SpaceX | DD News

May 6, 2026 9:58 AM

Musk wanted $80 billion to colonize Mars, OpenAI president testifies at trial

OpenAI's president testified on Tuesday that Elon Musk supported transforming the artificial intelligence startup into a for-profit company, but wanted full control in part to help him raise $80 billion to colonize Mars. The testimony by Greg Brockman came in the second week of a trial in California that could determine the future of OpenAI, which sparked a widespread craze over generative artificial intelligence after launching its ChatGPT chatbot in late 2022. OpenAI plans to spend $50 billi...

February 3, 2026 2:51 PM

SpaceX acquires xAI in record-setting deal as Musk looks to unify AI and space ambitions

Elon Musk said on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial-intelligence startup xAI in a record-setting deal that unifies Musk's AI and space ambitions by combining the rocket-and-satellite company with the maker of the Grok chatbot. The transaction values SpaceX at $1 trillion, and xAI at $250 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. Investors in xAI will receive 0.1433 shares of SpaceX for every share of xAI as part of the acquisition, this pe...

January 15, 2026 3:41 PM

SpaceX capsule with four astronauts, one ailing, splashes down safely off California

A SpaceX capsule carrying a four-member crew home from orbit in an emergency return to earth necessitated by an undisclosed serious medical condition afflicting one of the astronauts splashed down safely early on Thursday in the Pacific Ocean off California. The Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Endeavour parachuted into calm seas off San Diego at about 12:45 a.m. EST (0845 GMT), capping a 10-hour-plus descent from the International Space Station and fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. Their r...

November 21, 2025 12:44 PM

Blue Origin unveils plan for bigger New Glenn rocket variant to take on SpaceX

Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin said on Thursday it will build a bigger, more powerful variant of its New Glenn rocket, drawing early plans for a family of orbital satellite launchers akin to the fleet of Falcon rockets from Elon Musk's dominant SpaceX. The new rocket, announced after New Glenn's second mission launched last week, will be called New Glenn 9x4, a name referencing nine engines that will power its first stage and four engines on its second stage. That is an increase of two e...

October 21, 2025 9:34 AM

NASA opens SpaceX’s moon lander contract to rivals over Starship delays

NASA said on Monday it was opening the marquee U.S. moon landing contract to other bidders because Elon Musk's SpaceX has experienced mounting delays with its Starship lunar lander. The move paves the way for rivals such as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to snatch a high-profile mission to land the first astronauts on the moon in half a century. "I'm in the process of opening that contract up. I think we'll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others," the U.S. space agency's acting chief ...

October 14, 2025 9:58 AM

SpaceX completes 11th Starship test before debuting upgraded prototype

Elon Musk's SpaceX launched its 11th Starship rocket from Texas on Monday and landed it in the Indian Ocean, the last flight before the company begins test-launching a new version of the giant rocket outfitted with more features for moon and Mars missions. Starship, which includes the Starship upper stage stacked atop its Super Heavy booster, launched at 6:23 p.m. CT (2323 GMT) from SpaceX's Starbase facilities. After sending the Starship stage to space, Super Heavy returned for a soft water la...

September 17, 2025 3:42 PM

Russia developing Starlink rival at ‘rapid pace,’ space chief says

Russia will soon have a rival to Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink, as it tries to shift away from outdated thinking that has allowed SpaceX to win the crown of satellite dominance, Russia's space chief said on Wednesday. Starlink says it operates the world’s largest satellite constellation with more than 8,000 satellites, and Musk is credited by Russian officials with revolutionising the launch of space vehicles - to Russia's cost. Dmitry Bakanov, the new 39-year-old head of R...

September 9, 2025 1:24 PM

Spaceflight accelerates the aging of human blood-forming stem cells

New research has identified yet another way that spaceflight tampers with the human body. A study involving samples flown on four SpaceX resupply missions to the International Space Station has revealed that space travel accelerates the aging of blood-forming stem cells crucial for blood and immune system health. The scientists in the NASA-funded study conducted real-time monitoring of stem cells from the bone marrow of individual donors to track the changes that unfolded during missions lastin...

August 26, 2025 10:56 AM

Cloudy weather delays SpaceX Starship’s latest launch to overcome testing troubles

Elon Musk's SpaceX postponed the 10th launch of its Starship rocket due to cloudy weather in Texas on Monday, another slight delay in its efforts to overcome development setbacks and achieve several long-sought milestones essential to the Mars rocket system's reusable design. The 232-feet (71-metres) tall Super Heavy booster and its 171-feet (52-metres) tall Starship upper half, which together make it taller than New York's Statue of Liberty, sat on a launch mount at SpaceX's Starbase rocket fa...

August 25, 2025 11:41 AM

SpaceX postpones Starship test flight over ground system issue

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Sunday called off the launch of Starship's tenth mission from Texas over an issue at its launch site, delaying an attempt to achieve several long-sought development milestones missed due to past tests ending in early failures. The 232-foot(70.7-meter)-tall Super Heavy booster and its 171-foot(52-meter)-tall Starship upper half sat stacked on a launch mount at SpaceX's Starbase rocket facilities as it was being filled with propellant ahead of a liftoff time of 7:35 p.m. ET ...