
SpaceX smashes rocket launch record as Musk eyes historic Starship mission
SpaceX has broken its own record for the number of launches in a single year with its 62nd rocket sent into space on Sunday. A Falcon 9 carrying Starlink internet satellites lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 10.47pm local time, surpassing the previous milestone of 61 launches set in 2022. It was the 10th flight for the first stage booster rocket, with SpaceX also breaking a separate record earlier this year for launching reused rockets. The Falcon 9 rocket landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean after delivering the Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. SpaceX boss Elon Musk said SpaceX could complete up to 100 rocket launches this year, making the private space firm by far the most prolific company or space agency to send payloads into space. “SpaceX has delivered ~80 per cent of all Earth payload mass to orbit in 2023. China is ~10 per cent and rest of world other ~10 per cent,” Mr Musk posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Based on the Falcon launch plan for next year, SpaceX will deliver ~90 per cent of all Earth payload to orbit. Starship will take that to >99 per cent in future years. These magnitudes are madness to consider, but necessary to make consciousness multiplanetary.” SpaceX’s Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built – measuring 121 metres in height and with a thrust of 5,000 metric tons – but is yet to successfully complete an orbital flight. Following a successful high-altitude flight test in 2021, SpaceX attempted a 90 minute orbital flight earlier this year but it exploded just three minutes into the flight. The next attempt is expected to take place this month, though no exact date has been set. More than 1,000 design changes have been made to the craft since the first failed attempt, including new venting systems and heat shields to improve the stage separation of the upper and lower stages of the rocket. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is yet to grant a launch licence for the latest mission amid concerns about issues revealed in the first orbital launch attempt. SpaceX has already secured a multi-billion dollar deal with Nasa to keep developing Starship for use on the US space agency’s Artemis mission, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade. Mr Musk has previously said that Starship is integral to his plans to turn humanity into a multi-planetary species, with the aim of deploying a fleet of Starships to establish a permanent colony on Mars before 2050. Read More ‘It’s like an airport’: How SpaceX normalised rocket launches SpaceX crew streak across sky before splashing down off Florida coast Watch live: SpaceX launches satellites for US Space Development Agency Elon Musk’s SpaceX sued over allegations of hiring discrimination
2023-09-04 23:16

Bangladesh country profile
Provides an overview of Bangladesh, including key dates and facts about this South Asian nation.
2023-05-27 00:49

Jenna Ortega responds to backlash over her 'Wednesday' comments, says she's 'very opinionated'
'I know what it’s like to be a people-pleaser in this industry and I know how unhappy or how frustrating it’s been in the past,' Jenna Ortega said
2023-06-08 02:26

Voice referendum: Australia ‘on a precipice’ as historic vote begins
The landmark referendum could shape Australia's relationship with its Indigenous peoples for generations.
2023-10-13 23:46

Where is Michele 'Shelly' Miscavige? LAPD closed David Miscavige’s wife’s disappearance case without investigating woman claiming to be her
Michele 'Shelly' Diane Miscavige, famously known as the 'First Lady of Scientology', was reported missing on August 5, 2013, by actress Leah Remini
2023-06-28 15:18

Kuwait's election brings little change to parliament or hope of overcoming years of gridlock
Voters in Kuwait have returned most of their lawmakers to parliament in the third election in as many years amid widespread frustration with an ongoing political gridlock
2023-06-07 18:24

Brazil coach says Marta could start Women's World Cup on the bench
Brazil striker Marta could start the Women’s World Cup on the bench while she continues to recover from a left knee injury
2023-06-23 23:54

Another big name turns down an interview to lead Red Sox front office
The Red Sox's search for a new GM continues after Kim Ng declined to interview to replace Chaim Bloom.
2023-10-21 03:49

41 migrants missing after new Mediterranean shipwreck
Forty-one migrants including three children are feared dead after being shipwrecked last week in the Mediterranean, UN agencies said, citing four survivors brought to the...
2023-08-09 22:19

Fans wait overnight for Lionesses return – but team use private airport exit
The Lionesses landed back in the UK on Tuesday after their World Cup final defeat – but fans that gathered at the airport to welcome them home were left disappointed after the players were escorted out through a back door. Around 40 well-wishers brought England flags and handmade banners to Heathrow Airport, with one group having waited all night, but the team are understood to have left via a private exit after touching down just after 6.30am. Others brought flowers for head coach Sarina Wiegman, while placards featured messages saying, “You all made us proud,” and “Can we have two T-shirts please?” Hopes were raised when former England player and presenter Alex Scott was spotted walking through arrivals, with fans saying she hinted the team would follow. The crowd burst out into chants of “Sweet Caroline”. The team’s bags with the squad logo were also carried through. Hope turned to disappointment when it was later confirmed by airport staff that the Lionesses had left the airport and the crowd soon dispersed. A small number of fans watched at arrivals for a little longer just to be sure they had not missed out on any action. Joanne Bruce, 51, travelled from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire to the airport at 10.30pm on Monday with her niece and sister in the hope of thanking the team for their tournament performance. She told the PA news agency: “We haven’t slept, we have just laughed and joked. It was just the three of us to start with. My sister was like, ‘I really want to go early’.” When asked if there any other fans were at the airport then she replied: “No, no, no. They didn’t come until about four o’clock this morning. We have now got a car parking ticket of £70 [or] £80, maybe more. “I was very, very disappointed,” Ms Bruce said about the final result which saw England miss out on World Cup glory. “Seeing Millie [Bright] with tears in her eyes, it just brought tears to my eyes. I really felt for them as well. They have definitely done us proud, to get as far as they did.” Read More Pubs call for rule change after Lionesses fans made to wait until half-time for beer England’s impact will last far longer than pain of World Cup final defeat The bitter aftertaste of that unwanted World Cup kiss on the lips
2023-08-23 00:47

Trial begins for Canada 'Freedom Convoy' organisers
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber face mischief charges related to the 2022 truck protests in Ottawa.
2023-09-05 20:17

How much compensation Real Madrid will earn from Vinicius Junior & Eduardo Camavinga injuries
Real Madrid will earn compensation from FIFA for the injuries to Eduardo Camavinga & Vinicius Junior.
2023-11-19 21:24
You Might Like...

Fortnite: New leak suggests Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2099 may appear in game

Marketmind: Risk back on as slowdown blues fade

Why was Robin Williams rejected for 'Harry Potter'? Actor wasn't invited for auditions despite wanting to play Rubeus Hagrid

Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits Athens to attend meeting of Balkan leaders with top EU officials

Australian castaway recounts comfort he felt adrift at sea, thanks to meditation, swimming and dog

The chairman of Hong Kong's leading journalist group found guilty of obstructing a police officer

Jeonju, the City with Korea’s Most Authentic Charm, to Hold Jeonju Festa 2023 Featuring 14 Festivals throughout the October

Residents flee in southern Ukraine as floodwaters crest from destroyed dam