SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp., founded in 2002, is an American space technology company and a dominant launch provider. It designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft, including the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Dragon spacecraft, and Starship. SpaceX partners with organizations like NASA and the United States Armed Forces and is known for its advancements in reusable launch vehicles, human spaceflight, and satellite constellation technology like Starlink. Key words: launch provider, reusable rockets, space exploration, Starlink, Falcon, Dragon, Starship, NASA.
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One of the satellites launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-3 was built, licensed, and is operated by Iceye U.S.
The Falcon 9 booster used in the 2022-02-03 launch previously supported five earlier SpaceX launches, including satellite missions and missions to the International Space Station.
Astrophysicist and spaceflight analyst Jonathan McDowell’s statistics show SpaceX has launched 2,091 satellites for its low Earth orbit Starlink constellation, including two prototype spacecraft.
NROL-87 was the NRO’s first mission launched by a Falcon 9 procured under the National Security Space Launch program run by the U.S. Space Force.
NASA and SpaceX are investigating a delayed opening of a parachute on the cargo Dragon spacecraft that splashed down 2022-01-24, concluding the CRS-24 resupply mission.
NASA and SpaceX cleared the Crew-3 mission to launch 2021-11-10 after concluding the parachute issue did not pose a safety risk.
SpaceX received a contract from the U.S. Air Force in February 2019 to launch NROL-87.
SpaceX previously launched two National Reconnaissance Office satellites under commercial contracts.
Exolaunch is manifesting a series of Falcon 9 rideshare launches under a Multi-Launch Agreement first signed with SpaceX in 2020 and extended at the end of 2021.
For every Falcon 9 launch procured through the Multi-Launch Agreement with SpaceX, Exolaunch provides end-to-end rideshare mission management, satellite integration, and deployment services.
Exolaunch launched 59 satellites weighing nearly 1,500 kg on SpaceX’s first two dedicated Transporter rideshare missions in 2021.
DragonSCALES first gained flight heritage onboard a small satellite that SpaceX launched in June 2021 for Lynk Global.
SpaceX launched the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 mission to low Earth orbit on 2022-01-14.
SpaceX performed 20 launches in the first six months of 2021 and three launches in the subsequent four months.
TAIFA-1 will launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
Tartan-Artibeus-1 was launched to orbit on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-3 mission on 2022-01-13.
Two Mandrake 2 small satellites launched 2022-06-30 on a SpaceX rideshare mission to prove optical inter-satellite link technology in preparation for the first Blackjack launch.
SpaceX is pursuing increased LEO capacity rather than partnering with GEO operators to meet high-density urban capacity needs.
SpaceX raised a total of $5,000,000,000 from investors since the beginning of 2019 to fund development of Starlink and Starship.
SpaceX’s current Falcon rockets cannot launch sufficient mass or volume to support the potentially larger, higher-capacity Starlink version 2 satellites.