Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 launches ASIASAT-6 mission
SpaceX has conducted its second mission for China’s Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Sunday, with a Falcon 9 launching the AsiaSat-6 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Liftoff occurred at 01:00 local time (05:00 UTC) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, ten minutes into a 104 minute window. SpaceX Launch: Sunday’s launch came a month…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 realigns for weekend launch of ASIASAT-6
SpaceX appears to have completed an evaluation into potential commonality between a failure on a test vehicle and its Falcon 9 fleet, following its now-approved request to the Eastern Range for Sunday morning launch of the ASIASAT-6 mission. The launch, to be conducted by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket, was delayed just ahead of fueling…
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Battle of the Heavyweight Rockets – SLS could face Exploration Class rival
With the recent announcement the Space Launch System (SLS) has become challenged by her schedule, the NASA rocket may soon find herself in a battle with a commercial “alternative”. SpaceX’s super powerful Exploration Class rocket is targeting crewed missions to Mars up to 10 years ahead of SLS – although both vehicles continue to avoid being…
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Dragon V2 will initially rely on parachute landings
SpaceX’s Commercial Crew contender, the Dragon V2, will initially return to terra firma under parachutes, assisted by a SuperDraco soft touchdown firing, according to Dragon V2 Program Lead Dr. Garrett Reisman. Eventually, the impressive spacecraft will employ pinpoint propulsive landings, once the technology has been matured via the DragonFly test program. Dragon V2: SpaceX’s crew version of…
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SpaceX makes late call to delay ASIASAT-6 launch
SpaceX has delayed the launch of its latest Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket – tasked with lofting the ASIASAT-6 satellite into orbit – for one to two weeks. The call was made by CEO Elon Musk shortly after the rocket had been erected at her Space Launch Complex -40 (SLC-40) pad, with the rationale based on…
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CCtCap: NASA won’t abandon Commercial Crew loser
As NASA closes in on the next major milestone of its Commercial Crew Program (CCP), the Agency has noted its desire to continue the “sharing of knowledge” with any partner that loses out on continued NASA funding. The first NASA crew to ride on a US commercial vehicle is expected to occur in December, 2017 –…
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CRS-4: SpaceX Dragon set for another ISS spacewalk save
SpaceX’s next Dragon spacecraft has been recruited to deliver a replacement set of batteries to the International Space Station (ISS), after an issue during ground testing caused NASA to postpone a set of upcoming EVAs. The utilization of September’s CRS-4/SpX-4 mission is not the first time a Dragon has come to the aid of the…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 launches ASIASAT-8 satellite
Making their fourth orbital launch of the year, the SpaceX team have conducted another Falcon 9 mission on Tuesday, deploying China’s AsiaSat-8 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral, with a T-0 of 08:00 UTC – following a hold during the initial attempt at the opening of the window. Falcon…
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Falcon 9 conducts Static Fire test ahead of ASIASAT-8 mission
SpaceX conducted a Static Fire test on its Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket late on Thursday. The test – once reviewed – will pave the way for what is now an August 5 NET (No Earlier Than) launch of the ASIASAT-8 satellite, the first of two missions for the same customer. The next satellite, ASIASAT-6, arrived…
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SpaceX Roadmap building on its rocket business revolution
Following the recent success of the Falcon 9 launch with six ORBCOMM spacecraft, SpaceX is in the midst of speedy turnaround of its Cape Canaveral launch site, ahead of the ASIASAT-8 mission. While SpaceX remains on track for a record year, CEO Elon Musk believes the time is coming where there will be thousands of…