Tag: commercial-space
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SpaceShipTwo goes supersonic in first powered flight since fatal breakup in 2014
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, christened VSS Unity, fires up its hybrid rocket motor for the first time. (Mars Scientific / Trumbull Studios Photo) Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane flew a smooth, supersonic test flight today during its first rocket-powered outing since the first SpaceShipTwo broke up three and a half years ago. The…
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Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered test flight since 2014
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo vehicle fires its hybrid rocket motor on Thursday. Credit: MarsScientific.com & Trumbull Studios / Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic’s second piloted suborbital spaceship made its first rocket-powered test flight Thursday, three-and-a-half years after the loss of an earlier model in an accident that killed one test pilot and injured another. Designed to ferry…
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Live coverage: Ariane 5 lifts off on first flight since off-target launch
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Ariane 5 rocket with the DSN 1/Superbird 8 and Hylas 4 communications satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Arianespace’s live video webcast will begin approximately 15 minutes before launch.
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Ariane 5 returns to service with dual-satellite launch
A European Ariane 5 rocket lifts off Thursday from French Guiana. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – S. Martin Boosted by two solid-fueled motors and a hydrogen-burning main engine, a European Ariane 5 rocket took off Thursday from French Guiana with a Japanese military communications payload and a U.S.-built, British-owned broadband satellite,…
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Video: Ariane 5 rocket lifts off with communications satellites
Video credit: Arianespace A European Ariane 5 rocket climbed off its launch pad in French Guiana with nearly 3 million pounds of thrust Thursday, carrying two communications satellites to orbit for the Japanese military and British-based Avanti Communications. The nearly 180-foot-tall (55-meter) Ariane 5 launcher took off at 2134 GMT (5:34 p.m. EDT; 6:34…
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Orion Span says it’ll put space hotel in orbit by 2022, but some details are up in the air
An artist’s conception shows Orion Span’s Aurora Station. (Orion Span Illustration) A startup called Orion Span says it’s planning to open a luxury hotel in orbit in 2022, but a lot of the details have yet to be filled in. The plan to launch the module into space, and take reservations from customers for multimillion-dollar…
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Dragon cargo capsule reaches space station for second time
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station Wednesday. Credit: NASA/JAXA/Norishige Kanai A commercial Dragon spacecraft glacially approached the International Space Station on Wednesday, allowing a robotic arm controlled by Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai to reach out and grapple the supply ship as it soared 250 miles over Africa, completing SpaceX’s 14th mission to…
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Video: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on SpaceX’s 14th station cargo mission
Packed with food, hardware and experiments in biology, Earth science and space technology, a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon supply ship lifted off Monday from Cape Canaveral destined for the International Space Station. The 213-foot-tall (65-meter) rocket took off at 4:30:38 p.m. EDT (2030:38 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad, then turned to…
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Live coverage: SpaceX resupply mission arrives at space station
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral with SpaceX’s 14th operational Dragon resupply flight to the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
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Video: Multi-angle replays of Falcon 9’s liftoff from Cape Canaveral
Watch views of the Falcon 9 rocket’s fiery liftoff Monday at Cape Canaveral from multiple angles as the slender, kerosene-fueled launcher climbed into space on the way to the International Space Station. The 213-foot-tall (65-meter) rocket took off at 4:30:38 p.m. EDT (2030:38 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad, then turned to the…