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SpaceX, NASA complete one final dress rehearsal before historic liftoff

Bob and Doug are all smiles as they complete the final dress rehearsal before launch. Credit: NASA

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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule will carry humans into orbit for the first time, in just three days. In preparation for that historic liftoff, it’s initial passengers — NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley — put on their spacesuits for a trial run. 

The dress rehearsal was the final practice run ahead of the big day’s events. Behnken and Hurley, along with countless engineers and members of launch control teams across three centers, practiced what it would be like to conduct the actual launch.

The day started with Behnken and Hurley putting on their spacesuits, followed by the traditional walk out of the astronaut quarters. The duo posed for a few photos before hopping into their Tesla and driving off toward the launch pad. The white model X has been emblazoned with both NASA logs — the worm and the meatball. 

Instead of the astrovans of the past, Bob and Doug will ride to the launch pad in a special white Tesla model X. Credit: NASA

Once at the pad, the two astronauts hopped into an elevator bound for the crew access arm, which towers 265-feet off the ground. The crew then boarded the Dragon capsule through a hatch on the vehicle’s side. After strapping in, the crew performed some system checkouts before proceeded with a simulated launch countdown.

The day’s activities encompassed what the crew will be going through on launch day, stopping just before the fuel is loaded on board. Once the test run was over, the crew disembarked from the Dragon, and rode in their Tesla  back to crew quarters.

Behnken and Hurley completed on last training run on Saturday, May 23. The duo ran through launch day proceeds from start to prop load. Credit: NASA

The duo has named their Dragon spacecraft, but have decided to keep that name a secret until launch day. The naming of spacecraft goes back to the beginning of the space program.

With the final dress rehearsal in the books, the last major hurdle for SpaceX will be a launch readiness review on Monday. If all goes as planned and weather at the launch site cooperates, Behnken and Hurley will lift off on May 27 at 4:33 p.m. EDT.

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FAA clears SpaceX for Starship Flight 10 after probe into Flight 9 mishap

SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more instead of a tower capture.

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Credit: SpaceX

The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its review of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 mishap, clearing the way for the next launch attempt as soon as August 24. 

Flight 9 ended with the loss of both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage, but regulators accepted SpaceX’s findings that a fuel component failure was the root cause. No public safety concerns were reported from the incident.

Starship recovery lessons

SpaceX noted that Flight 9 marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy booster. Unlike prior attempts, the company did not try a tower “chopsticks” recovery, opting instead for an offshore return that ended in a destructive breakup. The upper stage was also lost over the Indian Ocean. 

As per the FAA in its statement, “There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property. The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation. The final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle as a failure of a fuel component. SpaceX identified corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the event.”

SpaceX also highlighted that Flight 9’s debris did not harm any wildlife. “SpaceX works with an experienced global response provider to retrieve any debris that may wash up in South Texas and/or Mexico as a result of Starship flight test operations. During the survey of the expected debris field from the booster, there was no evidence of any floating or deceased marine life that would signal booster debris impact harmed animals in the vicinity,” the private space company noted.

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Expanding test objectives

To mitigate risks, SpaceX plans to adjust return angles for future flights and conduct additional landing burn tests on Flight 10. SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more, instead of a tower capture, according to a report from the Boston Herald.

The upcoming Starship Flight 10, which will be launching from Starbase in Texas, will also mark SpaceX’s attempt to perform its first payload deployment and an in-space Raptor relight. Despite recent setbacks, which include the last three flights ending with the upper stage experiencing a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD), Starship remains central to NASA’s Artemis program, with a variant tapped as the human landing system for Artemis III, the first since the Apollo program. 

Standing more than 400 feet tall and generating 16 million pounds of thrust, Starship remains the most powerful rocket flown, though it has yet to complete an orbital mission. The FAA has expanded SpaceX’s license to allow up to 25 Starship flights annually from Texas.

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Ukraine completes first Starlink direct-to-cell test in Eastern Europe

The trial was announced by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Kyivstar’s parent company Veon, in a press release.

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Credit: SpaceX

Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, has completed its first test of Starlink’s Direct to Cell satellite technology, enabling text messages to be sent directly from 4G smartphones without extra hardware. 

The trial was announced by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Kyivstar’s parent company Veon in a press release.

First Eastern Europe field test

The Zhytomyr region hosted the pilot, where Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov exchanged texts and even made a brief video call via Starlink’s satellite link in northern Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. 

Veon stated that the test marked Eastern Europe’s first field trial of the technology, which will allow Kyivstar’s 23 million subscribers to stay connected in areas without cellular coverage. The service will debut in fall 2025 with free text messaging during its testing phase.

“Our partnership with Starlink integrates terrestrial networks with satellite platforms, ensuring that nothing stands between our customers and connectivity – not power outages, deserts, mountains, floods, earthquakes, or even landmines,” Veon CEO Kaan Terzioglu stated.

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Starlink in Ukraine

Kyivstar signed its Direct to Cell agreement with Starlink in December 2024, about a year after a major cyberattack disrupted service and caused nearly $100 million in damages, as noted in a report from the Kyiv Independent. Starlink technology has been a pivotal part of Ukraine’s defense against Russia in the ongoing conflict.

“Despite all the challenges of wartime, we continue to develop innovative solutions, because reliable communication under any circumstances and in any location is one of our key priorities. Therefore, this Kyivstar project is an example of effective partnership between the state, business, and technology companies, which opens the way to the future of communication without borders,” Mykhailo Fedorov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, said.

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SpaceX is rolling out a new feature to Starlink that could be a lifesaver

Starlink now has a new Standby Mode that will enable low-speed internet access in the event of an outage.

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(Credit: Starlink | X)

SpaceX is rolling out a new feature to Starlink that could be a lifesaver in some instances, but more of a luxury for others.

Starlink is the satellite internet service that Elon Musk’s company SpaceX launched several years ago. It has been adopted by many people at their homes, many airlines on their planes, and many maritime companies on their ships.

SpaceX produces its 10 millionth Starlink kit

It has been a great way for customers to relieve themselves of the contracts and hidden fees of traditional internet service providers.

Now, Starlink is rolling out a new service feature on its units called “Standby Mode,” which is part of Pause Mode. The company notified customers of the change in an email:

“We’re reaching out to you to let you know the Pause feature on your plan has been updated. Pause now includes Standby Mode, which comes with unlimited low-speed data for $5.00 per month, perfect for backup connectivity and emergency use. These updates will take effect in 30 days. All of your other plan features remain the same. You are able to cancel your service at any time for no charge.”

SpaceX did not define how fast these “low speeds” will be. However, there are people who have tested the Standby Mode, and they reported speeds of about 500 kilobytes per second.

The mode is ideal for people who might deal with internet or power outages, but still need to have some sort of internet access.

It could also be used as a backup for people who want to stay with their ISP, but would like to have some sort of alternative in case of an outage for any reason.

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