Tag: Launch
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Photos: Falcon 9 Block 5 poised for launch at Kennedy Space Center
SpaceX’s first upgraded Falcon 9 “Block 5” rocket was raised vertical at launch pad 39A early Thursday in preparation for liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, debuting enhancements aimed at making the booster more reusable and more reliable. Standing more than 20 stories tall, the Falcon 9 Block 5 is the latest, and SpaceX says…
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Live coverage: SpaceX launches first upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of the first SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the Bangabandhu 1 communications satellite. SpaceX’s live video coverage begins at approximately 3:59 p.m. EDT (1959 GMT) Friday. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page.…
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Photos: Shrouded in fog, Atlas 5 takes flight from Vandenberg
A layer of fog intruding on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California kept nearby observers from seeing any sign of Saturday’s predawn launch of an Atlas 5 rocket carrying a robotic NASA probe to Mars. The only images of the Atlas 5’s fiery takeoff came from remote cameras placed at the launch pad, or from…
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Chinese satellite successfully launched to monitor environment
A Long March 4C rocket lifts off Tuesday from the Taiyuan space base. Credit: Xinhua China launched a civilian-operated Earth-observing satellite Tuesday to survey global land and water resources, air pollutants, greenhouse gases and other environmental parameters. The Gaofen 5 environmental monitoring satellite launched at 1828 GMT (2:28 p.m. EDT) Tuesday aboard a Long March…
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First launch of enhanced version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 set for Thursday
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) to correct reference from “re-flown” to “flown.” SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, featuring reusability and reliability upgrades, rolled to pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center last week for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX The launch of Bangladesh’s first communications satellite on top of a new…
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After foggy departure, it’s clear sailing to Mars for InSight lander
A fog layer at Vandenberg Air Force Base prevented nearby observers from viewing the launch of NASA’s InSight mission to Mars, but viewing points farther away from the launch site had clear skies. This long exposure photo was captured at Ventura, California. Credit: William G. Hartenstein Making a fiery climb into a foggy sky Saturday…
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SpaceX’s first Falcon 9 Block 5 test-fired at pad 39A
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 10:30 p.m. EDT (0230 GMT) with details. SpaceX’s launch team loaded liquid propellants into the company’s first upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket Friday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the countdown rehearsal culminated in a brief ignition of the launcher’s nine Merlin main engines on the launch…
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Photos: Mobile gantry retracted for launch of Atlas 5 rocket at Vandenberg
Towering more than 20 stories tall, the 8-million-pound mobile gantry at the Atlas 5 rocket’s launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, was retracted into position late Friday for liftoff of NASA’s InSight mission to Mars. The mobile service tower began moving into launch position around 11:30 p.m. PDT Friday (2:30 a.m. EDT; 0630…
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Video: InSight blasts off through the fog
Credit: NASA TV A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket took off Saturday from California with the InSight spacecraft heading for Mars. The 188-foot-tall (57-meter) Atlas 5 launcher lifted off powered by an RD-180 main engine at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT; 1105 GMT) Saturday, heading south-southeast from Vandenberg Air Force Base, a military…
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All systems go for launch of InSight, a mission to reveal the inside of Mars
Artist’s illustration of the InSight spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Credit: Lockheed Martin Scientists eager for answers to long-standing questions about the geology of Mars will get a lift Saturday with the blastoff from California of an Atlas 5 rocket with NASA’s InSight mission, a robotic landing craft that will take the pulse and…