SpaceX
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship shown off in first high-res orbital portraits
Taken by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, the first high-resolution photos of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft have begun to trickle in, offering the best views yet of the advanced human-rated spacecraft in its natural habit: Earth orbit.
Filling in for a distinct and uncharacteristic lack of official photos from NASA, the spacecraft’s inaugural spaceflight had thus far only been documented through NASA’s own live coverage of its International Space Station (ISS) rendezvous, limited to a relatively low-quality stream. With Oleg’s extremely high-resolution captures, we can begin to see SpaceX’s Crew Dragon with a level of detail previously only seen (if ever) on the ground.
Stunning photos of Dragon 2 docking from Oleg Kononenko! https://t.co/Lu9zlKFPt9
He was monitoring from the Russian section, near the Soyuz, due to Rocosmos contingency procedures.
Hires set:https://t.co/lFuRSzlvpQ pic.twitter.com/6wrBqVDPOP
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) March 4, 2019
In all fairness to NASA, the ISS is operating with just three crew members, only one of which – Anne McClain – is a NASA astronaut. Particularly the case for an operation as critical as Crew Dragon’s inaugural orbital docking attempt, the task of controlling space vehicle rendezvous typically requires the full attention of one or two onboard astronauts – in this case, NASA’s Anne McClain and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques. Veteran Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, however, was required by Roscosmos to remain in the Russian segment of the ISS in the event of a catastrophic anomaly during Crew Dragon’s approach to the station.
Just prior to launch, NASA broke the news that its Russian ISS partners had expressed concerns about the design of Crew Dragon’s approach trajectory, mainly focusing on the fact that a loss of control or communications while moving towards the station would leave no way for the spacecraft to naturally slow down. In other words, a dead spacecraft with a forward velocity would simply continue moving forward until it impacted the ISS, a bit like a semi-truck crash in slow motion (i.e. < 0.5 m/s or 1 mph). Weighing a hefty 12 tons (~26,600 lbs) during the arrival, even an extremely low-speed impact could undoubtedly do some damage to the ISS, although an actual hull breach (and thus a need to evacuate) would be extraordinarily unlikely. Still, Oleg was unable to significantly assist during the rendezvous itself, although the cosmonaut was front and center after Crew Dragon’s successful capture.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to observe, the cosmonaut was able to take a number of photos of Crew Dragon’s arrival, although the location of its docking port makes for a less than optimal perspective. Still, it’s hard to complain about any extremely high-quality photos of Crew Dragon, and Oleg’s are nothing short of spectacular. Highlighting the spacecraft’s nose section and docking port hardware, as well as limited views of its trunk section and body, this is quite possibly the first time SpaceX’s newest vehicle has been publicly shown off at this level of detail.
This privileged view includes a detailed look at Crew Dragon’s Draco maneuvering thrusters (elongated black ovals below SpaceX logo), two shrouds containing half of its SuperDraco abort thrusters (beneath the NASA meatball and flag emblem), the ‘Dragon Claw’ latch connecting the capsule and trunk (a smooth rectangle in the lower right), and even a (likely) duo of LIDAR arrays to the left and right of the docking adapter ring. Other notable appearances include the disposable trunk section’s radiators (a series of white rectangles visible on the left) and empennage, four fins meant to provide aerodynamic stability in the event of an abort. Just out of view is trunk’s sculpture-like solar array, curved to fit along the upper (relative) half of the section and fixed in place to minimize failure modes associated to deployable solar arrays like those used on Cargo Dragon.
