Elon Musks SpaceX vs Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin: Which Space Project Will Dominate the Cosmos? – Robb Report

$69.1 billion

$188 billion

2002

2000

Google

Courtesy of Google

NASA

Courtesy of NASA

The Starship rocket, which will launch asmany as 100 people into space at a time.

NEXT BIG THING

Successfully launching a crewed mission.

The Foundation book series by Isaac Asimov.

SENT HUMANS TO SPACE?

Yes, two.

SENT HUMANS TO SPACE?

Nope.

Falcon 9, which is taller than the LeaningTower of Pisa (229.6 ft.).

MOST IMPRESSIVE MEMBER

New Glenn, which is a bit taller than the Statue ofLiberty (313 ft).

CREWED SHIP

ESTIMATED TICKET PRICE

$500,000 for a trip to Mars.

ESTIMATED TICKET PRICE

Between $200,000 and $300,000 for a suborbital cruise.

When Bezos tweeted a video of a rare reused rocket from Blue Origin, Musk was quick to point out that the SpaceXGrasshopper had already completed six suborbital flights.

FRIENDLY RIVALRY

After SpaceX launched a rocket into space and brought the booster back to Earth, Bezos tweeted,Welcome to the club!

235,000

Tony Stark

Courtesy of Adobe Stock

Lex Luthor

Courtesy of Adobe Stock

Elon is absolutely fixated on going to Mars.

Were both neck and neck as to who will put peopleinto space first.

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Elon Musks SpaceX vs Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin: Which Space Project Will Dominate the Cosmos? - Robb Report

SpaceX hopes to ‘hop’ another Starship prototype this weekend – CNET

SN5 blasts off earlier in August.

If you missed it the first time around, there may be another opportunity, in the coming days, to see an early version of Elon Musk's Mars rocket take a very short flight.

SpaceX has been working at its Boca Chica, Texas, site to develop Starship, its next-generation spacecraft designed to eventually take people to the moon, Mars and even farther.

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Earlier this month a single-engine Starship prototype labeled SN5 successfully made its first "hop," which was a short flight of nearly 500 feet in altitude, followed by a controlled landing not far from the launch pad.

Now playing: Watch this: SpaceX Starship prototype takes first 'hop'

1:01

We saw the same feat performed by a smaller prototype dubbed Starhopperin 2019, but the far larger SN series is designed to be capable of orbital flight. It's not clear when we might see that, but Musk has said the plan is to do a series of hops in order to work up to higher altitude flights.

Cameron County, Texas, where the development site is located, has issued an all-day road closure for this Sunday, with backup dates on Monday and Tuesday, suggesting that SpaceX hopes to hop SN6, its next prototype, as soon as this weekend.

The closures were originally set for Friday through Sunday and it's possible they could slip further. Musk recently acknowledged the company has a very busy Sunday planned, with a pair of launches from Florida set for the same day.

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SpaceX hopes to 'hop' another Starship prototype this weekend - CNET

SpaceX Increases Latest Funding Round to $2 Billion – Bloomberg

Elon Musk

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Elon Musks Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is close to finalizing $2 billion in new funding after the company increased the size of the round due to strong demand, according to people familiar with the matter.

Fidelity Investments, an existing investor, is one of the biggest participants in the round, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private.

A representative for Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Fidelity declined to comment.

The company had been in discussions to raise about $1 billion at a price of $270 a share, Bloomberg News previously reported. Not including the new funds, that wouldve valued SpaceX at $44 billion.

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Hyperdrive

When the transaction is finalized, the company will have an equity value of $46 billion, including the fresh $2 billion in capital. This ranks SpaceX as one of the most valuable U.S. venture-backed companies.

The $2 billion round, which was oversubscribed, would be the largest fundraising so far for SpaceX, according to PitchBook. It also comes just as SpaceX pulled off its most highest-profile mission.

SpaceXs Dragon capsule returned to earth safely this month, the first mission in which U.S. astronauts flew to the International Space Station on American spacecraft since the shuttle program ended in 2011.

For SpaceX, the flight was a signature achievement 18 years after Musk founded the company with the ultimate goal of populating other planets. The mission also cements SpaceXs spot as the most valuable firm in the New Space industry.

SpaceXs previous investors include Peter Thiels Founders Fund, Alphabet Inc., Baillie Gifford and Valor Equity Partners.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been a key partner and customer for SpaceX. It said on Friday that it was targeting Oct. 23 for its first operational mission with SpaceX.

With assistance by Annie Massa, and Dana Hull

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SpaceX Increases Latest Funding Round to $2 Billion - Bloomberg

SpaceX ramping up Starship prototype tests in Texas (and looking for a resort manager) – Space.com

We can expect a lot more Starship action out of SpaceX in the near future.

Last week, Elon Musk's company flew a full-size prototype of its Mars-colonizing Starship spacecraft for the first time ever, sending a vehicle called the SN5 ("Serial No. 5") about 500 feet (150 meters) into the sky above the South Texas village of Boca Chica.

More such uncrewed test hops are coming from the company, and not just from the SN5. Indeed, the SN6 prototype is already at the launch pad at SpaceX's facilities near Boca Chica, and it may be the next Starship vehicle to get off the ground.

Video: Watch SpaceX's Starship SN5 prototype's 1st flightRelated: SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy Mars rocket in pictures

"Not sure yet, but hopefully. Will need leg & other repairs. Probably SN6 flies before SN5. We need to make flights simple & easy many per day," Musk said via Twitter on Saturday (Aug. 8), responding to a follower who asked if SN5 will fly again.

SN5 and SN6 both have a single Raptor engine and will likely fly only on short test hops, similar to the one SN5 performed last week.

The SN7 was a test tank that SpaceX burst on purpose in a pressure test this past June. But the SN8 will be another flying prototype one with body flaps and a nosecone, Musk said in a tweet on Tuesday.

That suggests the SN8 will fly relatively high likely to a target altitude of about 12 miles (20 kilometers), if Musk's previous statements about the Starship test campaign are any guide. The SN8 will therefore likely sport three Raptors, SpaceX's powerful next-generation engine. (SpaceX's currently operational rockets, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, are powered by Merlin engines.)

The final version of the 100-passenger, 165-foot-tall (50 m) Starship will feature six Raptors and be powerful enough to blast itself off the moon and Mars, Musk has said. But it will need help to get off Earth. Starship will launch from our planet atop a giant first-stage booster known as Super Heavy, which will have 31 Raptors of its own.

Starship and Super Heavy will both be fully and rapidly reusable. The duo will therefore be relatively cheap to fly, Musk has said cheap enough to make crewed Mars missions and a variety of other exploration feats economically feasible, if all goes according to plan.

SpaceX is already starting to flesh out ancillary aspects of this bold vision. For example, the company recently put out a hiring call for offshore operations engineers to help develop floating spaceports for Starship vehicles.

The company is also looking to hire a resort development manager, who will be in charge of transforming Boca Chica Village into a suitable jumping-off point for Starship passengers.

"Boca Chica Village is our latest launch site dedicated to Starship, our next-generation launch vehicle. SpaceX is committed to developing this town into a 21st-century spaceport," a new SpaceX job notice reads. "We are looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceX's first resort from inception to completion."

That resort will likely be lavish, given that Starship trips will be quite expensive. (Musk has said that the cost of a seat aboard a Mars-bound Starship could eventually drop below $100,000.) Indeed, one of the preferred qualifications for the posted job is "experience working for high-end brand luxury development."

"Aiming to make it super fun!" Musk said in another Tuesday tweet, referring to the resort.

Though Starship is still in the early testing stages, SpaceX already has a mission on the books for the vehicle: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa booked Starship for a round-the-moon trip, with a target launch date of 2023.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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SpaceX ramping up Starship prototype tests in Texas (and looking for a resort manager) - Space.com

Virgin Galactic Updates: Whats Happening With SpaceX Rival – Forbes

[8/11/2020] Virgin Galactic Q2 Earnings & Other Updates

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group Ltd., waves after ringing the opening bell during Virgin ... [+] Galactic Holdings Inc.'s initial public offering (IPO) on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE), an aerospace company focused on suborbital spaceflight for space tourists, published Q2 earnings last week. While the companys financials are not very relevant yet, given that it has yet to begin commercial operations, there have been a couple of noteworthy developments in recent weeks.

Space Tourism Updates

The company indicated that it could begin commercial service of its spaceflight by early 2021, flying its founder Richard Branson. While this is behind the companys previous 2020 timeline, the delay was largely expected due to the Covid-19 related disruption. The company continues to test its space flights and noted that it had now cleared 27 out of 29 Federal Aviation Administration milestones. The FAA clearance is key to receiving final approval to begin flights with commercial customers.

New Projects

The company also provided updates on some new projects. The company is working with Rolls-Royce to develop a supersonic aircraft that would be able to carry between 9 to 19 passengers, capable of traveling at about 3x the speed of sound. Separately, the company is also looking to expand its services to start flying customers to orbital destinations such as the International Space Station. The orbital flight is typically much more expensive and currently costs about roughly $50 million today (versus suborbital flights that are priced at $250k per ticket) [1]

Recent Fundraising

On Monday, the company raised about $460 million by selling 23.6 million equity shares in a secondary offering priced at $19.50 per share. The should considerably boost Virgins cash balance, which stood at about $360 million at the end of Q2 2020.

