Tag: Earth observation
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Weather could stand in way of Falcon 9 launch Saturday
File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket inside a SpaceX hangar at Cape Canaveral. Credit: SpaceX Rainy weather expected across Central Florida this weekend has a 50-50 chance of preventing the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday on a resupply mission to the International Space Station, U.S. Air Force forecasters said Wednesday. The…
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Iridium to share Falcon 9 launch with NASA-German gravity satellites
The first 10 Iridium Next satellites launched Jan. 14 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: SpaceX Iridium has secured a launch for five more of its next-generation communications craft in a rideshare arrangement with two U.S.-German research satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket by early 2018. The announcement…
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Planet acquires rival satellite company from Google
One of Terra Bella’s SkySat satellites captured this image of downtown San Francisco on Dec. 27. Credit: Planet/Terra Bella San Francisco-based Planet, a company with a fleet of miniature satellites in orbit looking down on Earth, has acquired Terra Bella from Google to add high-resolution imaging to its business portfolio. The financial terms of the…
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Commercial Earth-observing craft recover from off-target launch
The SuperView 1 satellites pictured before their launch. Credit: Beijing Space View Two Chinese satellites launched into the wrong orbit last month have reached their planned perch at an altitude of around 300 miles (500 kilometers) and sent back their first high-resolution views of Earth for their Beijing-based commercial owner. The two SuperView 1, or…
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Kuaizhou rocket lifts off on first commercial mission
The Kuaizhou 1A rocket lifted off at 0411 GMT Monday (11:11 p.m. EST Sunday) from the Jiuquan space center. Credit: Xinhua A solid-fueled Chinese Kuaizhou launcher positioned to compete for worldwide business took off Monday on its first commercial mission with three small satellites to collect high-definition video and test communications technologies. The Kuaizhou 1A…
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Chinese Earth observation satellites launched into lower-than-planned orbit
Two commercial Earth-imaging satellites launched by a Chinese Long March 2D booster Wednesday are flying in lower-than-planned orbits after an apparent rocket mishap, according to tracking data published by the U.S. military. The two SuperView 1, or Gaojing 1, satellites are flying in egg-shaped orbits ranging from 133 miles (214 kilometers) to 325 miles (524…
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Piers Sellers, shuttle astronaut and renowned climate researcher, dies at 61
Piers Sellers flew on three assembly missions to the International Space Station. He is seen here on the STS-132 mission in May 2010. Credit: NASA Former astronaut Piers Sellers, a British-born climate scientist who flew on three space shuttle missions to help construct the International Space Station, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age…
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China sends carbon-monitoring satellite into orbit
A Long March 2D rocket lifted off Wednesday with China’s TanSat carbon-monitoring satellite. Credit: Xinhua A Chinese satellite designed to track greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere rode into orbit Wednesday aboard a Long March 2D rocket, joining an international fleet of orbiting carbon dioxide monitors aimed at combating climate change. The TanSat mission took off…
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Flock of ‘microsats’ launched to measure winds inside hurricanes
Updated at 4:15 p.m. EST (2115 GMT) with acquisition of all eight satellites. A Pegasus XL rocket fires into space after dropping from the belly of Orbital ATK’s L-1011 carrier jet. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now A winged Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket dropped from the belly of a carrier jet off the east coast of…
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Hydraulic pump glitch scrubs Pegasus launch
Updated at 7:30 p.m. EST (0030 GMT). A camera on-board the L-1011 carrier plane shows the aft end of the Pegasus XL rocket in flight over the Atlantic Ocean Monday. Credit: NASA TV Trouble with a hydraulic pump needed to release Orbital ATK’s air-launched Pegasus XL rocket from its carrier jet Monday has delayed the…