Today's the day.
Fueling of the Artemis II Moon rocket is underway.
Full coverage of the crewed lunar mission begins at 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 UTC). Check out ways to watch: https://t.co/fAg0bGAqEc
Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the honor to lead @NASA. We’ve made giant leaps in our mission to return to the Moon before China. It’s critical for our national security and national pride that we win the next space race.
Congratulations to @rookisaacman. I wish him all the success and will ensure the transition is seamless.
Raptor 3 is an unprecedented step forward in rocket engine design, which will help us increase Starship’s efficiency and the amount of mass Starship is able to deliver to space
Falcon 9 launched 21 @Starlink satellites to orbit overnight. After stage separation, the first stage booster returned to Earth and landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean ~250 nautical miles off the coast of Florida.
Following the successful landing, an off-nominal fire in the aft end of the rocket damaged one of the booster's landing legs which resulted in it tipping over.
While disappointing to lose a rocket after a successful mission, the team will use the data to make Falcon even more reliable on ascent and landing.