Interested in investing in Space-related stocks? Check out our theme The Final Frontier: Space Stocks To Watch, which includes publicly listed space companies such as Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD), and Iridium (NASDAQ: IRDM)

[7/16/2020] Valuing Virgin Galactic Stock

Virgin Galactic is an aerospace company focused on suborbital spaceflight for private individuals and researchers. The company hasnt been able to generate much buzz, unlike the Elon Musk-backed SpaceX, considering that it is still in the test phases and doesnt generate meaningful revenues as of yet. That said, things are likely to change in the next few quarters, as it likely begins commercial space flights carrying paying space tourists from 2021, charging each passenger about $250,000. The stock currently trades at about $19 per share, translating into a market cap of under $4 billion. So what exactly are the factors driving Virgin Galactics Revenues And Valuation?

How Does Virgin Galactic Make Money?

Trefis

Virgin Galactics Outlook And Valuation

While Virgin Galactic might offer significant upside, it comes with a fair bit of risk. If youre interested in larger-cap stocks that look set to outperform, check out our 5 In S&P 500 Thatll Beat The Index: TWTR, ISRG, NFLX, NOW, V

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Virgin Galactic Updates: Whats Happening With SpaceX Rival - Forbes

SpaceX launches and lands prototype of its Mars rocket Starship in key short flight test – CNBC

SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX

The fifth prototype of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket passed its most critical test yet, taking off and landing in a short flight on Tuesday at the company's facility in Texas.

Starship prototype Serial Number 5, standing at about 100 feet tall, launched gradually and rose to about 500 feet above the ground before returning back to land on a concrete area near the launchpad.

"Progress is accelerating," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted after the flight.

SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX

SpaceX has a fleet of rockets that it uses to launch satellites and astronauts, anchored by its Falcon 9 series that has launched 87 times and landed its booster after 48 of those launches.ButStarship represents the company's aim to make obsolete even the cost-saving advances of its Falcon 9 rockets. While Falcon 9 rockets are partially reusable, Musk's goal is to make Starship fully reusable envisioning a rocket that is more akin to a commercial airplane, with short turnaround times between flights where the only major cost is fuel.

Musk last yearunveiled the Starship prototype, built of stainless steel and dwarfing the company's existing spacecraft. SpaceX is developing Starship with the goal of launching as many as 100 peopleat a time on missionsto the moon and Mars.

SpaceX's Starship prototype SN5 on the company's landing pad after completing its flight test.

SpaceX

After SpaceX in May launched a pair of NASA astronauts in its first crewed mission, Musk pivoted the company's attention, declaring that the top SpaceX priority is now development of Starship. Musk said in an email obtained by CNBC that Starship's program must accelerate"dramatically and immediately,"

SpaceX released video of the flight test captured by an aerial drone, as well as a camera underneath the rocket that showed the Raptor engine and the legs deploy for landing.

President Donald Trump also shared video of SpaceX's SN5 flight, although he appeared to confuse the company with NASA in a tweet.

Although it wasn't a NASA test, leaders of the agency were notably paying attention to the SpaceX flight. NASA associate administrator Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen offered his congratulations to Musk's company on the successful flight.

Starship is one of SpaceX's ambitious programs, for which the company has raised about $3.5 billion in private capital to fund. But after a successful test flight a year ago completed by a previous iteration, known as Starhopper, the Starship program suffered several explosive setbacks in development. Those setbacks are part of Musk's motivation for asking more of SpaceX's about 8,000 employees to spend more time in Texas, even offering use of the company's private jet if people are willing to move from the company's facilities in California and Florida.

The extraordinary relocation offer underlines how crucial Musk sees the Starship project. SpaceX is already bidding for NASA contracts with Starship, most recently winning $135 million to compete against Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to deliver astronauts to the Moon. The company's Boca Chica team is already working nearly around the clock but Musk wants more, urging SpaceX employees to help Starship development progress even more quickly.

A look at the Raptor engine underneath SpaceX's prototype Starship rocket and the small legs that deployed for landing.

SpaceX

Musk revealed in a series of tweets what the next steps for Starship's development will be. He said the company will conduct "several short hops to smooth out launch process" before adding more pieces to the rocket for high altitude flights. Additionally, the stubby legs underneath the rocket won't remain as Musk said the next version will be about "60% longer," with later iterations being "much wider & taller."

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SpaceX launches and lands prototype of its Mars rocket Starship in key short flight test - CNBC

Explained: What is SpaceXs SN5 Starship prototype that completed its first test flight? – The Indian Express

By: Explained Desk | New Delhi | Updated: August 7, 2020 8:08:15 am Starship is launched on Tuesday in south Texas. (SpaceX via AP)

On Tuesday (August 4), just two days after SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule landed in the Gulf of Mexico, a prototype of the companys uncrewed Mars ship, a stainless steel test vehicle called SN5, and which is a part of the Starship spacecraft, successfully flew to an altitude of over 500 feet for a little less than 60 seconds. The test flight was carried out at Boca Chica in Southern Texas, SpaceXs commercial launch site designed for orbital missions.

What is Starship?

Designed by SpaceX, Starship is a spacecraft and super-heavy booster rocket meant to act as a reusable transportation system for crew and cargo to the Earths orbit, Moon and Mars. SpaceX has described Starship as the worlds most powerful launch vehicle with an ability to carry over 100 metric tonnes to the Earths orbit.

What is the idea behind developing this spacecraft?

Starship has been under development since 2012 and is a part of Space Xs central mission to make interplanetary travel accessible and affordable and to become the first private company to do so. Therefore, the company is working on building a fleet of reusable launch vehicles, capable of carrying humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Reusability is at the heart of making interplanetary travel accessible, SpaceX believes, since a majority of the launch cost is attributed to the expense of building a rocket which is ultimately designed to burn up during re-entry. Following the commercial model, a rapidly reusable space launch vehicle could reduce the cost of traveling to space by a hundredfold, SpaceX mentions on its website.

Once functional, the Starship spacecraft will enter Mars atmosphere at a speed of 7.5 km per second and will be designed to withstand multiple entries. While no human being has set foot on Mars yet, the planet continues to intrigue scientists and researchers because of the possibility that life existed there once. SpaceX is planning its first cargo mission to the red planet by 2022 and by 2024, the company wants to fly four ships including two cargo and two crewed ones to Mars.

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Late last month, a series of unmanned missions to Mars were launched by the US, China and the first one for the middle-eastern world called Hope.

So what all can Starship do?

Starship can deliver satellites further and at lower marginal costs than SpaceXs Falcon vehicles and it can ferry both cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Once developed, Starship is also expected to help carry large amounts of cargo to the Moon, for human spaceflight development and research. Beyond the Moon, the spacecraft is being designed for carrying crew and cargo for interplanetary missions as well.

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Explained: What is SpaceXs SN5 Starship prototype that completed its first test flight? - The Indian Express

SpaceX’s toasted Crew Dragon returns home after historic NASA astronaut splashdown – Space.com

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule cruised into its home port Friday evening (Aug. 7), secured to one of the companys recovery vessels.

Onlookers gathered at Jetty Park (while social distancing) in anticipation of the Crew Dragons arrival after the capsule's historic splashdown on Aug. 2 that returned NASA astronauts Bob Benken and Doug Hurley to Earth. The mission, SpaceX's first crewed flight, was NASA's first orbital crewed flight from U.S. soil since 2011.

Jetty Park a popular launch viewing location is located at the mouth of the port, and all marine traffic comes through this point. Typically packed with excited space fans waiting to see a launch, Jetty Park has been closed during most of the pandemic, but recently reopened in phases.

Related: 'It sounds like an animal': NASA astronauts describe Crew Dragon reentry

The SpaceX recovery ship carrying Crew Dragon, named GO Navigator, pulled into port just after 5:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT) on Friday. Crew members on board the ship waved at onlookers as the vessel made its short trek through the channel.

The ship and Crew Dragon were quickly moved into a U.S. Navy submarine basin, where the vehicle would be offloaded and transported to SpaceX's Cape Canaveral facilities. (Typically, when SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket first stages arrive in port after landing on one of the companys drone ships, the boosters are towed to SpaceX's dock, further into the port).

Friday's arrival wrapped up SpaceXs historic first crewed mission, that began when astronauts Behnken and Hurley blasted off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on May 30. Just over two months ago, a shiny new Falcon 9 rocket, adorned with NASA's retro worm logo, lofted the capsule into orbit. Crew Dragon then spent about a day chasing down the International Space Station, before delivering Behnken and Hurley to the orbiting outpost.

Full coverage: SpaceX's historic Demo-2 Crew Dragon astronaut test flight

The duo spent a total of 63 days on station, assisting fellow NASA astronaut, Chris Cassidy, with station maintenance, research experiments, and even a series of spacewalks.

Crew Dragon departed the space station Saturday evening (Aug. 1), splashing down off the coast of Pensacola, in the Gulf of Mexico at 2:48 p.m. EST (1848 GMT) on Sunday (Aug. 2). Recovery crews were waiting to pluck the capsule its previous stark white exterior now resembling a toasted marshmallow out of the water and haul it back to shore.

GO Navigator met the Dragon and hoisted the capsule aboard shortly after splashdown. After a series of checkouts, recovery teams opened the crafts hatch at 3:59 p.m. EDT (1959 GMT), extracting the two astronauts about 10 minutes later.

Once the astronauts were safely offloaded, GO Navigator began its journey back to Port Canaveral. The craft sailed around the Florida peninsula, arriving back at its home dock five days later. With the help of marine traffic sites, space enthusiasts were able to track Dragon on its journey home.

