All posts tagged: Falcon

Amur Falcon ‘Alang’ undertakes 6,000-km non-stop migration from Somalia to India

Amur Falcon ‘Alang’ undertakes 6,000-km non-stop migration from Somalia to India

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After spending more than four months in their non-breeding grounds in Southern Africa, two of these Amur Falcons are now on their spring migration back to their breeding regions in Far East Asia via India. While travelling from Somalia to Northeast India, they undertake a non-stop flight of nearly 6,000 km over six days Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

ISRO’s ‘Bahubali’ LVM3 vs SpaceX’s Falcon 9: Can India Beat Elon Musk On Space Economics? | India News

ISRO’s ‘Bahubali’ LVM3 vs SpaceX’s Falcon 9: Can India Beat Elon Musk On Space Economics? | India News

Published by Webster

Last Updated:December 25, 2025, 14:37 IST ISRO’s LVM3 can carry roughly 8-10 tonnes to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and Wednesday’s mission, at 6,100kg, marked one of its heaviest commercial payloads SpaceX routinely lands and refurbishes its boosters but LVM3 is still expendable as each rocket is used once and discarded. (AP/PTI) The Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3), often dubbed as India’s heaviest rocket and ISRO’s ‘Bahubali’, roared off the pad at Sriharikota early on Wednesday, December 24, placing a 6,100kg US communications satellite, ‘Blue Bird’, into orbit. The success has once again ignited the long-running debate over who really rules the global launch market on cost; India’s space agency ISRO or Elon Musk’s SpaceX. On one side stands ISRO, celebrated for its frugal engineering and ‘jugaad’ mindset. On the other is SpaceX, which has rewritten the economics of spaceflight through reusable rockets. With both players now competing for the booming commercial launch market, the question is simple: whose ride is cheaper? SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is by far the world’s busiest rocket. Various reports peg the cost of …

SpaceX Successfully Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Brand-New Falcon 9 Rocket

SpaceX Successfully Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Brand-New Falcon 9 Rocket

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SpaceX marked its 60th Falcon 9 flight of 2025 by successfully launching a brand-new Falcon 9 booster rocket on the 20th of May. This rocket carries 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. Among those, 13 feature Direct to Cell capabilities. Originally, it was targeting 11:58 p.m. EDT on May 19 (0358 UTC on May 20) for the launch, but that try was aborted just before liftoff, for reasons that the company did not immediately explain. It was finally launched on Tuesday (May 20) at 11:19 p.m. EDT (0319 GMT on May 21) from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. About the launch According to SpaceX’s mission overview, this was the first-ever launch for this particular Falcon 9’s (booster B1095) first stage. While most recent SpaceX missions have reused Falcon 9 boosters , a signature part of the company’s cost-saving and sustainability strategy ,Tuesday’s flight featured a rare first-stage debut. The rocket successfully completed its initial mission, separating from the upper stage around two and a …

SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Launches 28 Starlink Satellites to Orbit From Florida

SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Launches 28 Starlink Satellites to Orbit From Florida

Published by Webster

SpaceX continued its rapid-fire Starlink deployment campaign on Tuesday night (May 6), lofting 28 more internet satellites to orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch itself took place at 9:17 p.m. EDT (0117 GMT on May 7) from Launch Complex-40, marking the company’s 53rd Falcon 9 launch of 2025 and the 36th dedicated Starlink mission this year. The payload offers worldwide internet connectivity by adding to SpaceX’s swiftly expanding array of over 7,200 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit. SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 28 Starlink Satellites, Booster Lands Smoothly at Sea As per a Space.com report, B1085, the reusable first-stage booster, executed a perfect main engine cut about 2.5 minutes after launch, then stage separation and a retrograde burn to stop its descent. Roughly eight minutes after launch, B1085 successfully landed on the autonomous drone ship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission was the seventh flight for this particular booster, which had previously supported two other Starlink missions. The Falcon 9‘s upper stage continued into orbit and …

Space X Falcon Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Star Wars Day from Florida

Space X Falcon Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Star Wars Day from Florida

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Living up to its sci-fi namesake, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on Sunday, May 04, 2025 — Star Wars Day — carrying a record 29 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). The mission scheduled start time was 4:54 a.m. EDT (0854 GMT) and it was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre at Complex 39A in Florida. About 8.5 minutes later, the Falcon 9’s reusable first stage made a pinpoint landing on SpaceX’s recovery ship, “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9 Sets Starlink Record and Reusability Milestone with Thematic Star Wars Day Launch According to SpaceX’s mission report, the event was the 20th successful launch and recovery for this particular booster, setting a milestone in the company’s ongoing reusability strategy. The payload of 29 Starlink satellites marked the highest number ever launched aboard a single Falcon 9 rocket. As per astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, nearly 8,500 Starlink satellites have now been deployed to date, with over 7,300 still operational in LEO, beaming internet to underserved regions. Observers noted that …

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket With 28 Starlink Satellites Into Orbit From Florida

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket With 28 Starlink Satellites Into Orbit From Florida

