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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 recovery robot prepares for imminent rocket landing [photos]

Drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) prepares for its next Falcon 9 recovery with SpaceX's rocket recovery robot on February 14th. (Pauline Acalin)

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SpaceX’s shadow-bound Falcon 9 recovery robot was spotted out and about aboard drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) in the week leading up to the company’s next rocket launch, targeting liftoff at 8:45 pm EST (01:45 UTC), February 21st.

Dedicated to safely securing Falcon 9 and Heavy boosters after landing aboard drone ship OCISLY, the robot – unofficially nicknamed Octagrabber – uses four hydraulic arms and the sheer mass of its solid steel frame to grab onto the ~25-ton boosters’ built-in launch clamps and hold them steady in sea states that would create a hazard for recovery technicians. Effectively a rocket-grabbing robotic tank, Octagrabber will likely play a role in Falcon 9 B1048’s imminent third launch and landing.

While Octagrabber’s work tends to take a backseat to the building-sized rocket landings it precedes, the robot has played an important role in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 recovery efforts since it went into service in mid-2017. Its development was expedited in part because of an iffy 2016 rocket recovery in which the Falcon 9 booster in question – destined to eventually become one of Falcon Heavy’s two side cores – landed hard and wound up precariously sliding around the deck of OCISLY, only saved from falling overboard by the lip of the drone ship’s deck.

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With a 25-ton, ~150-foot tall pressurized rocket sliding uncontrollably around their work area, SpaceX’s recovery technicians understandably extricated themselves from the situation and were forced to wait for calmer seas before securing the booster to the deck. Aside from a period of a few months in late 2017 where Octagrabber was effectively incinerated while attempting to secure a Falcon 9 booster with a fuel leak, the robot has been a part of nearly every East Coast Falcon 9 drone ship recovery since. The overall value it adds is unclear but the fact that a similar sibling has yet to be built for West Coast drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) suggests that Octagrabber is viewed as more of a good option to have with an otherwise non-critical level of utility.

Nevertheless, the lone robot continues to soldier on and is routinely spotted out and about on OCISLY’s deck while the drone ship is docked in Port Canaveral, presumably performing a variety of maintenance checkouts and testing hardware and software between rocket recoveries. While SpaceX’s 2019 launch manifest has had a slow start in January and February, things are expected to get quite a bit more active over the next few months, while a SpaceX executive recently indicated that the company was hoping to conduct 21 or more launches this year.

 

Up next on SpaceX’s manifest is a launch just over 12 hours from now, featuring communications satellite PSN-6, an Air Force smallsat, and the first commercial Moon lander. If all goes as planned, the ~5400 kg (11,900 lb) trio will be placed into a high-energy geostationary transfer orbit with an apoapsis around 60,000 km (~38,000 mi) above Earth’s surface. Eight and a half minutes after launch, Falcon 9 B1048 will attempt its third landing in seven months, hopefully setting itself up for a fourth flight (and beyond) later this year. Mr. Steven – having completed a 5000 mile (8000 km) journey just a week and a half prior – will also attempt the first East Coast Falcon fairing catch.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

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(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

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On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

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United Airlines debuts Starlink Wi-Fi on Detroit flight

United’s first passenger flight with Starlink Wi-Fi just landed in Detroit. Mainline flights to follow by year-end.

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(Credit: United Airlines)

United Airlines debuted Starlink Wi-Fi on its first passenger flight to Detroit, marking a milestone in in-flight connectivity with SpaceX’s satellite internet.

On Thursday, the morning flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport introduced high-speed, gate-to-gate Starlink internet for United Airlines passengers. The Starlink-equipped United Embraer E-175, tail number UA5717, departed at 7:35 a.m. for Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

United announced the rollout on X, stating, “That lightning-fast Wi-Fi we told you about? It’s here. Our first customers just found out what it’s like to break the Wi-Fi barrier and stream, scroll, shop, and game just like at home with Starlink. And it’s FREE for MileagePlus members. Rolling out across our fleet now.”

The service leverages Starlink’s 7,000+ low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver broadband globally, including in remote areas. United is the only major U.S. airline currently offering Starlink. The airline plans to expand the service across its two-cabin regional fleet and introduce it on mainline flights by year-end.

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Sean Cudahy from The Points Guy tested Starlink’s Wi-Fi pre-launch, praising its ease and reliability. “I ran a speed test, and it clocked the Wi-Fi at 217 Mbps of download speed, and 26.8 Mbps of upload speed,” Cudahy shared, noting its suitability for long flights.

Beyond aviation, SpaceX is pitching Starlink as a GPS alternative, emphasizing its potential for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services. This dual capability underscores Starlink’s versatility.

In a letter to the FCC, SpaceX wrote, “One opportunity stands out as a particularly ripe, low-hanging fruit: facilitating the rapid deployment of next-generation low-Earth orbit (‘LEO’) satellite constellations that can deliver PNT as a service alongside high-speed, low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity.”

As SpaceX expands Starlink’s applications, from aviation to navigation, United’s adoption signals a broader shift toward satellite-driven connectivity on long flights. With plans to equip more aircraft, United and Starlink are redefining in-flight internet, promising seamless digital access at 30,000 feet.

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SpaceX touts Starlink as GPS alternative in FCC PNT push

SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s potential to deliver PNT services alongside its broadband offerings.

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SpaceX is positioning its Starlink constellation as a viable GPS alternative. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX stated that it could leverage Starlink satellites for next-generation Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions.

GPS has been run through a single provider in the United States, the Defense Department. The FCC intends to use Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions to complement GPS technologies. In its letter, SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s potential to deliver PNT services alongside its broadband offerings in its letter to the FCC.

“As the Commission identifies specific actions to contribute to the whole-of-government PNT system resilience effort, one opportunity stands out as a particularly ripe, low-hanging fruit: facilitating the rapid deployment of next-generation low-Earth orbit (‘LEO’) satellite constellations that can deliver PNT as a service alongside high-speed, low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity,” SpaceX wrote.

SpaceX also emphasized its ongoing work to integrate PNT into its cellular Starlink service, which is expected to be launched with T-Mobile in July. The private space provider also stated that Starlink satellites already operate independently of GPS. This lays the groundwork for resilient PNT delivery across authorized frequencies, SpaceX noted in its letter.

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“SpaceX has also been actively working to integrate PNT solutions into its direct-to-device commercial service offerings. In so doing, SpaceX can advance the Commission’s goal in this proceeding to maintain American leadership in next-generation PNT services both here at home and in over 130 countries it serves around the world.

“SpaceX looks forward to playing an integral role in creating a more robust, resilient, and secure PNT ecosystem for Americans and people around the world,” SpaceX noted.

SpaceX also advocated for a “technology-neutral approach” to GPS alternatives in its letter, while critiquing EchoStar’s unused 2GHz spectrum for mobile satellite services. Meanwhile, Globalstar, Apple’s satellite provider, also pitched its services as a GPS complement, stating that its services “can function as either an alternative or a complement to GPS.”

“Notably, Globalstar’s satellites transmit outside of the L-band, which provides PNT users with added immunity from GPS jamming and spoofing. In addition, Globalstar’s satellite transmissions at 2.4GHz are stronger than GPS signals, bolstering resilience, performance, and reliability,” GlobalStar noted.

SpaceX’s letter to the FCC can be viewed below.

Starlink GPS FCC by maria on Scribd

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