Tag: Falcon 9
-
Planning for December Falcon 9 launch, Orbcomm ships satellites
Orbcomm’s 11 second-generation OG2 satellites are pictured inside Sierra Nevada’s factory in Louisville, Colorado. Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. The first shipment of Orbcomm’s 11-satellite payload for the Falcon 9 rocket’s first flight since a June launch failure has arrived at Cape Canaveral, and the rest of the spacecraft will reach the Florida spaceport in the…
-
SpaceX preparing for Static Fire test on first Full Thrust Falcon 9 First Stage
SpaceX is preparing to conduct the first full duration static fire test on its “full thrust” Falcon 9 first stage. The milestone – set to be conducted at its McGregor test facility in Texas within the next few days – will be a major step forward in the flow towards the company’s Return To Flight…
-
Orbcomm first in Falcon 9’s return-to-flight launch queue
File photo of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket before launching six Orbcomm satellites in 2014. Credit: SpaceX Going with a philosophy that favors incremental testing of an upgraded version of the Falcon 9 booster, SpaceX officials said Friday that eleven mini-satellites for Orbcomm’s data relay business will fly on the company’s first mission since a launch…
-
SpaceX selects ORBCOMM-2 mission for Falcon 9’s Return To Flight
SpaceX has selected the ORBCOMM-2 (OG2) mission for Falcon 9’s Return To Flight. While no specific launch date has been selected, the company is aiming for lift off to take place in around six to eight weeks, likely resulting in an early December mission. ORBCOMM-2’s trip to LEO will allow for the Second Stage to…
-
Canaveral and KSC pads: New designs for space access
For the past several years, the historic launch pads at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, have undergone sweeping changes as the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program brought a new vision to the spaceport. Those changes have now spread across the lagoon to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where pad modifications are underway for…
-
Seattle company buys big rocket for little satellites
Artist’s concept of Spaceflight Industries’ Sherpa multi-payload space tug, set for a debut mission next year. Credit: Spaceflight Industries Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries has purchased a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for launch in 2017 with a mash-up of satellites in the first such commercial arrangement for a rideshare mission on a U.S. launcher, the company announced…
-
First static fire completed on upgraded Falcon 9
SpaceX’s upgraded Falcon 9 booster powered up to full throttle in a brief ignition at the company’s Central Texas test site this week as engineers prepare for the rocket’s return to flight as soon as mid-November with a European communications satellite. The November launch from Cape Canaveral, which will haul up the SES 9 television…
-
Full Thrust Falcon 9 stage conducts first static fire at McGregor
The first “Full Thrust” Falcon 9 first stage has begun a test sequence that is involving two static fires on a new test stand at SpaceX’s test facility in McGregor, Texas. The stage, unofficially assigned to the launch of the SES-9 satellite in November, underwent a short 15 second firing, ahead of a full duration…
-
Planet Labs takes rash of launch failures in stride
One of Planet Labs’ satellites captured this shot of a fire burning near Itumbiara, Brazil. Credit: Planet Labs No one had ever lost 26 satellites at once until a launch failure bit Planet Labs last year, temporarily setting back the San Francisco startup’s ambition to map the globe every day. Adding to the sting of…
-
‘Big three’ nab commercial launch contracts
File photo of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX announced Monday two new Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket missions from Cape Canaveral, Arianespace said it cinched a contract to launch a Japanese TV broadcasting satellite, and International Launch Services revealed a deal to launch a Spanish telecommunications payload,…