Tag: commercial-space
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FAA closes the case on SpaceX’s rocket explosion and OKs Falcon 9 satellite launch
A closeup shows the fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in January 2016. (NASA Photo) SpaceX has the all-clear to return its Falcon 9 rocket to flight next week after a four-month suspension due to a launch-pad explosion. The go-ahead came in the form of a launch license…
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SpaceX traces Falcon 9 blast to failed helium tank; return to flight set for Jan. 8
SpaceX’s return to flight is due to take place Jan. 8 at its launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX says an investigation has concluded that the Sept. 1 explosion of its Falcon 9 rocket occurred due to the failure of a helium pressure vessel, and it’s taking steps to avoid the…
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Virgin Galactic sneaks in just one more SpaceShipTwo glide test to cap off 2016
Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity glides through the skies over California’s Mojave Desert. (Virgin Galactic Photo) Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo craft, VSS Unity, took its second free-flying test run today, closing off a rebuilding year for the space venture. At the start of the year, the company was still finishing up work on its second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane,…
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NASA confirms delay in commercial crew flights to 2018, pushing the envelope
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s crew-capable Dragon approaching a port on the International Space Station with a cargo Dragon in the foreground. (NASA Photo) NASA has confirmed that the commercial space taxis being developed by SpaceX and the Boeing Co. will start carrying astronauts to the International Space Station no earlier than 2018, and there’s…
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Blue Origin’s rocketeers get holiday photo op with scorched New Shepard spaceship
Blue Origin employees and their families got their pictures taken with the scorched New Shepard rocket booster and crew capsule during this year’s holiday party at the company’s production facility in Kent, Wash. (Photo courtesy of @Megsylhydrazine via Twitter) How many holiday parties let you get your picture taken with a fully reusable rocket ship…
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Planet opens office in Seattle area to work on data platform for satellite imagery
Karthik Govindhasamy, Planet’s chief technology officer and executive vice president of engineering, shows off a mural that depicts Dove satellites being deployed from the International Space Station. The mural graces the reception area of Planet’s Bellevue office. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) BELLEVUE, Wash. – Planet has landed … in the Seattle area. The upstart…
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SpaceX targets early January for Falcon 9 rocket’s return to flight after explosion
The next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket is expected to occur in early January. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX says it expects to finish its investigation of September’s fiery loss of a Falcon 9 rocket and its payload in time for a return to flight in early January. That launch is expected to send 10 Iridium…
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Jeff Bezos shows how Blue Origin’s orbital rocket factory is taking shape in Florida
The steel structure for Blue Origin’s factory rises from a site in Florida. (Blue Origin Photo via Jeff Bezos) Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos is showing off the “extraordinary progress” being made on the Florida factory where Blue Origin’s New Glenn orbital launch vehicle will be built. “As you can see here, the first steel is…
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Virgin Galactic’s second spaceship aces first glide flight
Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, christened VSS Unity, glided to a runway landing after dropping from its carrier aircraft over California’s Mojave Desert on Saturday. Credit: Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane glided to a runway landing after dropping from its carrier aircraft over California’s Mojave Desert on Saturday. With two pilots…
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Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo plane takes its first free-flying test glide
Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity glides through its first free-flying flight. (Virgin Galactic Photo) Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, dubbed VSS Unity, successfully glided through its first free-flying test run today. The flight comes more than two years after the first SpaceShipTwo broke up during a rocket-powered test. The hybrid rocket engine wasn’t switched on…