
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket takes off on first successful flight.
SpaceX’s launch of Malaysia’s Razaksat remote sensing satellite has been rescheduled for mid-July, a two-month slip from its original April 21 launch date.
Space Tourism … and Much More

SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket takes off on first successful flight.
SpaceX’s launch of Malaysia’s Razaksat remote sensing satellite has been rescheduled for mid-July, a two-month slip from its original April 21 launch date.
Another Big Moment for Elon Musk
Air & Space Magazine
At 37 years old, Elon Musk is poised to become either the Henry Ford or the Howard Hughes of his generation. If his Falcon rockets and Tesla electric cars succeed, he’ll revolutionize 21st century transportation. If they don’t, he’ll likely be remembered as a colorful, clever, but ultimately irrelevant tinkerer. After all, Neil Young has an electric car, too.
SPACEX PRESS RELEASE
Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB’s RazakSAT satellite.
Continue reading ‘Falcon 1 Launch Delayed Because of “Compatibility” Problems’
SpaceX is looking at about a six-week delay on the launch of its next Falcon 1 rocket, The New Straits Times reports:
The launch of the RazakSAT, Malaysia’s second remote sensing satellite has been postponed until further notice due to “technical problems”.
PRESS RELEASE
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces that the launch window for ATSB’s RazakSAT on Falcon 1 Flight 5, is currently scheduled to open Monday, April 20th at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
Continue reading ‘SpaceX Sets Window for April 20 Falcon Launch’
SpaceX has confirmed the date for its next Falcon 1 launch as April 21. The rocket will take off from Omelek Island in the Marshall Islands with Malaysia’s RazakSAT communications satellite and two secondary payloads. It will be the El Segundo, Calif.-based company’s fifth launch of the rocket, which has succeeded one and failed three times.
It looks like SpaceX’s next launch of the Falcon 1 rocket will occur on April 21. Malaysia’s The Star website is reporting that its RazakSAT will be launched from Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands on that date.
The Federal Aviation Administration has given its OK for SpaceX to launch Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launches. In a report, the agency said the launches will pose “no significant short-term or long-term effects to the environment or surrounding populations.”
Continue reading ‘SpaceX Gets Environmental OK for Falcon Launches’
The Musk Factor: reducing the cost of spaceflight
Examiner.com
“With his new line of Falcon rockets, Elon Musk plans to reduce NGEO cargo transport costs from $10,000/lb to around $1000/lb. His target “Musk Factor†savings is therefore 10x. The first successful Falcon 1 launch on September 28, 2008 and an upcoming first attempt to launch a larger Falcon 9 rocket suggest Musk is once again traveling down the lucrative road to success.
“However, the Futron study raises a key question: Even if SpaceX succeeds, how will payload efficiencies affect Falcon launch costs? Even with the right technology and a string of launch successes, Musk might not achieve his 10x reduction in NGEO cost per pound… or conversely, the effective savings could actually be higher for efficiently packed payloads.”
Musk ambition: SpaceX aim for fully reusable Falcon 9
NASASpaceFlight.com
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has spoke of his desire to make Falcon 9 the first fully reusable launch vehicle, which he would “love†to include a flyback first stage. Musk also noted he is aiming for Falcon 9 to launch in under 60 minutes from the moment they leave their hangers.
Continue reading ‘Musk: Your Satellite Launched in Under an Hour or It’s Free’