In photos: A behind-the-scenes look at SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship

It was a bright, beautiful Florida afternoon as SpaceX's Dragon-toting vessel appeared on the horizon, it' white paint gleaming in the sunlight. As the distance between GO Navigator and her awaiting fans closed, Crew Dragon came into view. Peeking out from the stern of the ship, Dragon's scorched appearance was visible as the vessel approached the Navy basin.

Once Dragon is offloaded, SpaceX engineers will take it apart so they can analyze how it performed. The craft is scheduled to fly again next spring, and this time with a crew of four. NASA officials expect to certify the craft for regular astronaut flights as soon as the end of this month. That certification will greenlight SpaceX's next crew of astronauts to fly on a long-duration mission to the space station.

In the meantime, SpaceX's drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, is expected to return to port in a few days. Early Friday (Aug. 7), the company launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets, carrying a stack of Starlink satellites into space along with two small satellites for Black Sky Global.

Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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SpaceX's toasted Crew Dragon returns home after historic NASA astronaut splashdown - Space.com

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Georgia(GMT-01:00) Atlantic, Cape Verde(GMT) Africa, Abidjan(GMT) Africa, Accra(GMT) Africa, Bamako(GMT) Africa, Banjul(GMT) Africa, Bissau(GMT) Africa, Conakry(GMT) Africa, Dakar(GMT) Africa, Freetown(GMT) Africa, Lome(GMT) Africa, Monrovia(GMT) Africa, Nouakchott(GMT) Africa, Ouagadougou(GMT) Africa, Sao Tome(GMT) America, Danmarkshavn(GMT) America, Scoresbysund(GMT) Atlantic, Azores(GMT) Atlantic, Reykjavik(GMT) Atlantic, St. Helena(GMT) UTC(GMT+01:00) Africa, Algiers(GMT+01:00) Africa, Bangui(GMT+01:00) Africa, Brazzaville(GMT+01:00) Africa, Casablanca(GMT+01:00) Africa, Douala(GMT+01:00) Africa, El Aaiun(GMT+01:00) Africa, Kinshasa(GMT+01:00) Africa, Lagos(GMT+01:00) Africa, Libreville(GMT+01:00) Africa, Luanda(GMT+01:00) Africa, Malabo(GMT+01:00) Africa, Ndjamena(GMT+01:00) Africa, Niamey(GMT+01:00) Africa, Porto-Novo(GMT+01:00) Africa, Tunis(GMT+01:00) Atlantic, Canary(GMT+01:00) Atlantic, Faroe(GMT+01:00) Atlantic, Madeira(GMT+01:00) Europe, Dublin(GMT+01:00) Europe, Guernsey(GMT+01:00) Europe, Isle of Man(GMT+01:00) Europe, Jersey(GMT+01:00) Europe, Lisbon(GMT+01:00) Europe, London(GMT+02:00) Africa, Blantyre(GMT+02:00) Africa, Bujumbura(GMT+02:00) Africa, Cairo(GMT+02:00) Africa, Ceuta(GMT+02:00) Africa, Gaborone(GMT+02:00) Africa, Harare(GMT+02:00) Africa, Johannesburg(GMT+02:00) Africa, Khartoum(GMT+02:00) Africa, Kigali(GMT+02:00) Africa, Lubumbashi(GMT+02:00) Africa, Lusaka(GMT+02:00) Africa, Maputo(GMT+02:00) Africa, Maseru(GMT+02:00) Africa, Mbabane(GMT+02:00) Africa, Tripoli(GMT+02:00) Africa, Windhoek(GMT+02:00) Antarctica, Troll(GMT+02:00) Arctic, Longyearbyen(GMT+02:00) Europe, Amsterdam(GMT+02:00) Europe, Andorra(GMT+02:00) Europe, Belgrade(GMT+02:00) Europe, Berlin(GMT+02:00) Europe, Bratislava(GMT+02:00) Europe, Brussels(GMT+02:00) Europe, Budapest(GMT+02:00) Europe, Busingen(GMT+02:00) Europe, Copenhagen(GMT+02:00) Europe, Gibraltar(GMT+02:00) Europe, Kaliningrad(GMT+02:00) Europe, Ljubljana(GMT+02:00) Europe, Luxembourg(GMT+02:00) Europe, Madrid(GMT+02:00) Europe, Malta(GMT+02:00) Europe, Monaco(GMT+02:00) Europe, Oslo(GMT+02:00) Europe, Paris(GMT+02:00) Europe, Podgorica(GMT+02:00) Europe, Prague(GMT+02:00) Europe, Rome(GMT+02:00) Europe, San Marino(GMT+02:00) Europe, Sarajevo(GMT+02:00) Europe, Skopje(GMT+02:00) Europe, Stockholm(GMT+02:00) Europe, Tirane(GMT+02:00) Europe, Vaduz(GMT+02:00) Europe, Vatican(GMT+02:00) Europe, Vienna(GMT+02:00) Europe, Warsaw(GMT+02:00) Europe, Zagreb(GMT+02:00) Europe, Zurich(GMT+03:00) Africa, Addis Ababa(GMT+03:00) Africa, Asmara(GMT+03:00) Africa, Dar es Salaam(GMT+03:00) Africa, Djibouti(GMT+03:00) Africa, Juba(GMT+03:00) Africa, Kampala(GMT+03:00) Africa, Mogadishu(GMT+03:00) Africa, Nairobi(GMT+03:00) Antarctica, Syowa(GMT+03:00) Asia, Aden(GMT+03:00) Asia, Amman(GMT+03:00) Asia, Baghdad(GMT+03:00) Asia, Bahrain(GMT+03:00) Asia, Beirut(GMT+03:00) Asia, Damascus(GMT+03:00) Asia, Famagusta(GMT+03:00) Asia, Gaza(GMT+03:00) Asia, Hebron(GMT+03:00) Asia, Jerusalem(GMT+03:00) Asia, Kuwait(GMT+03:00) Asia, Nicosia(GMT+03:00) Asia, Qatar(GMT+03:00) Asia, Riyadh(GMT+03:00) Europe, Athens(GMT+03:00) Europe, Bucharest(GMT+03:00) Europe, Chisinau(GMT+03:00) Europe, Helsinki(GMT+03:00) Europe, Istanbul(GMT+03:00) Europe, Kiev(GMT+03:00) Europe, Kirov(GMT+03:00) Europe, Mariehamn(GMT+03:00) Europe, Minsk(GMT+03:00) Europe, Moscow(GMT+03:00) Europe, Riga(GMT+03:00) Europe, Simferopol(GMT+03:00) Europe, Sofia(GMT+03:00) Europe, Tallinn(GMT+03:00) Europe, Uzhgorod(GMT+03:00) Europe, Vilnius(GMT+03:00) Europe, Zaporozhye(GMT+03:00) Indian, Antananarivo(GMT+03:00) Indian, Comoro(GMT+03:00) Indian, Mayotte(GMT+04:00) Asia, Baku(GMT+04:00) Asia, Dubai(GMT+04:00) Asia, Muscat(GMT+04:00) Asia, Tbilisi(GMT+04:00) Asia, Yerevan(GMT+04:00) Europe, Astrakhan(GMT+04:00) Europe, Samara(GMT+04:00) Europe, Saratov(GMT+04:00) Europe, Ulyanovsk(GMT+04:00) Europe, Volgograd(GMT+04:00) Indian, Mahe(GMT+04:00) Indian, Mauritius(GMT+04:00) Indian, Reunion(GMT+04:30) Asia, Kabul(GMT+04:30) Asia, Tehran(GMT+05:00) Antarctica, Mawson(GMT+05:00) Asia, Aqtau(GMT+05:00) Asia, Aqtobe(GMT+05:00) Asia, Ashgabat(GMT+05:00) Asia, Atyrau(GMT+05:00) Asia, Dushanbe(GMT+05:00) Asia, Karachi(GMT+05:00) Asia, Oral(GMT+05:00) Asia, Qyzylorda(GMT+05:00) Asia, Samarkand(GMT+05:00) Asia, Tashkent(GMT+05:00) Asia, Yekaterinburg(GMT+05:00) Indian, Kerguelen(GMT+05:00) Indian, Maldives(GMT+05:30) Asia, Colombo(GMT+05:30) Asia, Kolkata(GMT+05:45) Asia, Kathmandu(GMT+06:00) Antarctica, Vostok(GMT+06:00) Asia, Almaty(GMT+06:00) Asia, Bishkek(GMT+06:00) Asia, Dhaka(GMT+06:00) Asia, Omsk(GMT+06:00) Asia, Qostanay(GMT+06:00) Asia, Thimphu(GMT+06:00) Asia, Urumqi(GMT+06:00) Indian, Chagos(GMT+06:30) Asia, Yangon(GMT+06:30) Indian, Cocos(GMT+07:00) Antarctica, Davis(GMT+07:00) Asia, Bangkok(GMT+07:00) Asia, Barnaul(GMT+07:00) Asia, Ho Chi Minh(GMT+07:00) Asia, Hovd(GMT+07:00) Asia, Jakarta(GMT+07:00) Asia, Krasnoyarsk(GMT+07:00) Asia, Novokuznetsk(GMT+07:00) Asia, Novosibirsk(GMT+07:00) Asia, Phnom Penh(GMT+07:00) Asia, Pontianak(GMT+07:00) Asia, Tomsk(GMT+07:00) Asia, Vientiane(GMT+07:00) Indian, Christmas(GMT+08:00) Antarctica, Casey(GMT+08:00) Asia, Brunei(GMT+08:00) Asia, Choibalsan(GMT+08:00) Asia, Hong Kong(GMT+08:00) Asia, Irkutsk(GMT+08:00) Asia, Kuala Lumpur(GMT+08:00) Asia, Kuching(GMT+08:00) Asia, Macau(GMT+08:00) Asia, Makassar(GMT+08:00) Asia, Manila(GMT+08:00) Asia, Shanghai(GMT+08:00) Asia, Singapore(GMT+08:00) Asia, Taipei(GMT+08:00) Asia, Ulaanbaatar(GMT+08:00) Australia, Perth(GMT+08:45) Australia, Eucla(GMT+09:00) Asia, Chita(GMT+09:00) Asia, Dili(GMT+09:00) Asia, Jayapura(GMT+09:00) Asia, Khandyga(GMT+09:00) Asia, Pyongyang(GMT+09:00) Asia, Seoul(GMT+09:00) Asia, Tokyo(GMT+09:00) Asia, Yakutsk(GMT+09:00) Pacific, Palau(GMT+09:30) Australia, Adelaide(GMT+09:30) Australia, Broken Hill(GMT+09:30) Australia, Darwin(GMT+10:00) Antarctica, DumontDUrville(GMT+10:00) Asia, Ust-Nera(GMT+10:00) Asia, Vladivostok(GMT+10:00) Australia, Brisbane(GMT+10:00) Australia, Currie(GMT+10:00) Australia, Hobart(GMT+10:00) Australia, Lindeman(GMT+10:00) Australia, Melbourne(GMT+10:00) Australia, Sydney(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Chuuk(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Guam(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Port Moresby(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Saipan(GMT+10:30) Australia, Lord Howe(GMT+11:00) Antarctica, Macquarie(GMT+11:00) Asia, Magadan(GMT+11:00) Asia, Sakhalin(GMT+11:00) Asia, Srednekolymsk(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Bougainville(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Efate(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Guadalcanal(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Kosrae(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Norfolk(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Noumea(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Pohnpei(GMT+12:00) Antarctica, McMurdo(GMT+12:00) Asia, Anadyr(GMT+12:00) Asia, Kamchatka(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Auckland(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Fiji(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Funafuti(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Kwajalein(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Majuro(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Nauru(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Tarawa(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Wake(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Wallis(GMT+12:45) Pacific, Chatham(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Apia(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Enderbury(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Fakaofo(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Tongatapu(GMT+14:00) Pacific, Kiritimati

