Tag: SpaceX
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Falcon 9 first stage trucks into the Cape ahead of OG-2 mission
SpaceX’s Return To Flight (RTF) milestone remains on track for December, as the Falcon 9 first stage – tasked with the launch of the ORBCOMM-2 mission – arrived at its Cape Canaveral launch site early on Friday. The launch of the OG-2 mission will also be the debut of the Full Thrust version of the…
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It’s official: NASA signs up to send crew on SpaceX’s Dragon space taxi
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule en route to the International Space Station. (Credit: SpaceX) NASA has ordered its first mission from SpaceX to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, six months after placing a similar order with Boeing. “It’s really exciting to see SpaceX and Boeing with hardware in flow for…
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SpaceX trumps United Launch Alliance in bid for Air Force GPS-3 launch contract
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the DSCOVR satellite in February. (Credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is poised to win an Air Force national security launch contract by default because its archrival, United Launch Alliance, has dropped out of the competition. ULA said this week that it decided not to bid on the Air Force contract for launching…
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ULA sits out Air Force launch competition
File photo of an Atlas 5 rocket launch. Credit: ULA United Launch Alliance said Monday it did not submit a proposal in a competition to launch a U.S. Air Force GPS navigation satellite, apparently relinquishing the contract to rival SpaceX, the only other company certified to launch the mission. The Air Force wanted both companies…
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Radio bug to keep new Iridium satellites grounded until April
Artist’s concept of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Thales Alenia Space The first launch for Iridium’s next-generation mobile communications fleet has been pushed back four months — from December until April — to resolve a technical problem inside the spacecraft’s Ka-band communications payload. The announcement Oct. 29 means Iridium will miss a long-targeted timetable to…
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Planning for December Falcon 9 launch, Orbcomm ships satellites
Orbcomm’s 11 second-generation OG2 satellites are pictured inside Sierra Nevada’s factory in Louisville, Colorado. Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. The first shipment of Orbcomm’s 11-satellite payload for the Falcon 9 rocket’s first flight since a June launch failure has arrived at Cape Canaveral, and the rest of the spacecraft will reach the Florida spaceport in the…
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SpaceX’s Gwynne Shotwell signals go-slow approach for Seattle satellite plan
During SpaceX’s Seattle announcement about an Internet satellite network, the company’s logo lit up Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. (GeekWire photo) It’s been nine months since SpaceX’s billionaire founder, Elon Musk, announced plans to put up a constellation of 4,000 satellites to provide global Internet service, and scores of employees are being hired in the Seattle area to…
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SpaceX preparing for Static Fire test on first Full Thrust Falcon 9 First Stage
SpaceX is preparing to conduct the first full duration static fire test on its “full thrust” Falcon 9 first stage. The milestone – set to be conducted at its McGregor test facility in Texas within the next few days – will be a major step forward in the flow towards the company’s Return To Flight…
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SpaceX DragonFly arrives at McGregor for testing
SpaceX’s DragonFly test vehicle has arrived at its test facility in McGregor, Texas. DragonFly will be attached to a large crane, ahead of a series of test firings of its SuperDraco thrusters to set the stage towards the eventual goal of propulsive landings. The first test is set to take place in the next few…
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Robotic missions aid in-situ resource identification for human Mars missions
The draw of mounting a human mission to Mars has held the public’s attention since telescopic observations of the red planet began centuries ago. With the recent discovery of current-day saltwater flows on Mars, the notion of usable, in-situ resources for Martian human missions now places greater emphasis on robotic precursor missions in the next decade.…