Tag: Boeing
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Boeing resets test schedule for Starliner space taxi; first crewed flight in mid-2019
An artist’s conception shows Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which is designed to carry astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station. (Boeing Illustration) Last month’s problem with leaky rocket engine valves has forced Boeing to rearrange the sequence of tests for its Starliner space taxi, with the first crewed flight to the International…
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Engine test anomaly deals setback to Boeing’s plans for Starliner space taxi
Aerojet Rocketdyne conducts a 2016 test firing of the launch abort engines designed for use on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner space taxi. The engines feature a new type of propellant valves. (Aerojet Rocketdyne Photo) Boeing confirms that it experienced an anomaly last month during tests of the engines that would be used on its CST-100 Starliner…
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Rapid-fire engine tests raise hopes for DARPA’s planned reusable spaceplane
The Aerojet Rocketdyne AR-22 engine is test-fired June 27 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Credit: NASA A series of unprecedented back-to-back test-firings of a rocket engine originally developed for NASA’s space shuttle concluded earlier this month, giving engineers data crucial to achieving rapid 24-hour turnarounds planned for a U.S. military-funded reusable winged booster…
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SpaceX’s first space-worthy Crew Dragon capsule arrives at Cape Canaveral
The Crew Dragon spacecraft slated to fly on SpaceX’s first commercial crew orbital test flight, without astronauts on-board, arrived at Cape Canaveral this week. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s first Crew Dragon spacecraft, a capsule designed to eventually carry astronauts on treks to the International Space Station, has arrived at Cape Canaveral to begin preparations for launch…
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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule arrives in Florida to get set for uncrewed test flight
Technicians check out the Crew Dragon capsule in Florida after the completion of thermal vacuum and acoustic testing at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Ohio. (SpaceX via Instagram) After months of testing, a SpaceX Dragon capsule that’s designed to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station has arrived in Florida, marking a significant…
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Rocket engine scores ‘perfect 10’ in 10-day test for Phantom Express space plane
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR-22 rocket engine fires during a test at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. (NASA / DARPA Photo) A rocket engine built from spare space shuttle parts — and the team behind the engine — passed a grueling 10-day, 10-firing test that sets the stage for Boeing’s Phantom Express military space plane. “We scored…
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Why SpaceX and Boeing can sell spots on commercial space taxis to private travelers
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams wears a SpaceX spacesuit as she sits in a mockup for a Crew Dragon spaceship. (SpaceX Photo) RENTON, Wash. — When NASA’s Phil McAlister worked out the contracts with SpaceX and Boeing to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, he made sure they could make some money on the…
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Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg foresees busy commercial ‘ecosystem’ in Earth orbit
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg speaks at Northwestern University, with a model of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket standing in front of him. (Boeing via Facebook) Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg predicts that the number of space destinations will grow from one — the International Space Station — to 10 or 12 over the next couple of…
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NASA could extend space station stays as hedge against commercial crew delays
File photo of acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani NASA is working with the Russian space agency to potentially extend crew stays on the International Space Station, the agency’s acting administrator said last week, as a cushion against expected delays in the development of commercial crew capsules by Boeing and SpaceX. Robert Lightfoot,…
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Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg says that humans could get to Mars within a decade*
Politico’s Robert Albritton (left) chats with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg (right) during a space conference. (Politico Live via Facebook) Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg says it’s possible that humans will set foot on Mars in the next decade, and he’s convinced the first people will get there on a Boeing-built rocket. Muilenburg’s comments, made today during…