Tag: Amos 6
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Israel’s Spacecom books launch with SpaceX using pre-paid Amos 6 credits
Artist’s concept of the Amos 17 satellite. Credit: Boeing The Israeli satellite operator Spacecom has tapped a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver its next geostationary communications satellite to orbit in 2019 using approximately $50 million in credits the company paid SpaceX for a mission last year that ended in an explosion on the launch pad.…
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IAI sees demand in Earth observation, but few opportunities in telecom
The Israeli-built Optsat 3000 reconnaissance satellite during launch preparations last month in French Guiana. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Baudon Fresh off the successful launch and initial checkout of two of its spacecraft earlier this month, Israel’s top satellite manufacturer sees a robust global market for new low-altitude reconnaissance payloads,…
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SpaceX aims to restore damaged launch pad to service by end of summer
File photo of the damaged strongback tower at Complex 40 shortly after the Sept. 1 Falcon 9 rocket explosion. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Construction crews at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad are busily repairing and upgrading the facility after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded there last year, with the pad’s return to service…
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FAA signs off on SpaceX mishap investigation
Credit: US Launch Report The Federal Aviation Administration has granted a launch license for SpaceX’s deployment of 10 Iridium communications satellites next week after reviewing the company’s inquiry into a Falcon 9 rocket explosion in September, an agency spokesperson said Friday. The FAA has regulatory oversight authority over commercial space activities in the United States,…
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SpaceX failure probe complete; flights to resume Sunday from California
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION File photo. Credit: NASA After an exhaustive investigation, SpaceX engineers have identified the most likely cause of the spectacular explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket during a pre-launch test Sept. 1 that destroyed the booster and its $195 million satellite payload, the company announced Monday. SpaceX engineers believe…
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Iridium satellites closed up for launch on Falcon 9 rocket
The first 10 Iridium Next satellites were encapsulated inside the payload fairing of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket earlier this week. Credit: Iridium The first 10 satellites for Iridium’s next-generation mobile voice and data relay network have been fueled, joined with their deployment module and encapsulated inside the clamshell-like nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9…
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SpaceX return-to-flight slips to early January
File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett SpaceX’s first mission since a rocket explosion on a Florida launch pad is now scheduled for early January, when a Falcon 9 booster is set to begin a 70-satellite deployment for Iridium’s next-generation voice and…
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SpaceX hopes procedure fix can allow Falcon 9 launches to resume
File photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rolling out to its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: SpaceX Investigators probing the Sept. 1 explosion of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on its launch pad in Florida believe a high-pressure gas tank inside the launcher’s upper stage most likely burst due to…
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SpaceX still expects to resume launches by the end of the year
An aerial reconnaissance plane surveyed damage from Hurricane Matthew along the U.S. East Coast, revealing exterior siding stripped from SpaceX’s payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral. Credit: NOAA Strong winds from Hurricane Matthew stripped exterior panels from SpaceX’s payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral last week, but the damage is not likely to affect the…
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Falcon 9 rocket explosion traced to upper stage helium system
Credit: US Launch Report The investigation into a dramatic Falcon 9 rocket explosion earlier this month at Cape Canaveral has determined a “large breach” in the launcher’s upper stage helium pressurization system led to the destruction of the booster and its $200 million satellite payload, SpaceX said Friday. Officials said returning to flight “safely and…