Tag: US Space Force
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A sleuthing enthusiast says he found the US military’s X-37B spaceplane
It turns out some of the informed speculation about the US military’s latest X-37B spaceplane mission was pretty much spot-on. When the semi-classified winged spacecraft launched on December 28, it flew into orbit on top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, which is much larger than the Atlas V and Falcon 9 rockets used to…
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A top-secret Chinese spy satellite just launched on a supersized rocket
China’s largest rocket apparently wasn’t big enough to launch the country’s newest spy satellite, so engineers gave the rocket an upgrade. The Long March 5 launcher flew with a payload fairing some 20 feet (6.2 meters) taller than its usual nose cone when it took off on Friday with a Chinese military spy satellite. This…
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In a surprise move, the military’s spaceplane will launch on Falcon Heavy
The US military’s reusable X-37B spaceplane will launch on the next flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, scheduled for December 7, officials announced on Wednesday. This was unexpected because the spaceplane’s six previous missions launched on medium-lift Atlas V or Falcon 9 rockets. This next mission, the seventh by an X-37B spaceplane, will fly on…
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Firefly’s Alpha successfully launches VICTUS NOX rapid response mission
Texas-based small launch company Firefly Aerospace jumpstarted its 2023 campaign with the launch of FLTA003 — the third flight of its Alpha launch vehicle — as part of a dedicated mission for the U.S. Space Force (USSF). Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California happened on Thursday,…
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ULA’s Atlas V rocket has launched for the first time in nearly a year
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket returned to action Sunday with a mission to deploy multiple satellites into geosynchronous orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office and the US Space Force. This mission ended a 10-month gap in launches for ULA’s primary rocket, the longest period between Atlas V launches in 20 years as the company…
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Someone new will join the US military’s roster of launch contractors
The US Space Force, long content with using just one or two contractors to carry the military’s most vital satellites into orbit, has announced it will seek a third provider for national security launch services in its next multibillion-dollar round of rocket procurement. This is good news for Blue Origin, which has long sought to…
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SpaceX launches initial satellites for Space Development Agency
SpaceX has launched a batch of 10 communications and missile tracking satellites on the Tranche 0 Flight 1 mission for the Space Development Agency (SDA) on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 7:29 AM PDT (14:29 UTC). The flight took off from launch site SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellites were placed…
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Pentagon plans to keep X-37B spaceplane under Air Force management
The reusable X-37B spaceplane is prepared for encapsulation inside the payload fairing of an Atlas 5 rocket ahead of a launch scheduled for May 16. Credit: U.S. Space Force The U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane program will remain under Air Force management for the foreseeable future, and won’t join other Pentagon space programs turned over to…
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China’s massive Long March 5B’s rocket falls out of orbit over Atlantic Ocean
This map illustrates the track of the Long March 5B core stage on its final orbit. The rocket body re-entered over the North Atlantic Ocean, somewhat closer to the coast of Africa on this particular orbit. Credit: Aerospace Corp. A large rocket stage left in space after the successful launch of China’s heavy-lift Long March…
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U.S. military tracking unguided re-entry of large Chinese rocket
File photo of a Long March 5 core stage on a previous mission. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese rocket measuring around 100 feet long that launched earlier this month will likely plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere some time Monday, becoming the most massive object in decades to fall out of orbit in an uncontrolled manner. The…