Yesterday our mass here on the @Space_Station shrank a bit, as we said goodbye to the @SpaceX Dragon-34 cargo vehicle and the bounty of science that she brought us. It was a busy but very fruitful month. Here’s how she looked:
1) The night pass just prior to undocking, awash in the red glow of its navigation light, with long exposure highlighting the night sky, air glow and some city lights.
2) Matching the aurora that happened to dance by in the night pass just prior to undocking.
3) Timelapse as she detaches from the ISS and disappears out of view.
Expedition 74 explored using augmented and virtual reality tools to advance crew health on Wednesday. Meanwhile, spacewalk preps are underway after a @SpaceX Dragon returned to Earth. More... https://t.co/kFNeFL1MTD
Awesome shot from today’s launch. Another 36 satellites successfully in orbit, and heaviest commercial payload ever. Congrats, @Amazonleo and @Arianespace 🛰️
LE-03 deployment confirmed.
Today's mission with @Arianespace sent another 36 Leo satellites into space–the heaviest commercial payload ever launched–and all spacecraft are in contact and operating nominally on orbit. Three Ariane 6 missions completed in less than five months, bringing our total constellation to 350+ satellites.
Mission updates: https://t.co/kk2WQAdoW0
I've come to appreciate boring hotfires. Our BE-7 team recently completed a 2,500 second hotfire test at 10klbf on a development engine, setting the record for the longest-duration turbo pump-fed liquid rocket engine hotfire. This built on some of the most rigorous testing in the history of propulsion, with the previous record set by the RS-25 engine that powered the Space Shuttle. They recorded two 2,017 second tests in 1988. It's not lost on us that we're following a path those engineers blazed, and we're grateful for it. Grab the popcorn and enjoy watching 41 minutes of hotfire goodness.
Today, legacy structures at historic SLC-6 were safely cleared to make way for a new era of spaceflight. With an outgrant issued by the U.S. Space Force in 2025, SpaceX is now modernizing the pad to support next generation spacelift operations.
Delayed report: SpaceX vessels supporting last Friday’s Starlink 10-54 launch returned on Sunday. Bob first with fairings on deck, and then Falcon 9 B1080 atop ASOG after 27 flights. ASOG switched tugs, and she and Bob are in the LZ for tonight’s AST Bluebird 8-10 launch. 💪🚀⛴️
New photos released by the US Space Forse show today’s demolition of historic Vandenberg SLC-6 in order to make way for the new SpaceX Falcon Heavy West Coast launch pad, scheduled for completion later this year.
Animation of every satellite in orbit.
You can see the ring of GEO sats, the crazy LEO constellations, and the MEO sphere in between.
It’s pretty cool that we can start seeing clear man made structures in space.
Flashback to Feb 1981 when NASA was preparing to launch the world's first reusable space vehicle.
Space Shuttle Columbia stands at @NASAKennedy on the evening prior to the Flight Readiness Firing of the orbiter's main engines.
STS-1, completed on Apr 14, 1981, marked the beginning of a brand new chapter in human spaceflight that would span 30 years.
Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an extraordinary IPO 👏
SpaceX has set the bar incredibly high and, in doing so, continues to move the entire space industry forward.
We are immensely grateful to have been part of this journey 🤝🚀
📸: SpaceX, Exolaunch
As our FLIP rover is making great progress towards launch, so is its ride to the Moon: @astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander. Today we got to see that progress up close.
Our team participated in an update on the progress of the lander and its payloads, all hitting crucial milestones on their way to the lunar surface.
Payload integration complete. The StriX satellite for @synspective has been encapsulated on Electron ahead of our next mission to low Earth orbit for their Earth-imaging constellation.
'Ten Owl Of Ten' - our 90th Electron launch - is scheduled for launch NET June 18 NZT.
Encapsulation complete.
BlueBirds 8, 9, and 10 are now secured inside Falcon 9's fairing ahead of launch.
A stacked configuration powered by advanced carbon fiber structures, engineered to withstand ascent forces comparable to carrying a fully loaded space shuttle orbiter during launch. 💪
Next stop: launch. 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀
Built in Texas. Broadband from space. Designed to connect directly to everyday smartphones. 🌎📶📱
#ASTSpaceMobile #Broadband #ConnectingtheUnconnected #BlueBirds