Tag: CubeSats
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Antares rocket loaded with time-sensitive cargo for launch to space station Saturday
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket emerges from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Wallops Island, Virginia, on Feb. 16. Credit: NASA/Patrick Black A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship — named the S.S. Katherine Johnson for the trailblazing NASA mathematician portrayed in “Hidden Figures” — was loaded with time-sensitive cargo Friday at a launch pad in Virginia for…
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SpaceX smashes record with launch of 143 small satellites
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday from Cape Canaveral with 143 small satellites, a record number of spacecraft on a single mission, giving a boost to startup space companies and stressing the U.S. military’s tracking network charged with sorting…
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Falcon 9 launch timeline on the Transporter-1 mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, heading due south over the Atlantic Ocean on a trajectory hugging the east coast of Florida to deliver 143 small satellites into polar orbit. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket is poised for launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in…
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Live coverage: SpaceX launches rideshare mission on Falcon 9 rocket
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission will launch 143 small satellites for numerous U.S. and international customers. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter. [tabby title=”SpaceX webcast”] [tabby title=”SpaceX mission audio”] [tabbyending]
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Smallsat launch providers readying for first missions of 2021
Virgin Orbit technicians complete work with the LauncherOne vehicle’s payload fairing for the Launch Demo 2 mission, which is set to loft 10 NASA-sponsored CubeSats into orbit. Credit: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab teams are gearing up for their first missions of the year in the coming days, with Virgin’s air-launched rocket…
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China’s Long March 8 rocket successful in debut launch
A Long March 8 rocket lifts off from Sunday (U.S. time) from the Wenchang launch base on Hainan Island. Credit: Xinhua A new Chinese launch vehicle, the Long March 8, has successfully placed five payloads into orbit on its first mission, debuting an expendable booster intended to eventually be outfitted for recovery and reuse. The…
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Rocket Lab recovers booster after launch with 30 small satellites
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) with image of booster. The Electron first stage is seen in the Pacific Ocean in this image shared by Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck on Twitter. Credit: Rocket Lab via Peter Beck Rocket Lab says the first stage of its Electron launcher splashed down under…
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Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches Electron, booster parachutes into sea
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying 30 small payloads into low Earth orbit. The mission will feature Rocket Lab’s first attempt to recover an Electron booster intact for refurbishment and reuse. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow…
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Boeing subsidiary ready to launch satellite deorbiting experiment
Artist’s concept of the DragRacer satellites. Credit: Millennium Space Systems Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing subsidiary, built two small satellites awaiting launch Thursday night on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on a mission to test the effectiveness of a drag-inducing device that could help remove spacecraft from orbit. The two small satellites are part of…
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Indian PSLV deploys 10 satellites in first launch since start of pandemic
India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off at 0942 GMT (4:42 a.m. EST) Saturday. Credit: ISRO A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off Saturday with India’s EOS 1 radar imaging satellite and nine rideshare payloads for customers based in the United States, Luxembourg, and Lithuania. The successful mission was India’s first launch in nearly a year…