

Space
SpaceX, NASA enter final phase of training for imminent astronaut launch debut
SpaceX and NASA are working together to make sure they’re ready to start flying crews to the space station. Two astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are preparing to launch on a Crew Dragon capsule, with a scheduled date of mid to late May for the historic launch.
As the world deals with the coronavirus, essential personnel at both NASA and SpaceX are continuing to progress to a crew flight. Since the final shuttle flight in 2011, NASA and other space agencies around the world have been forced to rely on Russian rockets as their sole means of transporting astronauts to and from space.
That will change with the next flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. The gumdrop-shaped spacecraft is set to carry Behnken and Hurley to the orbiting outpost. The length of their stay is still to be determined, but training efforts suggest that it will be longer than the original planned flight.
To that end, the duo has been working with NASA and SpaceX to practice day of launch procedures. On March 19 and 20, teams gathered in Firing Room 4 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to complete a series of full missions, from launch to landing. After the retirement of the shuttle fleet, NASA turned to the private sector to find its next generation of space taxi.
The space agency selected SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to each build a spacecraft capable of ferrying crew to and from the space station. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon was the first to complete an uncrewed flight test, where the vehicle proved it could dock and undock itself from the space station. That test was a huge success and was followed on by a picture-perfect test of the Crew Dragon’s onboard escape system earlier this year.
Following the inflight abort test, all SpaceX needed to do was complete a few more tests of its Mark 3 parachute before NASA gave the all-clear to launch. But the company ran into a snag when it experienced two incidents back-to-back – the loss of a mock Dragon used for parachute testing and an unrelated in-flight rocket engine failure.

But SpaceX and NASA’s plans appear unphased, and the duo are working full steam ahead to the tentative May launch deadline. Key flight control teams stationed at their launch posts at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center and SpaceX HQ have simulated the different phases of launch. In contrast, the astronauts have practiced launch procedures from their Crew Dragon simulator.
“The simulations were a great opportunity to practice procedures and to coordinate decision-making for the mission management team, especially with respect to weather,” Michael Hess, manager of operations integration for NASA’s commercial crew program said in a news statement.
“Simulation supervisors do a great job at picking cases that really make the team think and discuss,” he added.
During the most recent simulations, teams ran through an entire mission, from prelaunch countdown to ascent and docking with the station while previous tests ran through timelines from hatch closure to undocking from the space station as well as practiced free-flight in preparation for re-entry and splashdown.
The countdown is on as the Crew Dragon capsule undergoes its final testing and preparations at SpaceX facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Once crew training and flight readiness reviews are complete, the spacecraft will be attached to its launcher: a shiny, new Falcon 9 booster.
If all goes according to plan, in late May, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will strap in and blast off the space station. There they will join fellow NASA astronaut, Chris Cassidy, who launches to the space station on April 9.
To ensure the mission gets off without a hitch, NASA and SpaceX are working closely and adhering to CDC guidelines to ensure teams stay safe and healthy. All non-essential employees are working from home, and the number of people coming in contact with the astronauts is minimal.
“The Space Station Program is looking forward to [having] another way to rotate crews to station to perform science and experiments to benefit all,” Hess said.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1211493590456848385?lang=en
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reveals when SpaceX will perform first-ever Starship catch
“Starship catch is probably flight 13 to 15, depending on how well V3 flights go,” Musk said.

Elon Musk revealed when SpaceX would perform the first-ever catch attempt of Starship, its massive rocket that will one day take life to other planets.
On Tuesday, Starship aced its tenth test flight as SpaceX was able to complete each of its mission objectives, including a splashdown of the Super Heavy Booster in the Gulf, the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, and another splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean.
It was the first launch that featured a payload deployment:
SpaceX Starship Flight 10 was so successful, it’s breaking the anti-Musk narrative
SpaceX was transparent that it would not attempt to catch the Super Heavy Booster, something it has done on three previous occasions: Flight 5 on October 13, 2024, Flight 7 on January 16, and Flight 8 on March 6.
This time, it was not attempting to do so. However, there are bigger plans for the future, and Musk detailed them in a recent post on X, where he discussed SpaceX’s plans to catch Starship, which would be a monumental accomplishment.
Musk said the most likely opportunities for SpaceX to catch Starship itself would be Flight 13, Flight 14, and Flight 15, but it depends on “how well the V3 flights go.”
The Starship launched with Flight 10 was a V2, which is the same size as the subsequent V3 rocket but has a smaller payload-to-orbit rating and is less powerful in terms of initial thrust and booster thrust. Musk said there is only one more V2 rocket left to launch.
Starship catch is probably flight 13 to 15, depending on how well V3 flights go
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2025
V3 will be the version flown through 2026, as V4, which will be the most capable Starship build SpaceX manufactures, is likely to be the first company ship to carry humans to space.
Musk said that SpaceX planned to “hopefully” attempt a catch of Starship in 2025. However, it appears that this will likely be pushed back to 2026 due to timing.
SpaceX will take Starship catch one step further very soon, Elon Musk confirms
SpaceX would need to launch the 11th and 12th test flights by the end of the year in order to get to Musk’s expected first catch attempt of Flight 13. It’s not unheard of, but the company will need to accelerate its launch rate as it has only had three test flights this year.
News
SpaceX aces Starship test flight 10 with successful payload deployment
The mission began at 6:30 p.m. local time in Starbase, Texas, when the launch of Starship initiated. After about eight minutes, stage separation was completed, and the Super Heavy Booster headed back down to Earth for a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean:

