Tag: commercial-space
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NASA and Boeing lay out time frame for reviewing Starliner’s flawed flight and planning next steps
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner space capsule, which was christened Calypso after last month’s test flight, is wrapped in plastic for transport back to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. (Boeing Photo) NASA says it’s working with Boeing to set up an independent investigation team to review last month’s less-than-perfect maiden…
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WOW! Virgin Galactic’s next SpaceShipTwo rocket plane reaches ‘Weight on Wheels’ milestone
The rocket plane that’s due to become Virgin Galactic’s second commercial suborbital spaceship can now stand on its own two feet — or to be more precise, on its own landing gear. Virgin Galactic Holdings’ manufacturing subsidiary, known as The SpaceShip Company, reached the “Weight on Wheels” milestone when it assembled all of the SpaceShipTwo…
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Dragon cargo capsule brings home space station science experiments
A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft flies away from the International Space Station Tuesday after release by the lab’s Canadian-built robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now SpaceX’s 19th Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station ended Tuesday with the capsule’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles with nearly 3,600 pounds of cargo and…
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Live coverage: Dragon cargo craft departs space station, returns to Earth
Live coverage of the departure of SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship from the International Space Station and its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean with several tons of experiment samples and cargo. SpaceX and NASA will not provide live video coverage of the splashdown. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page.…
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SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites, tests design change for astronomers
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket streaks downrange to the northeast from Cape Canaveral Monday night with 60 Starlink satellites for the company’s planned global Internet network. Credit: SpaceX Sixty more satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink global Internet network streaked into orbit Monday night from Cape Canaveral, including one spacecraft to test an experimental dark coating to address…
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SpaceX reschedules crew capsule in-flight abort test for Jan. 18
SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is pictured being prepared for an in-flight abort test inside of a SpaceX processing facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Four of the capsule’s SuperDraco abort thrusters are visible in this image. Credit: SpaceX Credit: SpaceX The final major test of the high-power launch abort engines on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft…
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Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket launches on first mission of 2020
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 SpaceX’s third batch of Starlink broadband satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. Spaceflight Now members can watch a live feed of the launch pad. Our live…
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SpaceX test-fires rocket ahead of record-setting Starlink launch
The Falcon 9 rocket slated to launch SpaceX’s third batch of Starlink broadband satellites was test-fired Jan. 4 at Cape Canaveral. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now SpaceX test-fired a Falcon 9 rocket Saturday at Cape Canaveral, two days before a scheduled launch Monday with 60 Starlink broadband relay stations that will make SpaceX the owner of…
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SpaceX drawing up plans for mobile gantry at launch pad 39A
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Feb. 27, 2020, with artist’s rendering and dimensions of the mobile gantry. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket stands at launch pad 39A before liftoff in June 2019 on the STP-2 mission for the U.S. Air Force. Credit: SpaceX With construction already underway at Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A on facilities for SpaceX’s…
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Good weather predicted for Cape Canaveral’s first launch of 2020
File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Forecasters predict near-ideal weather conditions Monday night for the first launch at Cape Canaveral this year, when SpaceX plans to send another 60 Starlink broadband satellites into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The 60 small satellites…