Tag: Pad
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Baikonur Launch Pad restored, clearing path for Progress MS-33 ISS Mission
Russia’s crucial launch infrastructure at Baikonur Cosmodrome’s Site 31/6 has been fully repaired following a significant incident during a crewed Soyuz mission late last year, Roscosmos announced this week. The restoration paves the way for the upcoming Progress MS-33 cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for March 22, 2026. The trouble…
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NASA looks to Kourou for SLS ground ops streamlining ideas
As development of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues, NASA is looking to its international partners for inspiration and lessons learned. Specifically, the agency sent a team to Kourou, French Guiana, to observe and report on the processes and ground operations employed by the European Space Agency for the Ariane V, with an eye…
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Pad 39B transition making good progress ahead of SLS debut
Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B is fast returning to the status of an active launch pad, with new elevator towers now visible on the surface of the former Shuttle launch site. The “clean pad” will be able to launch a number of vehicles, although its primary role will be the launch pad for the Space…
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STS-125: Pad damaged during launch – Atlantis undergoes inspections
STS-125’s Flight Day 2 has been completed, highlighted by the inspections of Atlantis’ Thermal Protection System (TPS) as she prepares for Wednesday’s capture of Hubble. Atlantis’ launch suffered from a few minor issues during ascent – which hold no mission impact – although the blast-off damaged Pad 39A, with up to 50 sqaure feet of Fondu…