Published by Webster

SpaceX had sent another batch of Starlink satellites on their way on Thursday to assist in keeping up the quick expansion of its global broadband network. Rising from Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, a Falcon 9 rocket took to the skies at 9:51 p.m. EDT on May 1 (0151 GMT on May 2). This mission goes by the name Starlink 6-75, and it dispatched 28 satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). This mission is an addition to the already growing constellation, which aims to provide high-speed internet across the world, except the polar regions, via user-pointed terminals. SpaceX Adds 28 Starlink Satellites to Global Network As per a Space.com report, the rocket’s nine Merlin engines shut down about two and a half minutes after liftoff, followed by stage separation. The first stage, booster B1080, performed a retrograde burn and safely landed eight minutes later on the Just Read the Instructions drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The landing was the 18th successful flight for B1080 and its 12th for Starlink missions. The second …

Amur Falcon ‘Chiuluan 2’ continues its journey, reaches Odisha

Amur Falcon ‘Chiuluan 2’ continues its journey, reaches Odisha

Published by Webster

The Amur Falcon ‘Chiuluan 2’ is continuing its journey and has reached western Odisha after taking a break at night in Chhattisgarh, an official said on Wednesday. Dr. Suresh Kumar, Senior Scientist from Wildlife Institute of India said, “We have got the latest location of Chiuluan 2, at 5 pm on Wednesday it was in Western Odisha. It had definitely stopped for the night yesterday in Chhattisgarh.” The satellite tagged Amur falcon Chiuluan 2 has arrived in India from Somalia. According to the experts tracking the bird`s journey, the falcon travelled 3,800 km nonstop in 93 hours from Somalia to India and was heading towards the North East part of the country. The satellite transmitter fitted Amur Falcon Chiuluan 2 had arrived in Gujarat first. The approximate travel distance from its departure from Somalia to coming close to Bharuch in Gujarat was 3,100 km and Chiuluan 2 covered this distance in 67 hours nonstop flight. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Hitler Singh from Manipur forest department had earlier said, “Based on the data received today our …

SpaceX Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Rocket From Cape Canaveral

SpaceX Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Rocket From Cape Canaveral

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SpaceX has successfully sent another batch of Starlink satellites into space on Monday, marking its second launch of the day. At 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 GMT on April 29), a brand-new Falcon 9 rocket carried 23 Starlink broadband satellites, including 13 equipped with direct-to-cell capability, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Earlier today, a separate Falcon 9 launched 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rapid double mission highlights SpaceX’s pace in expanding its Internet constellation, which already stands as the largest of its kind ever deployed. Brand-New Falcon 9 Lands After Launching 23 Starlink Satellites to Orbit According to a Space.com report, this launch was significant as it was the first flight for this specific Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage. SpaceX’s boosters see multiple missions, with one record-setting booster achieving 27 flights to date. Despite being brand new, the first stage of the Falcon 9 made a flawless landing approximately eight minutes after launch, gently landing on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the …

Falcon 9 Launches 28 Starlink Satellites, Scores Droneship Landing for 23rd Time

Falcon 9 Launches 28 Starlink Satellites, Scores Droneship Landing for 23rd Time

Published by Webster

SpaceX added to its growing Starlink mega-constellation with a launch to orbit and booster recovery. A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-40 at 9:52 p.m. EDT (0152 GMT on April 25), carrying 28 new satellites into low Earth orbit. The spacecraft were stacked vertically inside the rocket’s nose cone, where they sat on the Falcon 9’s nine first-stage Merlin engine stack that blasted them into the sky over Florida’s Space Coast. Falcon 9 Booster Lands on Droneship as 28 Starlink Satellites Reach Orbit According to a SpaceX mission update, the Falcon 9’s first stage, booster B1069, separated from the upper stage about 2.5 minutes after launch. Roughly six minutes later, it executed a precise landing on the autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the 23rd successful flight for B1069 and the 19th time it supported a Starlink mission. The rocket’s second stage continued on its course, deploying the 28 satellites into low Earth orbit one hour into the mission. These satellites come as new …

Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla? Indian Astronaut-Designate To Fly To Space Station In May

Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla? Indian Astronaut-Designate To Fly To Space Station In May

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Last Updated:April 18, 2025, 23:42 IST A decorated test pilot with the IAF, Shukla was shortlisted under ISRO’s Human Spaceflight Program (HSP) and is among the top contenders for the Gaganyaan mission. IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (File) Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a Gaganyatri or astronaut-designate, is set to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) in May as part of an Axiom-4 mission, the Centre announced on Friday. Union Minister for Space and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said, “The International space mission carrying an Indian astronaut is scheduled for next month. India is poised to script a defining chapter in its space journey. An Indian astronaut is set for a historic space mission as ISRO charts bold new frontiers. India’s space dreams are soaring higher with Gaganyaan preparations, ISS mission, and a summer of launches.” Shukla will fly to the ISS on a privately funded commercial mission. India has reportedly paid over $60 million for the mission. Axiom-4 Mission Ax-4 will be the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. …