Tag: CRS
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Falcon 9 conducts static fire test on 39A ahead of CRS-10 launch
A moment nearly six years in the making. Fire and flame returned to the historic LC-39A launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center as SpaceX conducted the static fire of its Falcon 9 rocket tasked with lofting the SpX-10 Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station. The ignition of the Falcon 9’s engines occurred…
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Dragon pulls rank as LC-39A readiness realigns SpaceX manifest
SpaceX has officially announced a mission swap, resulting in the Falcon 9 launch of the CRS-10 Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS) becoming the first mission to set sail from the historic 39A pad at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). That honor was to have gone to the Echostar 23 mission before Dragon’s priority effectively…
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NASA calls time on ISS-RapidScat
NASA has decided to end operations on the International Space Station Rapid Scatterometer (ISS-RapidScat) Earth science instrument, following attempts to return to life after a power issue. Despite the conclusion of its life, the instrument had already surpassed its original decommissioning date. ISS-RapidScat: Flown to the ISS inside the Trunk of the CRS-4/SpX-4 Dragon, ISS-RapidScat was…
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Destructive re-entry marks end to successful Cygnus OA-5 mission
After nearly one month at the International Space Station, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus OA-5 spacecraft marked the end to its mission with a destructive re-entry on Sunday. Following a resupply mission to the orbital outpost, Cygnus conducted experiments and deployed cubesats, prior a nominal end of mission. Cygnus OA-5 – The “Alan Poindexter” The OA-5 flight of the…
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As OA-7 Cygnus moves to Atlas V, high praise noted for Antares RTF
Citing exceptional and beyond performance expectations on the Return To Flight mission of their Antares rocket during the OA-5 launch of the Cygnus resupply craft to the International Space Station last month, Orbital ATK sat down with NASASpaceflight.com to discuss the realignment of the company’s upcoming OA-7 mission early next year from Antares to Atlas…
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SpaceX external cargo manifest through 20th resupply mission revealed
As SpaceX nears completion of its investigation into the AMOS-6 pad conflagration on 1 September 2016, the company is firmly looking toward Return To Flight (RTF) of its Falcon 9 workhorse and realigning its contracted resupply missions to the International Space Station with NASA. With those flights looking to resume in January 2017, SpaceX’s external…
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OA-5 Cygnus completes journey to the ISS
Orbital ATK’s latest Cygnus resupply ship completed rendezvous and capture operations with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday morning. The OA-5 Cygnus – packed with equipment and supplies for the crew of the orbital outpost – had to wait her turn to arrive, allowing for the docking of the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft on Friday.…
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Antares 230 successfully returns with launch of OA-5 Cygnus
Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket returned to flight in a new configuration on Monday, two years after its previous mission ended in an explosion seconds after liftoff. Monday’s launch took place from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia – at the end of a five-minute window at 19:45 EDT (23:45 UTC). Returning Antares Launch:…
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Delays for Antares as she prepares for comeback mission
The next Cygnus spacecraft is currently undergoing final processing with her Antares launch vehicle, a key milestone ahead of the upcoming launch to the International Space Station (ISS), which is now set to take place on Sunday. The OA-5 mission will mark the first time the extended Cygnus spacecraft has flown with the upgraded Antares…
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CRS-9 Dragon completes homecoming, concludes successful mission
SpaceX’s CRS-9 Dragon spacecraft departed from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, following a highly successful Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the orbital outpost. Known as End Of Mission (EOM) operations, Dragon’s safe return was marked by a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean later in the day. SpaceX CRS-9 EOM: Dragon’s journey into space…