Tag: Launch
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Critical abort test of NASA’s Orion crew capsule set for Tuesday
The abort test booster and Orion test article stand at Space Launch Complex-46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 27. Credit: NASA A three-minute test flight Tuesday morning over Cape Canaveral will help ensure NASA’s Orion crew capsule — the vehicle being built to carry astronauts back to the moon — can safely…
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Orion data recorders come with return-to-sender instructions
Jenny Devolites, NASA’s test conductor for the Orion ascent abort test, holds an Orion flight data recorder during a press conference Monday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now NASA has a plan to retrieve 12 ejectable data recorders released from an Orion test capsule in the waters off Cape Canaveral following a launch abort test Tuesday, but…
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Barring a surprise, SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy flight is planned in late 2020
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off at 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT) on June 25 with two dozen spacecraft on-board. Credit: SpaceX/U.S. Air Force After two successful Falcon Heavy missions in less than 11 weeks, launch fans will likely have to wait until late 2020 for SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy flight, barring a surprise mission…
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Rocket Lab flies again from New Zealand as work progresses at Virginia launch pad
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifts off from New Zealand on Saturday. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s third flight of the year delivered seven small commercial, military and educational satellites into orbit Saturday after a launch from New Zealand, while construction of a new launch pad in Virginia continues on pace for completion by the end…
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Launch timeline for Rocket Lab’s “Make it Rain” mission
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated June 28 to reflect new target launch date. Rocket Lab’s light-class Electron launcher is set to take off on its seventh flight from New Zealand, aiming for a 280-mile-high (450-kilometer) orbit with seven small satellites for commercial customers, the U.S. military and university students. The two-stage, 55-foot-tall (17-meter) rocket is scheduled for liftoff…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches rideshare mission
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying seven small Earth observation, data relay and tech demo satellites into orbit. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video webcast begins approximately 15 minutes prior to launch,…
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China adds to Beidou fleet with Long March launch
A Long March 3B rocket lifts off from the Xichang space center with another Beidou navigation satellite. Credit: Xinhua Another satellite for China’s Beidou navigation network rocketed into orbit Monday on top of a Long March 3B launcher. Riding inside the Long March 3B’s nose cone, the new Beidou navigation satellite lifted off at 1809…
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Next Atlas 5 launch delayed by battery failure
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated June 28 with new target launch date of July 17. The Atlas 5’s payload fairing, containing the Air Force’s AEHF 5 communications satellite, was transferred to Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 launch pad June 15. Credit: United Launch Alliance The next launch of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket with the U.S. Air Force’s…
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Firefly offering free launch for research and educational payloads
Firefly Aerospace conducted a 300-second qualification firing of the Alpha rocket’s complete second stage in April at the company’s test site in Central Texas. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Firefly Aerospace is asking academic institutions, startup companies and the public to submit ideas for payloads to launch, free of charge, on the inaugural orbital flight of the…
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Rocket Lab’s next launch will loft cluster of satellites on Spaceflight rideshare
The BlackSky Global 3 Earth-imaging satellite is the largest of seven spacecraft slated to launch on Rocket Lab’s sixth mission. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s next launch from New Zealand is set for no earlier than June 27 with a bundle of spacecraft including a commercial Earth-observing microsatellite for BlackSky, two CubeSats for U.S. Special…