Tesla Roadster launched into space by SpaceX passes Mars!!!
The greatest road trip of all time just went past Mars.
Elon Musk’s cherry-red Tesla Roadster — which the CEO blasted into orbit back in 2018 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket — is currently doing a flyby near the red planet, according to SpaceX.
“Starman, last seen leaving Earth, made its first close approach with Mars today…”
Virgin Galactic in the News…
SpaceX will launch an advanced GPS satellite for the US Space Force tonight. Here’s how to watch.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch an upgraded global positioning satellite (GPS) into orbit for the U.S. Space Force today (Sept. 30) and you can watch it live online.
The flight — the 17th launch this year for SpaceX and its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket — is scheduled to blast off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:55 p.m. (2155 GMT). The rocket is carrying the GPS III SV04 satellite for the Space Force.
You can watch the launch live here courtesy of SpaceX, beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff. You’ll also be able to watch the launch directly from SpaceX here.
The Sound of Falcon…
Sooooooo. Is there life in the upper atmosphere of Venus?
Virgin Galactic to launch its 1st suborbital spaceflight from Spaceport America in October:
We have good news to share.
The 10/22 flight will be the first of two that the space tourism company has planned to complete testing of its SpaceShipTwo spacecraft system and should have just two test pilots on board.
Virgin Galactic said last month that the second test spaceflight will then have four ‘mission specialists’ inside the cabin… If both test flights succeed, Virgin Galactic expects to fly founder Sir Richard Branson in the first quarter of 2021.
Now THAT would be something!!!!!
A spokesperson for Virgin added that the Oct. 22 date is meant to mark the beginning of a flight window, so it is possible the flight will take place shortly thereafter, Sheetz wrote. Virgin also plans four-hour test flights of SpaceShipTwo’s carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, on Oct. 1 and Oct. 7.
Another first for SpaceX!
The race is underway.
The race is underway. China’s interest in high-speed conventional weapons has revitalized the US R&D in hypersonic technology. Current developments are focused on two types of systems: Boost-glide maneuvering vehicles and airbreathing scramjets.
“Hypersonic weapons overfly our air defense systems and underfly our missile defense systems.” – Mike Griffin, Under Secretary of Defense for R&E. “Our key here is we want to deliver hypersonics at scale; we want to go beyond the prototypes.” – Mark Lewis, Director of Defense R&E.
SpaceX launches a U.S. Space Force GPS 3 satellite, recovers rocket’s first stage
Why is this important? This was the first time SpaceX recovered a booster following a National Security Space Launch mission.
