This morning, SpaceX broke the turnaround time record for a Falcon 9 rocket! B1080 launched just over 13 days and 12 hours after its previous mission on November 11.

The previous record was 21 days, achieved by B1062 in April 2022.

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Amazing seeing it in the daylight!

Starship splashing down in the Indian Ocean!

The test provided critical data on thermal protection and hardware performance, improving the reliability and reusability of the Starship system as SpaceX advances toward full and rapid reuse.

Courtesy of SpaceX.

Starship continued its mission, successfully reigniting a Raptor engine in space to demonstrate deorbit capabilities. Relayed by Starlink, live telemetry confirmed its success through reentry, a landing burn, and a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

Starship's sixth test flight launched November 19th from Starbase, Texas. Super Heavy fired all 33 Raptor engines, achieving nominal ascent and stage separation. A tower health check abort canceled the booster’s catch attempt, leading to a divert maneuver and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

The flight will test Starship’s reusable system, including catching the booster, reigniting a Raptor engine, and testing heatshields. Sonic booms may occur near the landing zone, while the upper stage will splash down in the Indian Ocean.

Learn more and track the launch here 👉 Supercluster.com/app

Next year, NASA is planning to launch the Artemis 2 mission, which will carry 4 astronauts around the Moon. This mission will test Orion’s life-support systems and critical technologies while demonstrating deep-space crew operations. This will be the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo.

Over 25 days, Orion traveled more than 1.4 million miles, entered a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon, and safely returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.

It's just been over two years since NASA launched the Artemis I mission, which was the inaugural flight of their Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the uncrewed Orion spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center.

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SpaceX is targeting the sixth Starship flight test for Tuesday, November 19th, with a 30-minute launch window opening at 4:00 p.m. CT (2200 UTC).

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Launch of the Europa Clipper mission from the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building!

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SpaceX launches the Koreasat 6A mission from Kennedy Space Center, delivering a 3.5-metric-ton satellite to provide fixed and broadcasting services to South Korea with a 15-year service life.

Courtesy of SpaceX