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- Crew Dragon is backlit by an orbital sunrise over Earth’s limb on its inaugural March 2019 spaceflight. (Anne McClain)
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- Crew Dragon’s ISS approach. (Oleg Kononenko)
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- A better view of the solar array half of Crew Dragon’s trunk section. (NASA)
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- Cloooooser… (Oleg Kononenko)
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- (Oleg Kononenko)
After completing its successful space station docking debut on the morning of March 3rd, Crew Dragon is scheduled to depart the ISS and reenter Earth’s atmosphere for a soft landing in the Atlantic Ocean around 9 am PST (14:00 UTC) on March 8th. According to the SpaceX and NASA hosts of the live docking coverage, Crew Dragon’s DM-1 departure from the ISS will also be treated to a hosted webcast, potentially all the way through reentry and recovery aboard the customized SpaceX vessel GO Searcher. According to CEO Elon Musk, there is a slight but present chance of anomalous behavior during reentry due to aerodynamic instability caused by the shrouds covering Crew Dragon’s unique SuperDraco abort system, while NASA continues to have concerns (largely unexplained) about the spacecraft’s redundant parachute system.
Regardless of technical concerns, Crew Dragon’s reentry will be the final critical challenge in the way of completing its first demonstration launch (DM-1), proceeded by a flawless launch and equally flawless docking. If successful, it will explicitly pave the way for the spacecraft’s second demonstration mission (DM-2), in which two NASA astronauts will be transported to the ISS. That major milestone could occur as early as July, although slips are probable.
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Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Elon Musk
NASA watchdog says Starship development delays could affect Artemis timeline
The report noted that several technical milestones still need to be completed before Starship can serve as a crewed lunar lander.
A NASA watchdog report stated that continued development work on SpaceX’s Starship could affect the timeline for the agency’s planned Artemis moon missions. The report noted that several technical milestones still need to be completed before the spacecraft can serve as a crewed lunar lander.
The findings were detailed in a report from NASA’s Office of Inspector General, as noted in a report from Reuters.
NASA selected SpaceX’s Starship in 2021 to serve as the Human Landing System (HLS) for its Artemis lunar program. The vehicle is intended to transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back as part of future Artemis missions.
According to the watchdog report, Starship’s development has experienced roughly two years of schedule delays compared to earlier expectations. Still, NASA is targeting 2028 for the first crewed lunar landing using the Starship lander.
One of the most significant technical milestones for Starship’s lunar missions is in-space refueling.
To support a crewed lunar landing, multiple Starship launches will be required to deliver propellant to orbit. Tanker versions of Starship will transfer fuel to a storage depot spacecraft, which will then refuel the lunar lander.
The report noted that this approach could require more than 10 Starship launches to fully refuel the spacecraft needed for a single lunar landing mission.
NASA officials indicated that demonstrating cryogenic propellant transfer in orbit remains one of the most important technical steps before Starship can be certified for lunar missions.
SpaceX has conducted 11 Starship test flights since 2023 as the company continues developing the fully reusable launch system. A 12th test flight, this time featuring Starship V3, is expected to be held in early April.
Elon Musk
SpaceX weighs Nasdaq listing as company explores early index entry: report
The company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly leaning toward listing its shares on the Nasdaq for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could become the largest in history.
As per a recent report, the company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. The update was reported by Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the publication, SpaceX is considering Nasdaq as the venue for its eventual IPO, though the New York Stock Exchange is also competing for the listing. Neither exchange has reportedly been informed of a final decision.
Reuters has previously reported that SpaceX could pursue an IPO as early as June, though the company’s plans could still change.
One of the publication’s sources also suggested that SpaceX is targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion for its IPO. At that level, the company would rank among the largest publicly traded firms in the United States by market capitalization.
Nasdaq has proposed a rule change that could accelerate the inclusion of newly listed megacap companies into the Nasdaq-100 index.
Under the proposed “Fast Entry” rule, a newly listed company could qualify for the index in less than a month if its market capitalization ranks among the top 40 companies already included in the Nasdaq-100.
If SpaceX is successful in achieving its target valuation of $1.75 trillion, it would become the sixth-largest company by market value in the United States, at least based on recent share prices.
Newly listed companies typically have to wait up to a year before becoming eligible for major indexes such as the Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500.
Inclusion in a major index can significantly broaden a company’s shareholder base because many institutional investors purchase shares through index-tracking funds.
According to Reuters, Nasdaq’s proposed fast-track rule is partly intended to attract highly valued private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic to list on the exchange.
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