Tag: Boeing
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Threatening storms scrub SpaceX launch
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad during Wednesday’s countdown. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX called off a Falcon 9 countdown Wednesday due to the threat of lightning from thunderstorms along Florida’s Space Coast, pushing back the departure of a cargo mission for the International Space Station until Thursday. But weather conditions…
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Falcon 9 rocket test-fired ahead of station cargo launch
A plume of exhaust appears from pad 40 Friday evening as SpaceX test-fires the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now SpaceX test-fired a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Friday evening, igniting nine Merlin engines for several seconds while hold-down restraints kept the launcher on the ground. The company also confirmed…
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Live coverage: Falcon 9 ignited for test-firing ahead of launch next week
Live coverage of SpaceX’s preparations for the next Falcon 9 rocket launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will launch a Dragon supply ship with several tons of cargo and experiments for the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. A SpaceX Falcon…
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Watchdogs issue warning about NASA’s SLS moon rocket plan, but Boeing CEO stays the course
An artist’s conception shows NASA’s Space Launch System in flight. (NASA Illustration) The federal government’s watchdog agency says getting NASA’s heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket off the ground is likely to take longer and cost more than the space agency says it will. Any issues that crop up in the months ahead could push the…
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Viasat swaps Ariane 5 launch for new Ariane 6 rocket
Artist’s concept of an Ariane 64 rocket, the Ariane 6 configuration with four strap-on solid rocket boosters. Credit: ArianeGroup Viasat has modified an existing contract with Arianespace to launch one of the company’s next-generation broadband Internet satellites on Europe’s next-generation Ariane 6 rocket, rather than on-board an Ariane 5 launcher, officials announced Monday. The agreement…
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Boeing drone subsidiary Insitu is cutting jobs due to increased competition
Insitu’s winged ScanEagle drone is prepared for launch during a wildfire. (Insitu Photo) Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing that develops and manufactures drones, said it made a round of layoffs this week to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded market. Jennifer Beloy, a spokeswoman for Insitu, would not say how many jobs were affected. The…
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NASA notes Starliner’s excellent progress toward Orbital Flight Test launch
During Tuesday’s NASA Advisory Council (NAC) meeting, Commercial Crew Program manager Kathy Lueders briefed the team of advisors on Boeing’s efforts to get its Starliner capsule ready for its first round of flights, noting how pleased NASA was with the company’s progress. Presently, Boeing is targeting No Earlier Than August for the Orbital Flight Test…
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Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule completes major propulsion test
Boeing teams ran multiple tests on Starliner’s in-space maneuvering system and the spacecraft’s launch abort system on Thursday at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. Credit: Boeing Boeing engineers have completed hotfire testing on a flight-like model of the Starliner crew capsule, clearing a major hurdle before a pad abort test and a…
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Boeing bounces back with successful test of Starliner space taxi’s propulsion system
Starliner’s test service module ignites its launch abort engines and orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters in a low-altitude abort mode test. (Boeing Photo) Boeing has successfully run the propulsion system for its CST-100 Starliner space taxi through the same test it failed almost a year ago, marking a significant step toward carrying astronauts to…
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Commercial crew capsules still beset by parachute problems
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated May 10 with NASA statement. SpaceX performs a parachute test for their Dragon capsule over the Delamar Dry Lake in this file photo from 2016. Credit: SpaceX A malfunction during a drop test over Nevada last month for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon program has engineers re-examining the crew capsule’s parachutes, and Boeing has also…