The Falcon 9 team won a special award for its work’s impact on humanity. Dan Dumbacher, who leads the Neil Armstrong Space Prize selection committee, said their achievements are clear and visible.
Nayuta Space, a Chinese commercial launch company, finished two funding rounds to develop its Xuanniao-R rocket. This rocket will be 70 meters long and use a new method for landing. It aims to test its rocket in 2027, but there are challenges. The new landing method requires extra structures, making it heavier and more complex. The time frame for the test flight may be too ambitious.
SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This mission successfully put more Starlink v2-mini satellites into orbit. It marked the 611th recovery of a Falcon booster, setting a record of 268 consecutive successful booster landings. This is important because SpaceX wants to use this technology for future human landings on Earth.
On Thursday, SpaceX tested the Super Heavy booster for its Starship vehicle. The 15-second test looked promising. This is an essential step to prepare the newest version of Starship, with a possible launch in mid-May.
