Tag: commercial-space
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Rocket Lab delivers nanosatellites to orbit on first successful test launch
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket fires off its launch pad on Mahia Peninsula. Credit: Kieran Fanning/Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s commercial Electron launcher soared into orbit from New Zealand on Saturday, U.S. time, a success that puts the company’s founder said will hasten dedicated, frequent and affordable rides to space for small satellites. The achievement caps four…
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Video: Rocket Lab achieves orbit on historic launch from New Zealand
Video credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket took off from a picturesque commercial launch base in New Zealand on Saturday, U.S. time, on a test flight that delivered three CubeSats into orbit on the company’s first successful satellite deployment. The 55-foot-tall (17-meter) rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula, a…
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Video: Rocket Lab achieves orbit on historic launch from New Zealand
Video credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket took off from a picturesque commercial launch base in New Zealand on Saturday, U.S. time, on a test flight that delivered three CubeSats into orbit on the company’s first successful satellite deployment. The 55-foot-tall (17-meter) rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula, a…
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Rocket Lab sends Electron rocket into orbit, marking milestone for moon mission
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its launch pad in New Zealand. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) Rocket Lab’s two-stage Electron rocket successfully reached Earth orbit and deployed satellites for the first time today, raising hopes for far more ambitious missions to the moon. Today’s mission, which went up from Rocket Lab’s launch complex on…
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Rocket Lab test launch halted by ship traffic, deteriorating weather
Rocket Lab’s second Electron rocket vents oxygen vapors during a scrubbed launch attempt Friday, U.S. time (Saturday in New Zealand). Credit: Rocket Lab An attempt to place three small satellites in orbit on an experimental test flight was halted Friday after two ships strayed into a keep-out zone offshore Rocket Lab’s privately-owned launch base in…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab’s commercial launcher reaches orbit for the first time
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket’s live video webcast begins around 15 minutes prior to launch, and will be available on this page.
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Lawmakers question safety, schedule for Boeing/SpaceX commercial crew ships
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Astronaut Eric Boe examines hardware during a tour of the SpaceX’s headquarters facility in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX Boeing and SpaceX hope to launch commercial crew ferry ships on long-awaited test flights later this year, but both companies face major challenges getting the spacecraft certified before late 2019…
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Electron test launch from New Zealand could happen this weekend
File photo of Rocket Lab’s second Electron rocket awaiting launch. Credit: Rocket Lab The second test flight of Rocket Lab’s privately-developed Electron satellite booster could take off from New Zealand as soon as Friday night, U.S. time, after technical problems and high winds kept the rocket grounded during a series of launch attempts in December.…
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Video: Dragon cargo craft released from International Space Station
Ground controllers sent commands Saturday for the International Space Station’s Canadian-built robotic arm to release a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule, ending the ship’s nearly four-week stay at the orbiting research complex. The unpiloted Dragon spacecraft was released from the robot arm at 4:58 a.m. EST (0958 GMT) Saturday, and it parachuted to a splashdown in…
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Commercial cargo craft splashes down in Pacific Ocean after station resupply run
The Dragon spacecraft is pictured soon after its release from the International Space Station on Saturday. Credit: Norishige Kanai/JAXA/NASA A commercial cargo capsule owned by SpaceX concluded a month-long resupply trip to the International Space Station on Saturday, wrapping up the 13th round-trip flight to the station by a Dragon spacecraft with an on-target splashdown…