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SpaceX Launch Schedule

You Can’t Buy SpaceX Stock Right Now, but Here’s How You …

SpaceX made history over the weekend when it launched two U.S. astronauts into space, the first crewed space launch from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. It was a remarkable accomplishment, and one that should usher in a new era of space cooperation between private companies and NASA.

It also was largely a nonevent for investors, as SpaceX is a private company and founder Elon Musk has expressed an interest in keeping it that way. SpaceX has big dreams, including colonizing Mars, and those sorts of ambitions, and research expenses, don't usually sync well with Wall Street's quarter-to-quarter tracking.

But even if SpaceX isn't publicly traded, there are some options for investors who want to buy into the new space race. Here's a look at some of the options available to those who are interested.

There aren't a lot of large public companies focused solely on space; I'll get into why that is, and what it might suggest for investors later on. But there are a few options. Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE), Richard Branson's space tourism venture, went public last year and has been the primary publicly traded beneficiary of SpaceX's recent success.

Image source: Getty Images.

Virgin Galactic has yet to launch a human into space, and the company is very much in its development phase. Virgin Galactic generated just $238,000 in revenue in the first quarter, but it can boast a reservation list of more than 1,000 people who have signed up to eventually pay $250,000 to briefly go into space.

The company hopes to begin service this year and believes that with repetition it can bring down the cost of its launches and become profitable. It had better, because even if the entire reservation list is converted into full-paying customers, the money raised wouldn't go much further than covering the $200 million Virgin Galactic burned through in 2019.

Another option is Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR), which is focused on satellites, digital imagery, and analytics tools. The company is a rollup of a number of small satellite providers perhaps best known as the source of many of the satellite images used by Alphabet's Google Maps product, but it gets most of its revenue from government and commercial customers.

Finally, Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE:AJRD) is focused on providing the rocket engines needed to get astronauts and satellites into orbit and beyond.

All of the space pure plays tend to be smaller, niche companies. There is a reason for that. Space by its nature is risky, and expensive. SpaceX has experienced a number of high-profile mishaps on its way to getting an astronaut into orbit. Testing and failure are parts of the development process, and that can be hard for smaller companies to manage and finance.

A significant portion of the revenue related to space is soaked up by larger, more diversified defense contractors. Most defense titans have space units, with Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) in a joint venture called United Launch Alliance (ULA) focused on lift and Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) making rockets via its Orbital ATK acquisition. Those companies, as well as others, includingRaytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) andL3Harris Technologies(NYSE:LHX), also make satellites and sensors that are launched into orbit.

Image source: Lockheed Martin.

Although SpaceX is best known for its crewed efforts, the company so far has made its most significant impact in the launch business. Because it is private, we don't know the exact numbers, but SpaceX has succeeded in bringing down launch costs for government and commercial operators and has put pressure on incumbents including ULA and Northrop.

The real money in space comes from the manufacture of satellites, probes, and other objects designed to fly through space, and specifically the high-tech sensors and electronics on those objects, and not the rockets that get them there. That's a tough business to break into, especially since many of the launches are shrouded intelligence efforts that require employees with clearances, and at least for now are left largely to defense companies with strong ties to the Pentagon.

SpaceX appears to have no interest in going public, but management has in the past discussed eventually spinning off its planned Starlink internet service provider as a publicly traded entity. Starlink in the coming years plans to launch 12,000 small, low-orbiting satellites that can beam internet service to areas that are hard to reach by terrestrial offerings.

They aren't the first to try the plan: Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) and EchoStar's (NASDAQ:SATS) Hughes Network Systems currently offer satellite internet with various levels of success. Starlink is one of a number of next-generation companies that want to use an armada of small, inexpensive satellites instead of a couple of larger, more complex ones to provide service.

SpaceX in the past has predicted Starlink could generate upward of $30 billion in annual sales by 2025, though that appears to just be based on assuming all 12,000 satellites are utilized at maximum capacity. It could be a challenge to get to those sales numbers. The business will have to compete against incumbent satellite vendors, similar efforts funded by Amazon.comand others, traditional Earth-based providers, and new technologies including 5G wireless networking technologythat could solve the same problems without the costs and complexity of going into space.

In the meantime, the Starlink launches are providing a steady stream of business for SpaceX and helping advance the company's goal of establishing a space-based communications network that could be used in future efforts to get to the moon and beyond. But as a stand-alone business, Starlink still has a lot to prove.

As mentioned above, space is hard. It is also exciting, and over time, as these technologies develop, could be lucrative. Bankers at Morgan Stanleyin 2017 predicted the space industry could grow to as much as $1.75 trillion in annual revenue by 2040.

Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner likes to say, "make your portfolio reflect your best vision for our future," and it's easy to fit a world with space tourism, improved communications, and even moon colonies into that vision. Unfortunately, the complex engineering challenges needed to be tackled every day to launch people, and objects, into space inevitably lead to high costs and some business failures.

As an investor, it's OK to devote a small percentage of your portfolio to some of these pure-play space companies and hope for the best. But, as always, diversification is key. Given the risks associated with these businesses, it's dangerous to make space a key part of your retirement portfolio.

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You Can't Buy SpaceX Stock Right Now, but Here's How You ...

‘I prayed for this one – Space.com

A relieved SpaceX CEO Elon Musk welcomed home the first NASA astronauts to fly to space on his company's Crew Dragon vehicle.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken returned to Earth after two months in orbit and safely splashed down in the Gulf Coast waters off Florida on Sunday (Aug. 2). The astronauts, finally back on their home planet, then caught a plane ride home to Houston, where NASA's astronaut corps is based. There, Musk joined NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to welcome the pair home from the test flight and share his excitement about what comes next.

"I do think what this heralds really is fundamentally a new era in spaceflight," Musk said. "We're going to go to the moon, we're going to have a base on the moon, we're going to send people to Mars and make life multiplanetary and I think this day heralds a new age of space exploration. That's what it's all about."

In photos: SpaceX's historic Demo-2 test flight with astronauts

Hurley and Behnken's flight, dubbed Demo-2, was the first crewed flight in NASA's commercial crew program to outsource astronaut rides to the space station to companies, an initiative that began in 2014. A second company, Boeing, also holds a contract with the program and is expected to refly an uncrewed test flight of its Starliner vehicle after a mishap in December left the capsule unable to reach the space station.

Spaceflight is always risky, but particularly so during a test flight, a fact that astronauts and mission leaders alike have acknowledged throughout the lead-up to the Demo-2 flight. Musk referenced the riskiness obliquely in his welcoming remarks.

"I think, like, my entire adrenaline just dumped, you know? Like, thank God," Musk said. "I'm not very religious, but I prayed for this one."

Musk also pointed to the context in which Hurley and Behnken made their flight. The pair flew to and from space as a pandemic ravaged the country, among other ongoing crises.

"I think this is something that the whole world can take some pleasure in and can really look at this as an achievement of humanity," Musk said. "These are difficult times, when there's not that much good news. I think this is one of those things that is universally good, no matter where you are on planet Earth. This is a good thing, and I hope it brightens your day."

