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SpaceX Falcon 9: World's First Reusable Space Rocket
July 12, 2024
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Manufactured by Elon Musk's company SpaceX, Falcon 9 is the first and currently the only reusable orbital class rocket capable of transporting payload to space. The world class space vehicle is 43 ft long with a diameter of 17.1 ft; weighs 1,207,920 lb, and can carry payload up to 50,265 lb. It generates more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust at sea level.

Falcon 9 is made up of first and second(upper) stages connected by a composite structure, called the interstage, which houses the pneumatic pushers that allow stages to separate during flight. Four hypersonic grid fins positioned at the base of the interstage work to orient the rocket during reentry by moving the center of pressure.

The first stage has nine Merlin engines and aluminum-lithium alloy tanks containing liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellant. The second stage, powered by a single Merlin Vacuum Engine, delivers Falcon 9’s payload to the desired orbit. The second stage engine can be restarted multiple times to place multiple payloads into different orbits.

The fairing, made of a carbon composite material, protects satellites on their way to orbit. The protective cover is jettisoned approximately 3 minutes into flight, and routinely recovered for reuse on future missions.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is composed of three reusable Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft. It can lift nearly 141,000 lbs of payload to orbit.

During a typical Falcon Heavy mission, the core booster is usually not recovered; but its reusable side boosters usually began their landing burns about eight minutes after liftoff and separation, touching down at SpaceX’s two Landing Zones( LZ 1 and LZ 2, several miles downrange of Pad 39A, at Kennedy Space Center) and sending four successive sonic booms echoing for miles across the Space Coast. (Because of the boosters' length, the bottom of the rocket breaks the sound barrier before the top does, creating two separate sonic booms -- or, in this case, four, for the simultaneous return of two boosters.).

SpaceX launches both human flight and cargo space missions for governments and organizations around the world; including vital missions to the International Space Station(ISS) and classified national security missions for the United States military and others. SpaceX also launches its own Starlink Group missions to put satellites in orbit for its global internet service. The company has over 4,300 satellites in orbit, the largest constellation of any organization or government in the world. And it plans to put up to 10,000 within the decade.

SpaceX typically launches its rockets from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station located adjacent to Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and Vandenberg Space Force Base along California's central coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Vandenberg is preferred for spacecraft requiring a north-south orbit. While Cape Canaveral is ideal for spacecraft requiring a west-east orbit.  The European Space Agency observatory, Euclid, was launched on its journey into deep space, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on July 1, from Space Launch Complex, SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral.

During a typical mission to orbit like the Starlink Group mission, after a 35-minute long propellant load sequence, Falcon 9 ignites its nine Merlin 1D engines on the first stage for a nearly 3 minute ascent. This is followed by their shutdown and the separation of the first and second stages: the stage separation.

After stage separation, the first stage flies back to earth within about eight minute after liftoff, landing on land or one of the company's drone ships like the Just Read The Instructions droneship.

Meanwhile on the second stage, the single Merlin 1D Vacuum (MVacD) engine ignites and burns for approximately six minutes to insert the Starlink satellites into a preliminary low-Earth parking orbit.

The fairing halves separate about 20 seconds into the MVacD’s first burn, and initiates their return back to Earth for recovery.

The second stage coasts for about 45 minutes, once in its initial parking orbit, to reach the orbit’s highest point or apogee. At apogee, the MVacD engine would briefly ignite for a second time to raise the altitude of the lowest point of the orbit or perigee. 

After that, the second stage initiates an end-over-end rotation to create the inertia needed to deploy the Starlink satellites riding on top of its payload adapter.

After deploying, the satellites use their krypton-fueled Hall Effect thrusters to raise their orbit, first to a 350-kilometer high orbit for checkouts and then into their operational 530-kilometer high orbit. The non-reusable second stage subsequently does an intentional deorbit in cases where it still has enough fuel reserves; or intentional decay within 2 to 6 months.

During missions to the space station, Falcon 9 carries SpaceX's crewed or uncrewed Dragon -- the first private spacecraft to take humans to the station; capable of carrying up to 7 passengers or significant amounts of cargo

SpaceX has also launched multiple Falcon Heavy missions carrying payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit. The second of these two launches featured the first fully expendable Falcon Heavy mission.

The company launched its Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, last April. It has plans for at least three more launches of the rockets this year, according to Musk.

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U.S. Military Airstrike In Southern Caribbean Targets Vessel Allegedly Operated By Venezuelan Tren de Aragua Gang

The U.S. military on Tuesday, conducted a precision strike in the southern Caribbean against a vessel that had departed from Venezuela and was allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, a transnational criminal organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government.

