Search Results: SpaceX

A Canadian satellite researcher has uncovered that 171 of SpaceX's Starshield satellites, built for the US National Reconnaissance Office, are emitting powerful signals in a frequency band designated for uplink transmissions. These unexpected downlinks highlight a lack of transparency in US spectrum management and potential risks of international interference. As mega-constellations proliferate, experts call for better coordination to safeguard critical space operations.

After 20 years and $30+ billion, NASA's Orion spacecraft faces blistering criticism for catastrophic cost overruns, fundamental design flaws, and life-threatening safety risks. Technical analysis reveals an overweight, underperforming capsule with an untested heat shield set to carry astronauts on Artemis II amid revelations of institutional deception and programmatic malpractice, as China accelerates toward lunar dominance.

SpaceX is constructing air separation and methane liquefaction plants at its Starbase facility to eliminate the need for over 200 tanker trucks per Starship launch, a critical step toward achieving its goal of daily orbital flights. The move addresses major logistical and environmental bottlenecks as the company seeks regulatory approval for up to 120 annual launches from Texas and Florida. This infrastructure overhaul represents a fundamental shift in launch operations to support SpaceX's lunar and Martian ambitions.

Russian investors have acquired stakes in SpaceX through shadowy special-purpose vehicles, bypassing the company's policies against adversarial nations. This infiltration into a $350 billion defense contractor exposes critical vulnerabilities in regulatory oversight and national security. With links to sanctioned oligarchs and U.S. Treasury fines, the saga underscores the risks of foreign capital in sensitive technology sectors.

Two former SpaceX employees have filed wrongful-termination lawsuits, accusing the company of ignoring critical safety warnings and fostering a culture where cost-cutting and relentless schedules led to high injury rates. The allegations surface as SpaceX intensifies its Starship and Falcon 9 launch cadence, raising urgent questions about workplace ethics in high-stakes aerospace innovation. OSHA data reveals injury rates at some SpaceX sites are nearly triple the industry average.

China's plans to rival SpaceX's Starlink constellation with its own massive satellite networks are faltering, deploying less than 1% of their planned 27,000 satellites. The critical bottleneck is China's inability to match SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket technology, a key factor enabling rapid, cost-effective launches. This delay highlights a significant technological gap with profound implications for global communications infrastructure and military strategy.