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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'I prayed for this one - Space.com

SpaceX crew returned to Earth and other space news you missed – Winston-Salem Journal

THIS PRODUCT COVERS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA**TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN AND TROPICAL STORM FORCEWINDS TO EASTERN NC THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING**NEW INFORMATION---------------* CHANGES TO WATCHES AND WARNINGS:- THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A TROPICAL STORMWARNING FOR FRANKLIN, HARNETT, HOKE, WAKE, AND WARREN- THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SCOTLAND* CURRENT WATCHES AND WARNINGS:- A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CUMBERLAND,EDGECOMBE, FRANKLIN, HALIFAX, HARNETT, HOKE, JOHNSTON, NASH,SAMPSON, WAKE, WARREN, WAYNE, AND WILSON* STORM INFORMATION:- ABOUT 360 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF RALEIGH NC- 30.7N 80.1W- STORM INTENSITY 70 MPH- MOVEMENT NORTH OR 360 DEGREES AT 13 MPHSITUATION OVERVIEW------------------TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE GEORGIA AND SOUTHEASTSOUTH CAROLINA COASTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISAIAS IS THENFORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA/SOUTH CAROLINABORDER AND MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CAROLINASTONIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN TODETERIORATE THIS EVENING, WITH THE GREATEST IMPACTS EXPECTED TONIGHTTHROUGH EARLY TUESDAY.TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL AND ASSOCIATED FLOODINGARE THE MAIN THREATS. DUE TO SATURATED SOILS AND STRONG WINDS,EXPECT NUMEROUS DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES. ISOLATED TORNADOES AREALSO POSSIBLE. CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN TO IMPROVE SOUTH TO NORTHLATE TUESDAY MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON.POTENTIAL IMPACTS-----------------* WIND:PROTECT AGAINST DANGEROUS WIND HAVING POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTSALONG AND EAST OF US 1. POTENTIAL IMPACTS IN THIS AREA INCLUDE:- SOME DAMAGE TO ROOFING AND SIDING MATERIALS, ALONG WITH DAMAGETO PORCHES, AWNINGS, CARPORTS, AND SHEDS. A FEW BUILDINGSEXPERIENCING WINDOW, DOOR, AND GARAGE DOOR FAILURES. MOBILEHOMES DAMAGED, ESPECIALLY IF UNANCHORED. UNSECURED LIGHTWEIGHTOBJECTS BECOME DANGEROUS PROJECTILES.- SEVERAL LARGE TREES SNAPPED OR UPROOTED, BUT WITH GREATERNUMBERS IN PLACES WHERE TREES ARE SHALLOW ROOTED. SEVERALFENCES AND ROADWAY SIGNS BLOWN OVER.- A FEW ROADS IMPASSABLE FROM LARGE DEBRIS, AND MORE WITHIN URBANOR HEAVILY WOODED PLACES. A FEW BRIDGES, CAUSEWAYS, AND ACCESSROUTES IMPASSABLE.- SCATTERED POWER AND COMMUNICATIONS OUTAGES, BUT MORE PREVALENTIN AREAS WITH ABOVE GROUND LINES.ALSO, PROTECT AGAINST HAZARDOUS WIND HAVING POSSIBLE LIMITED IMPACTSACROSS THE WESTERN PIEDMONT AND WESTERN SANDHILLS.* FLOODING RAIN:PROTECT AGAINST DANGEROUS RAINFALL FLOODING HAVING POSSIBLESIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. POTENTIAL IMPACTSINCLUDE:- MODERATE RAINFALL FLOODING MAY PROMPT SEVERAL EVACUATIONS ANDRESCUES.- RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES MAY QUICKLY BECOME SWOLLEN WITH SWIFTERCURRENTS AND OVERSPILL THEIR BANKS IN A FEW PLACES, ESPECIALLYIN USUALLY VULNERABLE SPOTS. SMALL STREAMS, CREEKS, AND DITCHESOVERFLOW.- FLOOD WATERS CAN ENTER SOME STRUCTURES OR WEAKEN FOUNDATIONS.SEVERAL PLACES MAY EXPERIENCE EXPANDED AREAS OF RAPIDINUNDATION AT UNDERPASSES, LOW-LYING SPOTS, AND POOR DRAINAGEAREAS. SOME STREETS AND PARKING LOTS TAKE ON MOVING WATER ASSTORM DRAINS AND RETENTION PONDS OVERFLOW. DRIVING CONDITIONSBECOME HAZARDOUS. SOME ROAD AND BRIDGE CLOSURES.* TORNADOES:PROTECT AGAINST A DANGEROUS TORNADO EVENT HAVING POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANTIMPACTS ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 95. POTENTIAL IMPACTS INCLUDE:- THE OCCURRENCE OF SCATTERED TORNADOES CAN HINDER THE EXECUTIONOF EMERGENCY PLANS DURING TROPICAL EVENTS.- SEVERAL PLACES MAY EXPERIENCE TORNADO DAMAGE WITH A FEW SPOTSOF CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE, POWER LOSS, AND COMMUNICATIONS FAILURES.- LOCATIONS COULD REALIZE ROOFS TORN OFF FRAME HOUSES, MOBILEHOMES DEMOLISHED, BOXCARS OVERTURNED, LARGE TREES SNAPPED ORUPROOTED, VEHICLES TUMBLED, AND SMALL BOATS TOSSED ABOUT.DANGEROUS PROJECTILES CAN ADD TO THE TOLL.ELSEWHERE ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA, LITTLE TO NO IMPACT ISANTICIPATED.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS----------------------------------NOW IS THE TIME TO CHECK YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN AND EMERGENCY SUPPLIESKIT AND TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND SECURE YOURHOME OR BUSINESS.WHEN MAKING SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS DECISIONS, DO NOT FOCUS ON THEEXACT FORECAST TRACK SINCE HAZARDS SUCH AS FLOODING RAIN, DAMAGINGWIND GUSTS, STORM SURGE, AND TORNADOES EXTEND WELL AWAY FROM THECENTER OF THE STORM.ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF LOCAL OFFICIALS AND COMPLY WITH ORDERS THATARE ISSUED. DO NOT NEEDLESSLY JEOPARDIZE YOUR LIFE OR THE LIVES OFOTHERS.* ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION:- FOR INFORMATION ON APPROPRIATE PREPARATIONS SEE READYNC.ORG- FOR INFORMATION ON CREATING AN EMERGENCY PLAN SEE GETAGAMEPLAN.ORG- FOR ADDITIONAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION SEE REDCROSS.ORGNEXT UPDATE-----------THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHERSERVICE IN RALEIGH NC AROUND 5 PM EDT, OR SOONER IF CONDITIONSWARRANT.

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SpaceX crew returned to Earth and other space news you missed - Winston-Salem Journal

Whats on TV Sunday: Connected and the SpaceX Landing – The New York Times

Whats Streaming

CONNECTED Stream on Netflix. As the director of research for Radiolab, Latif Nasser has covered all sorts of fascinating stories for the science podcast, like that of a Guantnamo Bay detainee who shares his name, or what the 2016 N.H.L. All-Star Game can teach us about democracy. Now, as the host of this new Netflix show, Nasser will uncover the surprising ways humans are connected to one another, the world and the universe at large. Its a fascinating topic one that highlights how a law of numerical probability applies to classical music, social media and tax fraud, or how a shipwreck laid the ground work for weather forecasting and cloud computing.

SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: SPLASHDOWN 1 p.m. on Discovery and Science Channel. Back in May, millions of people turned their eyes to the skies (and their screens) to witness the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission, which was a partnership between NASA and Elon Musks company SpaceX, marked the first time U.S. astronauts were sent into orbit onboard a private spacecraft. Now, after spending two months docked at the International Space Station, the astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas O. Hurley, will make their journey home. The host Chris Jacobs will be joined by current and former astronauts, engineers and other special guests, before the spacecrafts scheduled landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

HIROSHIMA: 75 YEARS LATER 9 p.m. on History. This two-hour documentary looks back at the development, detonation and aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, featuring the perspectives of leaders, physicists, soldiers and survivors who witnessed its catastrophic destruction. Featuring archival footage, color film from the aftermath and audio testimony from victims, the film takes a hard look at one of the most devastating moments in human history through a moral and scientific lens.

TASKMASTER 9 p.m. on the CW. This widely entertaining series assigns a group of comedians with a number of creatively vague tasks such as make the most exotic sandwich or fill an egg cup with tears" leaving the host, Greg Davies, and the task devisor, Alex Horne, to choose a winner. Its a clever take on the classic British panel show format that doubles as a devious way to torture its celebrity guests with hilarious, and occasionally genius, results.

ILL BE GONE IN THE DARK 10 p.m. on HBO. In April 2018, the decades-long search for the sexual predator known as the Golden State Killer, concluded in the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo. But the true crime writer Michelle McNamara, who spent years investigating the case, died before she could see the man who terrorized California in the 1970s and 80s brought to justice. This six-part series traces the evolution of the case, as well as McNamaras remarkable life and work, as an adaptation of her book, which was published posthumously. In the finale, McNamaras husband, the comedian Patton Oswalt, connects with survivors of DeAngelos crimes and reflects on McNamaras absence.

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Whats on TV Sunday: Connected and the SpaceX Landing - The New York Times

r/SpaceX, the premier SpaceX discussion community

Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starship SN5 150 Meter Hop Official Hop Discussion & Updates Thread!

Hi, this is your host team bringing you live updates on this test.

