Tag: commercial-space
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Launch timeline for SpaceX’s 15th space station resupply mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will go from Cape Canaveral to low Earth orbit in less than 10 minutes Friday with a Dragon capsule heading for the International Space Station carrying more than 5,900 pounds of supplies and experiments. Liftoff is set for 0942 GMT (5:42 a.m. EDT) Friday from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad.…
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Rocket Lab’s first commercial launch scrubbed again
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket on its launch pad in New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab The liftoff of a Rocket Lab Electron booster from New Zealand with five U.S.- and German-built nanosatellites was grounded Tuesday, U.S. time, after engineers identified a problem with a motor controller on the two-stage launcher. Rocket Lab officials did not immediately…
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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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U.S. Air Force certifies Falcon Heavy rocket, awards launch contract
SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket blasts off from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 6. Credit: Walter Scriptunas II / Spaceflight Now The successful maiden flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket in February was enough for the U.S. Air Force to certify the huge booster to carry the military’s…
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Space junk clean-up demonstrator deployed from space station
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). The RemoveDebris satellite deployed from the International Space Station on June 20. Credit: NASA/NanoRacks/Ricky Arnold A small satellite assembled in Britain has been released from the International Space Station, commencing a standalone mission to test technology and techniques that could be used to capture and de-orbit…
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Amid departures, Planetary Resources is holding out hope for an asteroid mining comeback
An artist’s conception shows the Arkyd-301 spacecraft, which was destined to start blazing a trail for asteroid prospecting in 2020. (Planetary Resources Illustration) It’s been months since Planetary Resources had to scale back its asteroid aspirations because a fundraising campaign came up short — and the quest for cash is continuing as space industry leaders converge…
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Spaceflight launch services company adds Virgin Orbit and Cosmic Girl to its lineup
An artist’s conception shows Virgin Orbit’s “Cosmic Girl” 747 jet carrying a LauncherOne rocket in preparation for air launch. (Virgin Orbit Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight has a new product to offer customers who want to get small satellites up and running: Virgin Orbit’s air-launch system. Virgin Orbit’s system, which involves sending its two-stage LauncherOne rocket into…
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SpaceX test-fires reused rocket in preparation for space station cargo mission
File photo of a Falcon 9 static fire test at Cape Canaveral. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now A rocket booster SpaceX used to launch a planet-hunting NASA observatory two months ago fired again Saturday at Cape Canaveral, clearing a major pre-flight checkout before blastoff June 29 with a space station supply ship. After running the rocket…
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Ground antenna problem scrubs Rocket Lab’s first commercial launch
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) on June 24 and 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT) on June 25. A view of the Electron rocket on its launch pad in New Zealand shortly after Rocket Lab scrubbed the launch attempt. Credit: Rocket Lab Problems with a downrange tracking station kept Rocket Lab’s Electron…
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CubeSats set to ride on Rocket Lab’s first commercial launch
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is set for liftoff from New Zealand on Friday. Credit: Rocket Lab Five small satellites, including one built by high school students in Southern California, are awaiting launch Friday from New Zealand aboard the first commercial flight of Rocket Lab’s Electron booster. The U.S.-New Zealand launch company plans liftoff of the…