Tag: commercial-space
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Hitching a ride with SpaceX, Planet poised to complete SkySat fleet
Three of Planet’s SkySat Earth-imaging satellites are mounted on top of 58 SpaceX Starlink Internet satellites for launch Saturday. Credit: Planet / SpaceX Three of Planet’s SkySat Earth-imaging satellites are mounted on top of 58 of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites for launch Saturday from Cape Canaveral on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, the first…
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Astronauts say riding Falcon 9 rocket was “totally different” from the space shuttle
A view inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft during launch May 30. NASA astronaut Bob Behnken is seen in the foreground. Astronaut Doug Hurley is seated to the left of Behnken. Credit: NASA TV / SpaceX Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken say SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was a “very pure flying machine” as it sped…
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NASA picks Astrobotic to deliver its VIPER rover to lunar south pole for nearly $200M
NASA has awarded a $199.5 million contract to Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic to deliver its VIPER rover to the moon’s south pole in 2023, marking one more not-so-small step for the commercialization of lunar exploration. VIPER, which stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, will conduct a detailed on-the-ground assessment of water ice buried in lunar soil.…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab back in action with twilight launch in New Zealand
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying payloads into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Rocket Lab’s live video…
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Photos: SpaceX’s first crewed mission launches from pad 39A
This collection of images from NASA and SpaceX photographers shows the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifting off on top of a Falcon 9 rocket May 30. Taking advantage of a break in the weather, the 215-foot-tall (65-meter) Falcon 9 rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center at 3:22:45 p.m. EDT (1922:45 GMT) on May 30.…
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NASA anticipates August return for Hurley and Behnken
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft approaches the International Space Station for docking May 31. Credit: NASA SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will likely return to Earth in August to wrap up a test flight to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, a senior space agency official said Tuesday. The exact schedule…
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NASA signs Gateway habitat design contract with Northrop Grumman
Artist’s illustration of the Gateway’s PPE and HALO modules in lunar orbit. Credit: NASA NASA has signed a $187 million contract with Northrop Grumman to complete the preliminary design of a pressurized crew habitat for the planned Gateway mini-space station near the moon, and agency officials have discussed new details about plans to launch first…
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South Korean satellite shipped to Cape Canaveral for Falcon 9 launch next month
Artist’s concept of a Eurostar E3000 satellite in orbit. The Anasis 2 spacecraft built for the South Korean government is based on the Airbus Eurostar E3000 satellite platform, but other design details have not been disclosed. Credit: Airbus A communications satellite built for the South Korean military arrived at Cape Canaveral this week from an…
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After sparking consternation at NASA, Trump campaign pulls ad featuring SpaceX launch
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken say farewell to their families before heading to the launch pad for a SpaceX launch to the International Space Station on May 30. (NASA via YouTube) An online advertisement that plays off last weekend’s historic crewed SpaceX launch to boost President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign drew a protest…
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SpaceX sets new mark in rocket reuse 10 years after first Falcon 9 launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at 9:25 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0125 GMT Thursday) from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with 60 more Starlink Internet satellites. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Falcon 9 rocket’s debut flight, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9…