SpaceX
SpaceX’s Mr. Steven highlights ambiguity of Falcon fairing catches with port return
SpaceX’s fairing recovery vessel Mr. Steven highlighted the maddening and exhilarating uncertainty of unpublicized fairing recovery attempts with a return to Port of San Pedro on October 18th, the morning after spending a day at sea for the second Falcon fairing drop-and-catch test.
Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin was on site to watch Mr. Steven’s 1AM Pacific port return and was able to capture the arrival, showing a familiar test fairing resting on the vessel’s deck, perfectly intact, with the recovery net fully retracted.
Schrödinger’s Fairing
Beginning with a dry run on October 8th, SpaceX technicians and engineers have spent the last 10 days testing Mr. Steven more intensely than ever previously observed, centering around a campaign of apparent Falcon fairing drop tests. Although it’s possible that these tests are more captive-carry trials than true drop tests, it seems more likely – judging by the fact that NOTAMs, notices to airmen, were only filed for 2 of the 3 attempts – that the helicopter is actually releasing a fairing half around 11,000 feet (3300 m) and letting it glide towards Mr. Steven.
Previously, SpaceX executive Hans Koenigsmann and CEO Elon Musk have mentioned a probable drop test campaign if operational (post-launch) fairing recovery attempts were unsuccessful. Mr. Steven has yet to successfully snag a fairing out of the air over the course of four post-launch catch attempts, evidence that – just like landing Falcon 9 boosters intact – recovering orbital-class rocket hardware in a state that allows for future reuse is extraordinarily difficult, regardless of the subsystem. However, SpaceX has managed to successfully recover fairing halves intact and in a condition good enough to make Koenigsmann, Vice President of Reliability, visibly excited during an IAC 2018 presentation.
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- Hans Koenigsmann was extremely excited about the condition of this particular fairing half, and included this photo in his IAC 2018 keynote. (SpaceX)
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- One half of SpaceX’s Iridium-6/GRACE-FO just moments before touchdown on the Pacific Ocean. (SpaceX)
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- Close. (SpaceX)
The problem with those intact halves is that they have been recovered only after soft landings in the ocean – once immersed in saltwater, the sheer expense of cleaning a fairing to the point that it would be able to host another sensitive satellite payload is apparently too high to be worthwhile, at least from a perspective of economical reusability. The (quite literally) miniscule line that thus appears to be separating failed fairing recovery attempts from successes also means that it’s extraordinarily difficult to know whether the fairing half that returned on Mr. Steven yesterday morning is indicative of a breakthrough success or another successful failure.
Clearly, the fairing is perfectly intact from a purely structural perspective, meaning that its recovery hardware – cold gas thrusters and a parafoil – worked nominally. What is impossible to tell is whether its autonomous guidance systems were able to successfully direct it to Mr. Steven’s net, or whether Mr. Steven himself was able to maneuver beneath the falling fairing in time to catch it. And yet, a fairing half still sits visibly intact on Mr. Steven’s deck, story and fate unknown. With any luck, SpaceX will offer an official confirmation of some sort once success is in hand. For now, we wait.
For prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket recovery fleet check out our brand new LaunchPad and LandingZone newsletters!
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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