SpaceX aced its tenth Starship test flight on Tuesday night after multiple delays pushed the mission back to this evening. Originally scheduled for Sunday night, SpaceX had two delays push the flight back to Tuesday, which ultimately provided ideal conditions for a launch attempt.
The tenth test flight of Starship had several objectives, including a successful splashdown of the booster in the Gulf of America, the deployment of eight Starlink simulation modules from the PEZ dispenser, and a splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX successfully achieved all three of these objectives, making it one of the most successful test flights in the Starship program. There was no attempt to catch the booster this evening, as the company had been transparent about it ahead of the launch.
The mission began at 6:30 p.m. local time in Starbase, Texas, when the launch of Starship initiated. After about eight minutes, stage separation was completed, and the Super Heavy Booster headed back down to Earth for a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean:
Super Heavy has splashed down in the Gulf pic.twitter.com/LGozUAmLt8
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025
Starship was then the main focus of the rest of the broadcast as it completed its ascent burn and coasted through space, providing viewers with spectacular views as the mission headed toward new territory, including the deployment of Starlink simulators. This would be the first time SpaceX would attempt a payload deployment.
The deployment works like a PEZ dispenser, as the simulators were stacked on top of one another and would exit through a small slit one at a time.
This occurred roughly 20 minutes into the mission:
Open the pod bay door, HAL
Starship deploying @Starlink simulator sats pic.twitter.com/3CSOyulzcJ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025
An hour and six minutes into the flight, Starship reached its final destination, which was the Indian Ocean. A successful splashdown would bring closure to Starship’s tenth test flight, marking the fifth time a test flight in the program’s history did not end with vehicle loss.
It was also the first of four test flights this year that will end with Starship being recovered.
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting tenth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/5sbSPBRJBP
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2025
SpaceX is expected to launch Starship again in approximately eight weeks, pending the collection of data and other key metrics from this flight.
News
WATCH: SpaceX attempts Starship’s tenth test flight after two delays
This evening, SpaceX has already stated that conditions appear to be approximately 45 percent favorable for launch. This is ten percent less than last night, when the mission was eventually scrapped around 7 p.m. local time.

SpaceX is set to launch Starship tonight, provided the weather cooperates and everything with the ship goes smoothly.
This is SpaceX’s third attempt to launch Starship for its tenth test flight, with Sunday’s and Monday’s attempts both being scrapped due to a leak and unfavorable weather conditions on the respective days.
This evening, SpaceX has already stated that conditions appear to be approximately 45 percent favorable for launch. This is ten percent less than last night, when the mission was eventually scrapped around 7 p.m. local time.
Propellant load of the upper stage and Super Heavy booster is already underway, and the launch is expected to occur at 6:30 p.m. in Starbase, Texas.
You can watch the tenth test flight of Starship below via SpaceX:
Watch Starship’s tenth flight test → https://t.co/UIwbeGoo2B https://t.co/BFrpQPQFUw
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025
-
Elon Musk2 days ago
Elon Musk shares unbelievable Starship Flight 10 landing feat
-
Elon Musk3 days ago
SpaceX Starship Flight 10 was so successful, it’s breaking the anti-Musk narrative
-
Elon Musk3 days ago
Elon Musk reveals when SpaceX will perform first-ever Starship catch
-
News3 days ago
Tesla launches Full Self-Driving in a new region
-
News3 days ago
Tesla Robotaxi rival Waymo confirms massive fleet expansion in Bay Area
-
News4 days ago
Tesla Semi earns strong reviews from veteran truckers
-
News2 days ago
Tesla expands crazy new lease deal for insane savings on used inventory
-
News2 days ago
Tesla talks Semi ramp, Optimus, Robotaxi rollout, FSD with Wall Street firm