Private spaceflight
Latest about Private spaceflight
![flames billow from the base of a large silver rocket that's sitting on a test stand.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CxfugAPiAWpdSt6hk3uqLc-320-80.jpg)
SpaceX fires up huge Super Heavy booster ahead of 4th Starship test flight (photos, video)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX conducted an engine test with its latest Super Heavy booster on Friday (April 5), readying the giant vehicle for the next Starship launch.
![a big silver rocket stands on a launch pad at dawn or dusk, with the ocean in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CiZdpzxjekjwGEbQ5MPKbW-320-80.jpg)
SpaceX moves Super Heavy booster to pad ahead of 4th Starship flight (photos)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX has moved its giant Super Heavy booster to the pad for testing ahead of the next Starship test flight, which could launch as soon as May.
![a white rocket launches into a blue sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7XaRiDfGy9PZrRkQtxJnim-320-80.jpg)
Blue Origin will launch Ed Dwight, the 1st-ever Black astronaut candidate, to space on next New Shepard rocket flight
By Mike Wall published
The six-person crew of Blue Origin's seventh human spaceflight includes Ed Dwight, who was picked in 1961 to be the nation's first black astronaut candidate.
![two white aircraft joined together as one at the wing fly through a blue sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qqm6atkj4RPXX82pZEC3oU-320-80.jpg)
Boeing files lawsuit against Virgin Galactic over development of new mothership aircraft
By Andrew Jones published
Boeing and Aurora Flight Sciences are suing Virgin Galactic for unpaid work and trade secrets related to a new mothership aircraft for Virgin Galactic’s next-generation space planes.
![fire, dust and exhaust billow from the base of a big, stainless steel rocket](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NDHyrpNLZVNYgTVizMJyr7-320-80.jpg)
SpaceX fires up Starship rocket ahead of 4th test flight (video)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX fired the engines on the upper stage of its next Starship vehicle, performing a key test ahead of the giant rocket's fourth test flight.
![three rockets rise out of the fog with the sun low on the horizon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zSeGDcPoqayudWfmmjRE9S-320-80.jpg)
SpaceX moves next Starship to pad for testing ahead of 4th flight (photos)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX has moved the upper stage of its next Starship vehicle to the pad for testing ahead of a test flight, which could lift off as soon as early May.
![a large silver rocket flies through a blue sky above a column of flame](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VQGnwSxcaUj88UwH2C6Av8-320-80.jpg)
Watch shock waves ripple from SpaceX's giant Starship rocket during 3rd test flight (video)
By Samantha Mathewson published
The third launch of SpaceX's Starship sent shock waves through the air, clearly visible in a stunning new slow motion video that captures the ignition of the spacecraft's 33 Raptor engines.
![a silver spacecraft glows red with the heat of reentry, with earth's ocean in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DiUviM6WUqurBhueW3uHU6-320-80.png)
How environmentally friendly is SpaceX's Starship?
By Tereza Pultarova published
SpaceX's Starship uses greener propellant than other rockets, but its environmental footprint could still be substantial if plans for hundreds of launches per year come to pass, experts warn.
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