Kiko Dontchev

VP of Launch @ SpaceX and father of Finn and Otie

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

The Cape Gigabay is getting closer to being ready for Starship! Teams recently installed the 420-ton crane – which we’ll use to break over and move Starships and Super Heavy boosters preparing for flight. One step closer to the Moon and Mars 🚀🚀🚀

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

Happy Veterans Day to all the brave warriors. Thank you for your service in protecting the greatest country on Earth! 🇺🇸

[Yaxel Lendeborg @Yaxel_Lendeborg]

Lifelong goal has finally been accomplished. Blessed!❤️❤️

[Jon Edwards @edwards345]

We may succeed at this attempt, we may also fail, but the likelihood of success in the near term is high. Then we will optimize -> accelerate.

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

🇧🇬 🇧🇬 🇧🇬

[delian @zebulgar]

The Bulgarian Space Mafia

@TurkeyBeaver @RaychoRaychev

[delian @zebulgar]

The Bulgarian Space Mafia

@TurkeyBeaver @RaychoRaychev

[Stephanie Bednarek @SRBednarek]

We’re supporting communities in Spain with @Starlink Mobile during this difficult time. Appreciate the collaboration with @orange_es and @Telefonica to keep people connected when they need it most.

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

Last night was so awesome! Thank you to everyone who packed the Playhouse to learn about Starship. Great crowd, great questions, and best of all… we raised $20k for Restore Our Shores to protect the Indian River Lagoon. We ❤️ the space coast! Stoked and proud the @spacex team gets to work & live here!!! 🚀🚀🚀

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

@_MaxQ_ @Alexphysics13 @jstyer Thanks for coming and supporting us and the restore our shores Max!!!!

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

@ByAZuniga Cursed

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

@BarstoolUofM Cursed

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

For those at the Cape… The Starship docuseries lands at Cocoa Village Playhouse Oct 21! Go inside factories & launch pads chasing a reusable rocket & multiplanetary future.

All ticket proceeds go towards supporting Restore Our Shores & the Indian River Lagoon. The 2nd show even has a fireside chat with several awesome SpaceX’ers including @jstyer to tell tales of Ship 40 recovery

https://t.co/2oW1cKy38v

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

So so rad!

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

OMG the Tesla Roadster just flew in the air!

[Jon Edwards @edwards345]

Why this morning's CRS-35 launch glowed like a jellyfish 🪼

The ground at the Cape was still dark, but a few minutes after liftoff Falcon 9 climbed into direct sunlight. Up high the air is so thin that the exhaust plume balloons way out, and the sun, still below the horizon for everyone on the ground, lights it up from underneath. We get the same jellyfish effect on West Coast launches in the evening shortly after sunset. This is physics showing off.

A few more fun bits:
🔹 Dragon is taking the scenic route. At about 52 hours, this is the longest phasing to the ISS in Dragon's history, so docking is Thursday around 8 AM PT. The long trip mostly comes down to orbital mechanics as Dragon races to catch up with the station: it fires its engines several times to raise its orbit a little at a time, then lines up and docks on its own. In less than two weeks, we've gone from Dragon's shortest trip ever (Crew-13) to its longest (CRS-35), which shows how flexible Dragon is as a spacecraft.
🔹 Dragon's trunk is carrying the fourth and final set of the station's upgraded solar arrays. Each one unrolls like a yoga mat and puts out more than 20 kW. This pair finishes the station's power upgrade and is just one of many things CRS-35 is bringing to the ISS.
🔹 This is the 4th flight for this Dragon, C211, after CRS-26, CRS-29 and CRS-33. Reusability isn't just for boosters 😉

And a great 8th flight and landing for B1096. Incredible work by the Falcon and Dragon teams, and thank you to our NASA partners! 👏

[Nasdaq Exchange @NasdaqExchange]

“The impossible is only impossible until it’s possible.”

Across @SpaceX, breakthrough innovation is driving toward one shared mission: making life multiplanetary. Hear from the leaders helping bring that vision closer to reality.

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

@edwards345 @SpaceX Let’s gooooooo 🚀🚀🚀

[Earth @earthcurated]

We’ve reached a point in human history where we can send people into space and bring them safely back to Earth, and it’s becoming almost routine. It’s easy to forget just how extraordinary that really is. Humanity is capable of incredible things.

[NSF - NASASpaceflight.com @NASASpaceflight]

Starbase: Render to Reality.

(Render from SpaceX. Colleen's (@colleenadastra) view today)

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

@SpaceX is the greatest team on Earth

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

Teams complete three Falcon launches, four first stage landings at four landing zones in Florida and California, and docking Dragon to the @Space_Station for our 21st human spaceflight in under 13 hours

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

@jjfactorykat LFG JJ!!!!!

[Kiko Dontchev @TurkeyBeaver]

Triple 🚀🚀🚀

[John Kraus @johnkrausphotos]

A Falcon Heavy rocket flies by the Moon during launch of the NROL-97 mission