President Donald Trump announced the operation on Truth Social, stating that 11 individuals, whom he referred to as "narcoterrorists" or "terrorists," were killed in the strike while the boat was transporting illegal narcotics in international waters. The strike was described as a "kinetic" operation carried out in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility.

The U.S. military confirmed a "precision strike" against the vessel. Trump shared a 29-second video clip on Truth Social showing a small, multi-engine speedboat traveling at sea before a bright flash and flames engulfed it. The video is largely in black and white, and Venezuela's Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez falsely suggested it was artificially generated.

No U.S. military personnel were injured in the operation Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the "lethal strike" on X stating it targeted a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.

The Tren de Aragua gang originated over a decade ago within the notoriously violent prison system of Venezuela's Aragua state. It has since expanded its operations across Latin America, including to Chile, Colombia, and the United States, where it is involved in drug smuggling, kidnapping, extortion, sex trafficking, and acts of extreme violence such as beheadings.

The Biden administration designated it a transnational crime organization in 2024. President Trump, upon returning to office, escalated the designation, formally declaring Tren de Aragua a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" in February 2025, a move that is unusual for a criminal gang.

The strike on the vessel occurred amid a significant U.S. military deployment in the southern Caribbean. In recent weeks, the U.S. has sent at least seven warships, including the nuclear-powered submarine USS Virginia, and over 4,500 Marines and sailors to the region.

This build-up, which includes Aegis guided-missile destroyers like the USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham, is part of the Trump administration's broader strategy to combat drug trafficking from Latin America. The administration has also increased surveillance flights with P-8 spy planes over international waters.

The deployment has been met with strong condemnation from Venezuela, with President Nicolás Maduro calling it an "extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat" and vowing to "declare a republic in arms" if attacked. Maduro has ordered troops to the border with Colombia and urged civilians to join militias in response.

The strike represents a dramatic escalation in the U.S. approach to drug cartels, signaling a willingness to use military force in the Americas.

The U.S. has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest on drug-trafficking charges. Despite the military action, the administration has not signaled plans for a land invasion of Venezuela.

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The boost kit is expected to provide about a quarter of the propulsion needed annually to maintain the ISS's 418-kilometer-high orbit.

The new capability is enabled by an add-on "boost kit" installed in the Dragon's open-to-space aft trunk section.

This kit includes two Draco engines, six propellant tanks, and a helium pressurization system, forming an independent propellant system separate from the spacecraft's main systems. This hardware allows the Dragon to perform reboosts, a task traditionally handled by Russia's Progress vehicles.

This capability, introduced on the SpaceX CRS-33 mission, is part of NASA's strategy to reduce reliance on Russian vehicles and build fuel reserves for the station's eventual controlled deorbit, a process that will be managed by a future SpaceX-built deorbit vehicle. The Dragon's ability to perform these burns is a significant step towards the station's long-term operations and safe retirement.

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September 03, 2025
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The posts that prompted his detention included one from April 20 stating: "If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls."

Another post from April 19 showed an image of a trans rally with the caption: "A photo you can smell."

He subsequently wrote: "I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. Fuck em."

The 57-year-old was taken to a police station, questioned about the posts, and subsequently hospitalized due to a severe spike in blood pressure, which he described as "stroke territory," before being released on bail with a condition prohibiting him from posting on X until a further interview in October.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest and stated that officers became concerned for his health, resulting in the hospital visit, but claimed his condition was neither life-threatening nor life-changing. The arrest was carried out by armed officers from the MPS Aviation Unit.

Linehan described being met by five armed officers immediately after disembarking from his American Airlines flight, escorted to a private area, and informed of his arrest. He was placed in a cell and questioned about the tweets, during which his blood pressure reportedly reached over 200, leading to his transfer to the emergency department at a hospital for observation.

The arrest comes days before Linehan is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 4, 2025, facing two charges: one of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks on social media and another of damaging her mobile phone during an October incident. He has denied these charges.

Linehan, is the Irish comedy writer best known for creating the sitcoms Father TedThe IT Crowd, and Black Books. He has become a prominent and outspoken critic of transgender rights movements since around 2018.

The comedian's arrest has sparked significant political and public reaction, with UK opposition politicians, including Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick and Labour backbencher Jonathan Hinder, criticizing the use of five armed officers for an arrest over social media posts, calling it a "ridiculous" waste of police time. Author JK Rowling also condemned the arrest, calling it "totalitarianism" and "deplorable."

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