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SPADRE LIVE | LABPADRE LIVE | SPACEX on YOUTUBE | NSF on YOUTUBE

Starship Serial Number 5 - 150 Meter Hop Test

Starship SN5, equipped with a single Raptor engine (SN27), will attempt a hop at SpaceX's development and launch site at Boca Chica, Texas. The test article will rise to a maximum altitude of about 150 meters and translate a similar distance downrange to the landing pad. The flight should last approximately one minute and follow a trajectory very similar to Starhopper's 150 meter hop in August of 2019. The Raptor engine is offset slightly from the vehicle's vertical axis, so some unusual motion is to be expected as SN5 lifts off, reorients the engine beneath the vehicle's center of mass, and lands. SN5 has six legs stowed inside the skirt which will be deployed in flight for landing. The exact launch time may not be known until just a few minutes before launch, and will be preceded by a local siren about 10 minutes ahead of time.

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r/SpaceX, the premier SpaceX discussion community

SpaceX Crew Dragon Departs, Carrying NASA Astronauts Toward Home – The New York Times

Two astronauts who took the first commercial trip to orbit have left the International Space Station. They are scheduled to return home on Sunday.

The astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, traveled to the space station in May aboard a Crew Dragon capsule built and run by SpaceX, the private rocket company started by Elon Musk.

The Crew Dragon undocked from the space station at 7:35 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, with brief thruster firings pushing the spacecraft back.

As the capsule backed away from the station, Mr. Hurley thanked the current crew of the space station and the teams on the ground that helped manage their mission.

We look forward to splashdown tomorrow, he said.

If the weather conditions remain favorable, it will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola, Fla., at 2:48 p.m. on Sunday, NASA announced.

A safe return would open up more trips to and from orbit for future astronaut crews, and possibly space tourists, aboard the spacecraft.

Isaias is forecast to sweep up along the Atlantic coast of Florida over the weekend. NASA and SpaceX have seven splashdown sites in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, but the track of the storm ruled out the three in the Atlantic.

We have confidence that the teams on the ground are, of course, watching that much more closely than we are, Mr. Behnken said during a news conference on Friday, and we wont leave the space station without some good landing opportunities in front of us, good splashdown weather in front of us.

NASA Televisions coverage of the undocking will continue through splashdown. You can watch it in the video player below.

The capsule is now performing a series of burns to move away from the station and then line up with the splashdown site.

For much of the trip, Mr. Behnken and Mr. Hurley will be sleeping. Their schedule sets aside a full night of rest.

Any return journey that exceeds six hours has to be long enough for the crew to get some sleep between undocking and splashdown, Daniel Huot, a NASA spokesman, said in an email.

Otherwise, because of the extended process that leads up to undocking, the crew would end up working more than 20 hours straight, which is not safe for dynamic operations like water splashdown and recovery, Mr. Huot said.

Just before a final burn that will drop the Crew Dragon out of orbit on Sunday afternoon, it will jettison the bottom part of the spacecraft, known as the trunk, which will then burn up in the atmosphere.

At re-entry, the Crew Dragon will be traveling at about 17,500 miles per hour. Two small parachutes will deploy at an altitude of 18,000 feet when the spacecraft has already been slowed by Earths atmosphere to about 350 miles per hour. The four main parachutes deploy at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.

Once the capsule splashes in the water, it is expected to take 45 to 60 minutes to pluck them out.

The storm complicated where splashdown could take place. At the splashdown site, winds must be less than 10 miles per hour for the capsule to land safely. There are additional constraints on waves, rain and lightning. In addition, helicopters that take part in the recovery of the capsule must be able to fly and land safely.

The first landing opportunity will aim for only the primary site, Pensacola. If weather there is inconsistent with the rules, the capsule and the astronauts will remain in orbit for another day or two, and managers will consider the backup site, which is Panama City.

Spacecraft can safely return to Earth in either environment.

During the 1960s and 1970s, NASAs Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules all splashed down in the ocean while Soviet capsules all ended their trips on land. Russias current Soyuz capsules continue to make ground landings, as do Chinas astronaut-carrying Shenzhou capsules.

When Boeings Starliner capsule begins carrying crews to the space station, it will return on land, in New Mexico. SpaceX had originally planned for the Crew Dragon to do ground landings, but decided that water landings, employed for the earlier version of Dragon for taking cargo, simplified the development of the capsule.

After launch, re-entry through Earths atmosphere is the second most dangerous phase of spaceflight. Friction of air rushing past will heat the bottom of the capsule to about 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. A test flight of the Crew Dragon last year successfully splashed down, so engineers know the system works.

A successful conclusion to the trip opens the door to more people flying to space. Some companies have already announced plans to use Crew Dragons to lift wealthy tourists to orbit.

In the past, NASA astronauts launched on spacecraft like the Saturn 5 moon rocket and the space shuttles that NASA itself operated. After the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011, NASA had to rely on Russia, buying seats on the Soyuz capsules for trips to and from orbit.

Under the Obama administration, NASA hired two companies, SpaceX and Boeing, to build spacecraft to take astronauts to the space station. NASA financed much of the work to develop the spacecraft but will now buy rides at fixed prices. For SpaceX, the trip by Mr. Behnken and Mr. Hurley the first launch of astronauts from American soil since the last space shuttle flight was the last major demonstration needed before NASA officially certifies that the Crew Dragon is ready to begin regular flights.

The astronauts are Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, who have been friends and colleagues since both were selected by NASA to be astronauts in 2000.

Both men have backgrounds as military test pilots and each has flown twice before on space shuttle missions, although this is the first time they have worked together on a mission. Mr. Hurley flew on the space shuttles final mission in 2011.

In 2015, they were among the astronauts chosen to work with Boeing and SpaceX on the commercial space vehicles that the companies were developing. In 2018, they were assigned to the first SpaceX flight.

Originally, the mission was to last only up to two weeks, but Mr. Behnken and Mr. Hurley ended up with a longer and busier stay at the space station. Because of repeated delays by SpaceX and Boeing, NASA ended up short-handed, with only one astronaut, Christopher J. Cassidy, aboard the space station when the Crew Dragon and its two passengers docked.

They stayed two months, helping Mr. Cassidy with space station chores. Mr. Behnken and Mr. Cassidy performed four spacewalks to complete the installation of new batteries on the space station. Mr. Hurley helped by operating the stations robotic arm.

The men have also been contributing to science experiments in low earth orbit. They assisted in a study of water droplet formation in the low gravity environment of the space station using a shower head, and another that used fruit punch and foam to look at how to manage fluids in space. They also helped install new equipment inside the station that will be used in future scientific research.

Mr. Cassidy will remain aboard the station with two Russian astronauts, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. All three are to stay on board through October when another crew of one American and two Russian astronauts will replace them.

The first operational flight of the Crew Dragon will launch no earlier than late September. It will take three NASA astronauts Michael S. Hopkins, Victor J. Glover and Shannon Walker and one Japanese astronaut, Soichi Noguchi, to the space station.

The second operational flight, tentatively scheduled for February 2021, will carry two NASA astronauts, Robert S. Kimbrough and K. Megan McArthur; Akihiko Hoshide of Japan; and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency.

Ms. McArthur is married to Mr. Behnken.

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SpaceX Crew Dragon Departs, Carrying NASA Astronauts Toward Home - The New York Times

Taking on SpaceX, Amazon to invest $10 billion in satellite broadband plan – Economic Times

WASHINGTON: Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it will invest more than $10 billion to build a network of 3,236 satellites that will provide high-speed broadband internet services to people around the world who lack such access.

The announcement follows the Federal Communications Commission's approval of the plan, called "Project Kuiper", for the constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that will compete with the Starlink network being built out by Elon Musk's SpaceX. It also comes on the heels of Amazon posting its biggest profit in its 26-year history.

"A project of this scale requires significant effort and resources, and, due to the nature of LEO constellations, it is not the kind of initiative that can start small. You have to commit," the company said in a blog post.

The project will also benefit wireless carriers deploying 5G and other wireless service to new regions, Amazon said. By comparison, SpaceX has launched over 500 satellites of the roughly 12,000 expected for its Starlink constellation in low Earth orbit and plans to offer broadband service in the United States and Canada by the year's end. The FCC approved SpaceX's request in 2018.

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Taking on SpaceX, Amazon to invest $10 billion in satellite broadband plan - Economic Times

SpaceX, NASA watch weather for historic astronaut splashdown on Sunday – Space.com

SpaceX is ready to return its first NASA astronaut crew to Earth, but a potential tropical cyclone brewing in the Atlantic could cause delays.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endeavour, is scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 2). Its crew, NASA's Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, is wrapping up a historic two-month test flight, the first orbital trip by astronauts on a commercial spacecraft. Their splashdown will also mark the first water landing by American astronauts since the Apollo-Soyuz mission in July 1975.

"Everybody remains 'go' for a return, and we cannot wait to get Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley back to Earth, but of course, we have some weather pending," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters Wednesday (July 29) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "We look forward to seeing if that's going to be within the realm of what is possible."

Related: How NASA and SpaceX's Demo-2 will make a historic splashdown

That "weather pending" Bridenstine referenced is from a storm system the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has dubbed Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine. Current forecasts from the NHC place the storm system squarely on Florida on Sunday just ahead of SpaceX's splashdown target time of 2:48 p.m. EDT (1948 GMT).

"We're going to watch the weather very carefully," said Steve Stitch, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "We have a series of [landing] sitesand many days in the future, so we'll watch this tropical storm ... we'll kind of take it day-by-day."

