Tag: commercial-space
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SpaceX to restore upgraded launch pad to service with Wednesday cargo flight
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 10 p.m. EST on Dec. 11 with one-day launch delay. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, sporting markings from the first stage’s first flight in June, stands poised for launch from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Tuesday. Credit: SpaceX Ready to double its Florida launch capacity with two pads, SpaceX is preparing…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab’s second Electron launch delayed to early 2018
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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Launch timeline for the Electron rocket’s second test flight
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated for new launch attempt Jan. 20. Rocket Lab’s light-class Electron launcher is set to take off on its second orbital test flight from New Zealand, aiming to deliver three small shoebox-sized CubeSats into low Earth orbit for Planet and Spire. The two-stage, 55-foot-tall (17-meter) rocket could take off as soon as 8:30…
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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin venture gives notice for spaceship flight test this week
Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin venture is getting ready for launch. (Blue Origin Photo) Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, has alerted the Federal Aviation Administration that it’s planning to put a brand-new New Shepard rocket ship through an uncrewed flight test at its West Texas spaceport this week.…
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Blue Origin could fly new suborbital vehicle this week
File photo of a New Shepard launch from Blue Origin’s West Texas test site. Credit: Blue Origin An airspace restriction over West Texas posted on the Federal Aviation Administration’s website and filed by Blue Origin suggests the company founded by Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos could launch its upgraded reusable New Shepard suborbital booster for the first…
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Rocket Lab pushes back second Electron launch to Sunday
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Dec. 8 to reflect launch delay to Sunday, Dec. 10, U.S. time. Rocket Lab’s second Electron rocket stands vertical at the company’s New Zealand launch site during pre-flight testing. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab plans to roll out the company’s second light-class Electron rocket to its launch pad in New Zealand on…
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Video: Falcon 9 rocket test-fired at pad 40
SpaceX fired up a Falcon 9 booster at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday in advance of a space station resupply launch Dec. 12, returning the pad to service after a rocket explosion there last year. The previously-flown rocket fired its Merlin 1D main engines at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) Wednesday in a…
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Test-firing at repaired launch pad clears way for SpaceX cargo flight next week
The Falcon 9 rocket’s previously-flown first stage fired its engines at pad 40 Wednesday. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now SpaceX ignited a reused Falcon 9 first stage booster at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday ahead of a planned space station resupply launch Dec. 12, a major step in restoring the repaired facility to service…
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Bigelow’s expandable module goes into overtime on space station
European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, after outfitting its interior for cargo stowage. Credit: NASA A commercial module mounted outside the International Space Station last year will remain attached to the orbiting research complex for at least three more years, carrying out additional tests for future space…
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Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket fires engines in hold-down test at Cape Canaveral
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. File photo of…