Tag: Launch
-
SpaceX postpones Starlink launch to update satellite software
A Falcon 9 rocket stands vertical at pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a scrubbed launch attempt Wednesday night. Credit: SpaceX For the second consecutive day, SpaceX called off a Falcon 9 launch attempt at Cape Canaveral on Thursday evening, this time to complete a software update on the first 60 satellites…
-
Long March 3C rocket launches Beidou satellite toward geostationary orbit
China launched a Beidou navigation satellite Friday using a Long March 3C rocket, adding another node to a growing space-based network that Chinese officials say will broadcast positioning and timing signals around the world next year. The Long March 3C launcher, fitted with a pair of liquid-fueled strap-on boosters, fired away from the Xichang…
-
SpaceX releases new details on Starlink satellite design
The mission patch for SpaceX’s first dedicated launch for the Starlink network. Credit: SpaceX The 60 satellites SpaceX is set to launch Wednesday night, beginning the build-out of a broadband network of orbiting spacecraft that could eventually number thousands, are based on a new flat-panel design, with krypton-fueled plasma thrusters, high-power antennas, and a capability…
-
Live coverage: SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. SpaceX’s live video webcast begins around 15 minutes prior to launch, and will be available on this page.
-
Falcon 9 launch timeline for the Starlink 1 mission
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated to reflect new launch attempt May 23. Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket will lift off Thursday during a 90-minute opening at 10:30 p.m. EDT (0230 GMT Friday) from the Complex 40 launch pad at…
-
Falcon 9 rocket rolled out for first dedicated Starlink launch
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated after static fire. File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad in September 2018. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX ground teams at Cape Canaveral transferred a Falcon 9 rocket to launch pad 40 and rotated the booster vertical Monday for a preflight hold-down firing, ahead of a liftoff…
-
NASA, ULA find launch opportunity for inflatable heat shield demonstrator
Artist’s illustration of the the Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, spacecraft. Credit: NASA A flight demonstration of an inflatable heat shield that could be used to retrieve reusable engines from United Launch Alliance’s next-generation Vulcan rocket, and for the delivery of heavier cargo to the surface of Mars, is…
-
SpaceX plans to launch “dozens” of Starlink test satellites this month
A Falcon 9 rocket climbs into the night sky over Cape Canaveral early May 4 with a Dragon supply ship heading for the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s next launch, scheduled for no earlier than May 15, will loft dozens of small test satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral for the company’s planned Starlink…
-
Rocket Lab deploys experimental U.S. military smallsats on first night launch
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off at 0600 GMT (2 a.m. EDT; 6 p.m. New Zealand time) Sunday. Credit: Rocket Lab On its first nighttime launch, Rocket Lab’s Electron booster climbed into orbit Sunday from New Zealand with a trio of small U.S. military payloads, demonstrating the privately-developed rocket’s ability to help meet the Air…
-
Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches three U.S. military smallsats
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying three U.S. military-sponsored experimental satellites into orbit on the STP-27RD mission. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video webcast begins around 15 minutes prior to launch, and…