Currently, Behnken and Hurley are due to undock from the space station on Saturday evening at 7:35 p.m. EDT (2335 GMT) and prepare to head home. If all goes well, the Endeavour capsule will fire its engines to leave orbit on Sunday for an afternoon splashdown.

In photos: SpaceX's historic Demo-2 test flight with astronauts

SpaceX has seven potential splashdown sites around the Florida panhandle to choose from. They include drop zones offshore from Cape Canaveral, Daytona and Jacksonville on Florida's east cost, and near Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Tampa on the west coast. Wave height, wind speeds, lightning, rain conditions and other factors will all determine which splashdown sites SpaceX will pick.

"We're really looking for two sites to be go before we undock," Stitch said, adding that the agency will hold off on a final decision until an hour before undocking, or even call of the departure if needed. "The beauty of this vehicle is [that] we can stay docked to the space station."

Behnken and Hurley launched May 30 on SpaceX's Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station. The mission is a two-month shakedown cruise to test if SpaceX is ready to fly operational astronaut missions for NASA. SpaceX has launched uncrewed cargo missions for NASA for years and is one of two companies (Boeing is the other) with a multi-billion-dollar contract to fly astronauts to the station.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft has performed flawlessly in orbit, NASA and SpaceX officials said. The Demo-2 astronauts have tested its ability to hold up to four astronauts at a time, with the only major unknown ahead: splashdown.

"That's a really big deal," said Benji Reed, SpaceX's director of crew management. "It's very important, and it's part of that sacred honor that we have for ensuring that we bring Bob and Doug back home to their families, to their kids and making sure that they're safe."

If bad weather looks like it could delay a Sunday splashdown for Crew Dragon, NASA and SpaceX will postpone this weekend's undocking to no earlier than Monday (Aug. 3), with splashdown likely coming a day later, Stitch said.

"So we'll have to evaluate the weather each day and just see things how things unfold," Stitch said. "We have plenty of opportunities here in August and we're in no hurry to come home."

Even as SpaceX prepares to return Behnken and Hurley to Earth, the company is already gearing up for its first operational mission, called Crew-1. The spacecraft for that mission is nearly complete at the company's headquarters and factory in Hawthorne, California and will be shipped to Cape Canaveral soon, Reed said.

The Crew-1 astronauts NASA's Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japan's Soichi Noguchi are with the vehicle this week, Reed added. That mission is currently scheduled to launch in late September.

Yesterday, NASA also announced the four astronauts to launch on Crew-2, SpaceX's second operational flight, in early 2021. That mission will launch astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, both of NASA; Akihiko Hoshide of Japan and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency. McArthur is married to Behnken, and her Crew-2 mission will launch on the same Dragon ship Endeavour as her husband, NASA and SpaceX said.

Meanwhile, as SpaceX prepares to return the Demo-2 astronauts to Earth, NASA is counting down for another milestone event: a launch to Mars.

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is poised to launch toward the Red Planet tomorrow (July 30). The mission, which will collect samples of Mars for eventual return to Earth, deploy a helicopter and seek out signs of ancient life, will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff is set for 7:50 am. EDT (1150 GMT).

Editor's note: You can watch NASA's Mars rover Perseverance launch live here, courtesy of NASA TV. The webcast will begin at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT). SpaceX's undocking and splashdown of the Demo-2 crew will also be webcast live.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Email Tariq Malik attmalik@space.comor follow him@tariqjmalik. Follow us@Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.

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SpaceX, NASA watch weather for historic astronaut splashdown on Sunday - Space.com

SpaceX Starship factory and rocket prototypes weather Texas hurricane – Teslarati

SpaceXs South Texas Starship factory and the latest full-scale rocket prototypes built there have managed to weather their first hurricane and tropical storm.

Known as Hurricane Hanna, the Gulf of Mexico weather system made landfall just a few dozen miles north of SpaceXs facilities on July 25th with 90 mph (145 km/h) winds recorded. Thankfully, SpaceXs rocket factory and Starship prototype SN5 were spared from the worst of Hanna, which quickly devolved into a less threatening tropical storm eight hours after landfall.

Still, they were subjected to heavy rain, gusty winds, low visibility, and the threat of much worse conditions if Hurricane Hanna were to veer south. Originally planned on Saturday, July 25th, SpaceX was forced to delay Starship SN5s first full wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and Raptor engine static fire test, following a solid two weeks of delays unrelated to bad weather.

Weather, rocket, pad, and planet alignment willing, SpaceX may finally have a shot at static firing Starship SN5s Raptor SN27 engine, installed more than three weeks ago. As of now, Tropical Storm Hanna continues to fade away as it travels west over South Texas and Mexico. Ironically, testing Starship during extreme weather events could actually be a useful activity for SpaceX, given that the launch rates it may eventually need to squeeze out of Super Heavy and Starship will all but necessitate all-weather launch capabilities.

Nevertheless, for early prototypes like SN5, testing during a major storm would do more harm than good by confounding critical data and observations needed to inform future tests and improve newer prototypes. Along those lines, Starship SN5 is now scheduled to attempt a WDR and static fire test no earlier than Monday, July 27th with a window stretching from 8am to 8pm CDT (UTC-5). There is still a chance of moderate rainfall and thunderstorms but Boca Chica should be clear of Hanna-related storm warnings by the time Starships test window opens.

Plans change and Starship SN5s test plans have been exceptionally fluid, but if the rockets static fire goes off as planned on Monday and weather cooperates, theres a chance that SpaceX will attempt to hop the full-scale prototype just a few days later. According to NASASpaceflight.com, prior to Hurricane Hanna, a rapid static fire and ~150m (~500 ft) hop debut was reportedly in order for Starship SN5.

Meanwhile, SpaceX and its contractors are in the midst of constructing a massive new vehicle assembly building (VAB; also known as a high bay) required for the imminent start of Super Heavy booster prototype assembly. Work is also well underway on the assembly of Starship SN8, an upgraded prototype that could be the first to receive a nosecone, aerodynamic control surfaces, fully functional header tanks, and three Raptor engines. Those facilities and hardware have also made it through Hurricane Hanna unscathed.

Check out Teslaratis newslettersfor prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceXs rocket launch and recovery processes.

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SpaceX Starship factory and rocket prototypes weather Texas hurricane - Teslarati

How SpaceX, social media and the ‘worm’ helped NASA become cool again – CNBC

NASA is having a moment.

The U.S. space agency teamed with Elon Musk's SpaceX in May to launch its first manned rocket from American soil in nearly a decade. And adorning that rocket was NASA's iconic "worm" logo, a throwback look that NASA announced a month earlier it was bringing out of retirement, causing space fans across the country to collectively geek out.

The worm added a touch of 1980s nostalgia to the launch with SpaceX that already had NASA followers buzzing about the future of American space exploration. And, the excitement over both served as just the latest reminder that NASA is back.

After all, in 2011, NASAshut down its storied but costlyspace shuttle program the one that launched the Hubble Space Telescope and carried pieces of the International Space Station into orbit prompting concerns that NASA was in "decline"and whether the U.S. had a future in space at all.

But in May, over 150,000 people braved the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to gather near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the first attempt at a launch (which ended up being postponed due to weather), andover 10 million concurrent viewers watched the final launch a few days later online.

"We're at the dawn of a new age, and we're really leading the beginning of a space revolution," James Morhard, NASA's deputy administrator, told reporters ahead of the launch. Headlines declared that the successful launch heralded an exciting "new era of human spaceflight".

An American flag is seen as SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken lifts off during NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. May 30, 2020.

Thom Baur | Reuters

So nearly a decade after the shuttle program shut down and NASA's future appeared to be, well, up in the air, it now seems fair to ask the question: Is NASA cool again?

"NASA's always cool. Always," insists retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who retired in 2016 after two decades in which he flew four space missions and spent 520 days in space, including a 340-day stretch (a NASA record) in 2015.

"It's like the greatest brand ever," Kelly tells CNBC Make It. "I travel around the world. You see that NASA meatball everywhere Everyone knows NASA's brand." NASA's "meatball" logowhich was designed in 1959, used until the introduction of the "worm" in 1975 and then brought out of retirement in 1992 features a blue circle of stars encapsulating red and white swooshes and block-y lettering.

NASA's original "meatball" insignia, first introduced in 1959 and brought out of retirement in 1992.

Source: NASA

But that doesn't mean that the general public's interest in, and excitement about, NASA and space exploration has not fluctuated over the decades.

It's hard to imagine NASA's place in pop culture ever matching the space agency's golden age of the Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s, which turned astronauts into superstars and landed the first humans on the moon an event watched by an estimated 600 million people around the world in 1969.

"Indisputably, NASA was at its height of popularity during the Apollo moon program. That's when every TV in America was tuned to those launches," says Andrew Sloan, founder of Cosma Schema, a branding and design agency dedicated to the space industry.

By comparison, NASA's shuttle program, which kicked off in 1981, did not inspire the same "fervor," Sloan says. "The shuttles were very cool to watch launch and cool to watch land. But that program was super expensive, super bloated, and the shuttle launches were way more expensive than planned and ran way less frequently."

As a result, NASA experienced a "dip in popularity" beginning in the early-2000s, Sloan says.

Even Kelly can admit that NASA's shuttle program had "become a little bit routine to the public," which was hungry for "something new [and] something that's different".

"I think where we are today, there is more of that," Kelly says.

