SpaceX Starship launch: all of the news on its test flight and that explosive ending – The Verge

SpaceX’s next Starship launch is on hold as FAA lists 63 ‘corrective actions’ needed

2023-09-08T12:17:50-04:00

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SpaceX Starship prototype | Image: SpaceX

The first orbital launch attempt for SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy booster in April ended explosively about four minutes into its test flight, and the FAA isn't ready to clear a follow-up attempt yet. Today, the agency closed its mishap investigation and said the report identified 63 actions that need to be implemented by SpaceX before launches can resume. They include redesigns to prevent leaks and fires, a redesigned launch pad, and other fixes.

A new post from SpaceX discussing "Upgrades ahead of Starships's second flight test" appeared shortly afterward that didn't directly reference the 63 actions, but its details on why the first …

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SpaceX’s Starship successfully takes off before bursting into flames

2023-04-20T10:26:52-04:00

SpaceX's integrated Starship spacecraft successfully took off from its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday but didn't manage to fully complete its test flight. The spacecraft spun out of control before bursting into a ball of flames about four minutes into its flight, cutting the test short.

In a statement on Twitter, SpaceX said, "Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation." During today's 90-minute test flight, Starship was supposed to reach an altitude of about 150 miles during a journey around the globe before splashing down into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. SpaceX scrubbed its first test flig …

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How to watch SpaceX Starship’s first test flight — the most powerful rocket ever

2023-04-20T07:57:22-04:00

SpaceX second attempt at the first test flight of its integrated Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster is happening Thursday morning. Known collectively as "Starship," it's the tallest rocket ever built, standing at 394 feet tall (120 meters) - about 90 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. It's also the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, with the Super Heavy booster fitted with 33 of SpaceX's powerful Raptor engines - the most engines ever featured in a first-stage rocket booster.

Starship is integral to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's vision of eventually sending a crew of people to Mars. It supersedes the company's Falcon 9 rock …

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SpaceX’s Starship rocket receives clearance for launch

2023-04-14T18:48:47-04:00

SpaceX's Starship rocket has been cleared for launch by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), meaning it could take its first orbital flight test as soon as next week, as reported earlier by CNN.

With the help of SpaceX's Super Heavy rocket, Starship is the spacecraft that's designed to ferry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars. SpaceX says it's targeting a Starship launch from the company's Texas Starbase "as soon as" April 17th.

Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK pic.twitter.com/Ry25Uuvknh
…

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Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft is ready to launch soon

2023-04-10T19:39:17-04:00

SpaceX’s Starship stacked on top of the Super Heavy rocket booster. | Image: SpaceX

Last week, SpaceX announced it's poised to launch the fully stacked Starship spacecraft for a first orbital flight test following a launch rehearsal this week and pending regulatory approval. Now SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is confirming it's ready, with launch "trending towards near the end of third week of April," Musk wrote in a tweet on Monday.

Starship is SpaceX's long-awaited flagship spacecraft that's designed to take astronauts and payloads to deep space - including the Moon and, of course, Mars. Most importantly, the parts are designed to be reusable, and it is paired with a massive booster known as the Super Heavy to get it off the Earth …

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SpaceX accused of age discrimination by former employee

2022-11-30T09:00:00-05:00

General view of SpaceX headquarters on August 03, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. | Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

A former SpaceX engineer published an essay today describing alleged age discrimination he says he experienced while he was at the company. "I saw my work roles gradually transferred to younger engineers who fit the company's 'frat bro' mold," John Johnson writes in the essay published on the platform Lioness.

"In the culture, in the environment of SpaceX, old people are rare. And when I say old people, I mean anyone over 40," Johnson, who is 62, tells The Verge. In a job interview for his role at SpaceX, Johnson says he was asked whether he'd "be okay" working with young colleagues.

"In the culture, in the environment of SpaceX, old people …

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Fired SpaceX employees file charges with National Labor Relations Board

2022-11-17T12:59:23-05:00

SpaceX founder Elon Musk during an event on August 25th, 2022, in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. | Photo by Michael Gonzalez / Getty Images

A group of former SpaceX employees has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, The New York Times reports. The employees say they were fired illegally after putting together a letter that called on the company to strengthen its "zero-tolerance policies" following sexual harassment allegations against Elon Musk.

Nine employees were ultimately fired after the letter came out in June, the Times reports, eight of whom filed the charges with federal regulators. The letter, first reported on by The Verge, asked SpaceX executives for three things: to curb "Elon's harmful Twitter behavior," to define and enforce …

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Elon Musk’s Twitter chaos is consuming SpaceX too

2022-06-24T12:29:05-04:00

It's always fun to check in with SpaceX, Elon Musk's least dysfunctional company - oh wait, what's this? The workers at SpaceX are upset?

Last week, as first reported by The Verge, a group of SpaceX workers wrote a letter to Musk about his tweets. "Elon's behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks," the letter states. "As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX - every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company. It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging …

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SpaceX fires employees who wrote open letter complaining about Elon Musk

2022-06-17T03:33:22-04:00

SpaceX has fired a number of employees who wrote and shared a letter criticizing the behavior of CEO Elon Musk, with the company's president criticizing the letter as "overreaching activism."

The open letter, first reported by The Verge, described Musk's behavior as "a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks." It cites SpaceX's "No Asshole" policy and asks the company to "publicly address and condemn Elon's harmful Twitter behavior."

Said the letter writers: "As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX - every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public stateme …

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FAA requiring SpaceX to make changes to Texas launch site ahead of future launches

2022-06-13T14:15:57-04:00

SpaceX’s Starship prototypes at the company’s Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. | Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that SpaceX's plans for the company's massive Starbase launch site in South Texas will have some environmental impact on the surrounding land and area - but not enough to require a full environmental impact statement. Now, SpaceX will need to make more than 75 changes to its proposal for the Starbase facility if the company wants to avoid additional review and eventually receive a license from the FAA to launch its new Starship rocket to orbit from the site.

SpaceX's Starbase facility is located in a small town called Boca Chica, Texas, right on the southern tip of Texas along the Rio …

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