Tag: SpaceX
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With Demo-2, NASA finds itself in foreign yet familiar territory
As the transition from government-owned crew launch rockets to commercial providers arrives, NASA launch integration is in a very different position than it has been with other human spaceflight programs like Apollo and Shuttle. With all launches, hundreds of thousands of things have to align perfectly for a rocket to lift off. And many of…
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NASA chief points to SpaceX crewed launch as a unifying moment for America
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, topped by the Crew Dragon capsule, lies in a prone position at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its final pre-flight checkout. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) President Donald Trump plans to be on hand for Wednesday’s historic test launch of NASA astronauts in SpaceX’s Crew…
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NASA signs off on historic SpaceX crewed launch, leaving weather as final uncertainty
The sun rises with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule sitting atop a Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (SpaceX Photo / Ben Cooper) Mission managers have cleared the final paperwork for SpaceX’s first-ever crewed launch, aimed at sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.…
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Why those sometimes annoying launch, landing weather rules exist
There’s an age-old joke amongst those who work with/launch rockets and those who cover their missions: If the rocket is ready to go, the weather will force you to try again another day. But why do NASA, the 45th Space Wing of the Space Force, their safety officers, and all launch providers make such a…
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Demo-2 passes FRR milestone ahead of historic Crew Dragon launch
The path to regaining US domestic crew launch capability passed another major milestone on Friday, with the Demo-2 mission approved at the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) level during a two-day meeting at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Approval at the FRR provided the mission with NASA’s Certification Of Flight Readiness (CoFR). With Falcon 9 and…
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SpaceX, Falcon 9 for Demo-2 mission conducts critical static fire test
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has conducted a static fire test ahead of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. The static fire was part of the ongoing series of final tests and reviews before SpaceX embarks on its first human spaceflight mission. The test took place at 16:33 EDT (20:33 UTC). The test was the final time…
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NASA gives crucial thumbs-up to SpaceX’s historic crewed flight to space station
SpaceX conducts a static-fire test for its Falcon 9 rocket in advance of its Crew Dragon launch. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls) NASA today signed off on the first launch to send a crew into orbit from U.S. soil in nearly nine years, and the rocket for that launch had its final test firing. After…
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Examining Crew Dragon’s launch abort modes and splashdown locations
It’s a cliché statement to say Demo-2 will usher in a new era for human space exploration. That much is certain. But with each new crew launch vehicle comes the inevitable question: how will Crew Dragon actually perform a launch abort and how will it aim itself to predetermined locations in the Atlantic Ocean stretching…
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Demo-2 crew arrives at Kennedy for first U.S. crew launch since 2011
A sentence I have waited almost nine years to write: A flight crew has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, for launch to the International Space Station. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley landed at the Florida spaceport at 15:52 EDT (19:52 UTC) today; their arrival marks the start of the final week of launch…
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Astronauts arrive in Florida to set new NASA traditions for crewed spaceflight
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley take questions from journalists after their arrival at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA Photo) Two NASA astronauts landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today to go through a set of pre-launch traditions that haven’t been followed for nearly nine years — and create a…