Experts say the U.S. space agency has, in part, seen a boost from the rise of the private space industry, which has become a hotbed for innovation led by the deep pockets and headline-grabbing ambitions of billionaires like Elon Musk (the founder of SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin) and Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), among others.

They are "generating big interest again in what's happening in space exploration," Sloan says.

Any interest in space exploration from the American public is essentially interest in NASA, which is so closely associated with space and space travel in our minds. "A lot of people confuse NASA and SpaceX," says Michael Sheetz, CNBC's reporter covering the space industry.

In fact, Sheetz explains that the rise of the private space industry was NASA's plan all along. Starting in 2010, instead of the government paying to build its own rockets, it began to offer financial grants to private companies to build them, with NASA buying seats for its astronauts on the spacecraft for each partnered launch.

Since the shuttle program ended, NASA had been paying Russia's space agency as much as $90 million per seat on that country's spacecrafts, Sheetz notes. The cost for a seat on the SpaceX Crew Dragon that launched two NASA astronauts into space in May is estimated at $55 million, by comparison.

"The mere fact that we can every few months, or so send up our own astronauts, and even astronauts of other countries, on our spacecraft, really changes the game," Sheetz says.

NASA awarded SpaceX a contract worth $2.6 billion in 2014 for development of the Crew Dragon capsule that transported two astronauts to space in May 2020. In total, NASA has provided more than $3.1 billion in contracts to SpaceX. Boeing has received more than $4.8 billion in contracts from NASA to develop its Starliner crew capsule, and the space agency recently awarded Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin a $579 million contract to develop a lunar lander.

This support from NASA and the U.S. government is spurring exciting innovation like SpaceX's development of reusable rockets, which greatly reduces the cost of space travel and makes Musk's high-profile goals, like putting humans on Mars, seem all the more attainable.

NASA's prominence in pop culture has always been a boon to reaching new generations of followers. And today, NASA's iconic logos have become a fashion staple, thanks to the fact that the space agency allows nearly any company to produce merchandise featuring its logos for free (as long as they obtain permission and follow some guidelines).

Apparel featuring NASA logos have been popular items for retailers from JCPenney and Forever 21, while even high-fashion designers like Heron Preston have used the NASA logo to add some science nerd chic to a $500 hooded sweatshirt. Last year, sportswear giant Nike and NBA star Paul George celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a pair of sneakers that sported the NASA "meatball" logo and gold soles.

"You go to Target and you buy a NASA T-shirt and you wear it and you support it because being a nerd is cool," says Leland Melvin, a retired astronaut who flew two space missions in 2008 and 2009.

"NASA" also happens to be the name of a hit single from popstar Ariana Grande's double-platinum 2019 album, "Thank U, Next." After performing the song at last year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Grande even debuted some limited-edition, NASA-themed merchandise.

Melvin points out that the popularity of the NASA logo in fashion, from kids' t-shirts to an NBA player's Nike sneakers, is just another sign that people associate the space agency with a certain kind of "cool" that taps into the limitless possibilities of space exploration.

"We're looking at going to Mars. We're looking at sending the first woman to the moon in the Artemis program. And I think kids see this, people see this, and they say, 'These are the things that are possible,'" says Melvin.

Making space more accessible is also enticing for kids who dream of being an astronaut or engineer working at NASA, says Melvin.

For Melvin, who is one of only 14 Black NASA astronauts to ever go to space, becoming an astronaut was not a childhood dream because he "didn't see someone who looked like me" when he watched NASA's moon landing as a 5-year-old.

Melvin, who has degrees in chemistry and materials science engineering (and who was drafted by the NFL), was recruited to join NASA as a scientist at the Langley Research Center in 1989, six years after Guy Bluford became the first African-American in space, and at a time when NASA was pushing to increase its diversity.

That push continues today (NASA's employees are still 72% white, with 12% identifying as Black or African-American). But NASA's improved diversity has been on display more and more, thanks to people like Melvin, who spent 25 years at NASA, as well as behind-the-scenes contributors like Kathrine Johnson, the mathematician whose work on the early NASA crewed flights (including the Apollo 11 moon landing) became the subject of the 2016 Oscar-nominated movie "Hidden Figures."

Melvin also notes that NASA's next crewed launch in a SpaceX spacecraft, scheduled for later this year, will include Victor Glover, a Black NASA astronaut making his first trip to space.

NASA astronaut Leland Melvin poses with his dogs, Jake and Scout, for an official portrait that later went viral.

Source: NASA

Though "there's still a long way to go," things have changed, says Melvin.

"I've spoken to kids all over the world" says Melvin, who served as NASA's Associate Administrator for Education from 2010 to 2014. "When you see a kid in South Central L.A. that's wearing a NASA shirt, you know things have changed a lot and that it's cool."

NASA is doing "bleeding edge research when it comes to climate science and technology," Sheetz says, as well as deep space probes like the one carrying a new Mars rover (named "Perseverance" by a Virginia seventh-grader's winning entry from a NASA essay contest) that's set to launch July 20.

For instance, NASA uses state-of-the-art technology to study the effects of natural disasters on the Earth, including using infrared imagery captured from its satellites andhigh-altitude aircraft over wildfires in places like Californiaand the Amazon rainforest to collect data on those fires that could hopefully one day help to contain or prevent future fires. NASA's satellite imagery has also been used to track decreasing air pollution as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

NASA's Earth Science Disasters Programalso uses satellites to study earthquakes, floods, industrial accidents, volcanoes and hurricanes. Last year, NASA created an animation to track the Category-5 Hurricane Dorian using imagery taken froman "experimental" satellite that's "the size of a cereal box" and which NASA hopes can eventually create higher quality predictions for major storm systems. And after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017, NASA used itsBlack Marble technology, which uses satellite imagery to detect electric lights on Earth from space, to aid disaster response teams by identifying all of the parts of the island that had electricity and those that did not and were in need of assistance.

And NASA doesn't necessarily have to rely only on sending people into deep spaceit already has deep space probes like the New Horizons probe (which made the Pluto fly-by five years ago) and Voyager 1 and 2. Voyager 1 launched in 1977 and is currently the farthest man-made object from Earth, having traveled over 13.8 billion miles (and counting) over the past four decades. Those probes are constantly transmitting data back to NASA scientists on Earth, including everything from photos of a volcanic eruption on a moon of Jupiter to readings on the density of interstellar particles encountered billions of miles beyond the sun.

NASA isn't shy about showing off the results of its research, whether it's on social media or the massive (and searchable) photo and video database the agency launched three years ago, atimages.NASA.gov. There, anyone can search among the140,000 NASA images, videos and audio files from the space agency's 62 years of research and exploration, such as a breathtaking photo of the Andromeda galaxy, over 2.5 million light-years away.

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer captured this image of the Andromeda galaxy, or M31, the Milky Way's largest galactic neighbor, in 2012, according to NASA.

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

To share all its work, NASA's social media team boasts more than 500 distinct accounts. Sure, nearly 60 million people follow the official NASA Instgram account (that's just ahead of pop star Justin Timberlake, but behind teen singer-songwriter Billie Eilish).But, a separate official Instagram account dedicated to the Hubble Space Telescope has another 3.3 million followers and 4 million people even follow a Twitter account for the Mars Curiosity Rover that features tweets written as if the rover itself is tweeting from the Red Planet.

Since 2008, when NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) communications head Veronica McGregor first started tweeting as the Mars Phoenix Lander in the first-person, NASA's social media strategy has been to flood the internet with content that shows off the scientific research and innovations undertaken by the space agency.

NASA has had a seemingly unending string of social media hits over the subsequent years, including a viral 2015 Instagram post showing a close-up photo of Pluto taken by NASA's New Horizons space probe during a fly-by. Other photos shared far and wide online include NASA's shots of wildfires as seen from space, the ISS passing in front of an eclipse, and rectangular icebergs.

Social media is also a platform that allows NASA to show the human side of its endeavors, whether that's a viral official NASA photo of Melvin's rescue dogs excited to see him in his orange NASA space suit, or Kelly holding NASA's first-ever Reddit AMA conducted from space.

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How SpaceX, social media and the 'worm' helped NASA become cool again - CNBC

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is raising up to $1 billion at $44 billion valuation – CNBC

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on the Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard.

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Space Exploration Technologies, Elon Musk's reusable rocket and satellite internet venture, is in talks to raise $500 million to $1 billion in series N funding at a valuation of $44 billion, according to documents reviewed by CNBC and people familiar with the company's fundraising activity.

The funding would help SpaceX begin commercial operations of its Starlink satellite broadband service and to conduct suborbital and orbital test flights of its Starship and SuperHeavy booster launch vehicle.Bloomberg previously reported on the fundraising plans.

SpaceX is telling investors its Starlink business is going after a $1 trillion total addressable market including bringing satellite broadband to any location on Earth, to ships at sea and aircraft in flight.The company has launched more than 450 satellites since after first deploying constellations of satellites for Starlink in November. Company officials expect to start generating revenue from the service this year.

SpaceX aims to make interplanetary transportation from the Earth to the moon and Mars a reality with its reusable rockets.The company also has ambitions to use Starship for rapid long-distance air travel on Earth, making long-haul flights in under an hour.

SpaceX previous investors included those who backed Musk's car company, Tesla. Shared investors have included Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Baillie Gifford and Valor Equity Partners. SpaceX has a myriad of other investors, including Fidelity, Gigafund and Google.

Gigafund, which was founded by SpaceX board member Luke Nosek, is expected to participate significantly in the new round.

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Elon Musk's SpaceX is raising up to $1 billion at $44 billion valuation - CNBC