its space business, will fly two demonstration payloads on a York Space satellite scheduled to launch to low Earth orbit in January aboard the SpaceX Transporter-7 rideshare mission. the weekly ledger
• [New] The defense ministry recently signed a contract with SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025, with the first launch on a Falcon 9 rocket by the end of 2023. SpaceNews
• [New] SpaceX's Crew-3 astronaut mission will get to spend a few extra hours aboard the International Space Station (ISS), if all goes according to plan. Space
• [New] In the future, Rocket Lab hopes to refurbish a recovered booster and then use it for another orbital mission, an achievement that only one company has so far pulled off: Elon Musk's SpaceX. The New York Times
• The Polaris Program's first two missions will launch using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule, while the last will mark the first crewed launch of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket. Popular Mechanics
• Polaris will be three separate missions, including two orbital spaceflights and the first crewed launch of SpaceX's Starship launch vehicle. Interesting Engineering
• The new Freedom capsule is the last Crew Dragon Capsule SpaceX will manufacture, at least for the time being, as it recently announced it would cease making new capsules to focus on developing its Moon and Mars-bound Starship launch vehicle. Interesting Engineering
• Musk and SpaceX have feuded with competitor Viasat, which expressed concerns to the FCC that Spacelink's plans to move its satellite network closer to Earth's surface would increase satellite collision risks and create more orbital debris. The Register
• SpaceX will use one of its Falcon 9 rockets and Crew Dragon capsules to carry out Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission, which will send four people to the orbiting outpost. Daily Breeze
• Axiom is ready to conduct the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that will be launched by SpaceX next week. TESMANIAN
• The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft for NASA's Crew-4 mission is now mated to the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch it on its flight to the International Space Station. SpaceX
• The all-civilian crew will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for a 10-day mission in low Earth orbit, of which eight days will be spent aboard the International Space Station. Gizmodo
• SpaceX's Ax-1 astronaut mission launches, organized by Houston-based company Axiom Space, will send three paying customers and one Axiom employee to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. iTech Post
• Amazon.com Inc. is stepping up plans for its proposed fleet of internet satellites that would compete with a service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, buying dozens of space launches from three rocket companies. WSJ
• Complicating the replanning, NASA will have to work around the launch of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Friday carrying four civilian passengers on the first NASA-sanctioned commercial flight to the International Space Station. CBS News
• The delays in the FCC approval for the first SpaceX Super Heavy Starship orbital flight will give SpaceX the time to replace all of the old Raptor rocket engines with new 15% more powerful Raptor 2 engines. NextBigFuture.com
• SpaceX will no longer be making new Crew Dragons, the spacecraft that ferries astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and will instead focus on reusing the fleet of four already in existence. TechCrunch
• SpaceX will carry out an additional three post-certification missions for NASA to transport U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station under an approximately $900 million contract modification. GovCon Wire
• The upcoming SpaceX Crew-4 mission is set to fly a crew of three NASA astronauts and one European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut to the International Space Station, where they will live and work in orbit around Earth. Space
• NASA to support development of a second lunar lander NASA announced that it will support the development of a second lunar lander to transport astronauts to and from the Moon's surface to provide competition with SpaceX during the sustainable phase of the Artemis program. Transport Times
• Indonesia's Pasifik Satelit Nusantara ordered a high-throughput satellite from Boeing to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in 2023. the weekly ledger
• This month, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will make the first fully-private, crewed flight to the International Space Station. phys.org
• SpaceX founder Elon Musk said last month he was highly confident his new SpaceX Starship, designed for voyages to the moon and Mars, will reach Earth orbit for the first time in 2022. Reuters

Last updated: 22 May 2022