Tag: Electric Propulsion

  • New target dates set for next two Falcon 9 launches

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    The two GRACE-Follow On Earth science satellites are mounted atop five Iridium Next satellites in preparation for liftoff May 22 from California. Credit: Iridium The launch of five commercial Iridium message relay satellites and a pair of U.S.-German orbiting geophysics probes on a Falcon 9 rocket from California has been delayed three days to May…

  • Japanese H-2A rocket lifts off with two satellites

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 0300 GMT Saturday (10:00 p.m. Friday) with confirmation of a successful launch. A Japanese H-2A rocket lifts off at 0126:22 GMT Saturday (8:26:22 p.m. EST Friday) from the Tanegashima Space Center. Credit: JAXA Two research satellites to probe Earth’s climate patterns and test ion engine technology to counter atmospheric drag in an…

  • Titan drone, comet sampler picked as finalists for NASA mission

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Artist’s concept of the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. Credit: NASA NASA has narrowed its choices for a new billion-dollar robotic space mission: A nuclear-powered quadcopter to explore the hazy landscape of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, or a probe to scoop up a piece of a comet and return it to Earth. The space…

  • Photos: Vega rocket lifts off from French Guiana

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    A four-stage Vega rocket streaked into space Tuesday night from French Guiana, hauling two Israeli-made satellites into polar orbit on military surveillance and environmental research missions. The 98-foot-tall (30-meter) rocket took off at 0158:33 GMT Wednesday (9:58:33 p.m. EDT; 10:58:33 p.m. French Guiana time) with the Optsat 3000 and Venµs spacecraft, each weighing less than a…

  • Vega launcher achieves on-target deployment of Earth-imaging satellites

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Firing off a launch pad on the fringes of the Amazon rainforest, a European Vega rocket climbed into space Tuesday night and deployed a new optical surveillance craft for the Italian military and a French-Israeli environmental satellite to monitor vegetation, snow cover and coastal waterways. The Optsat 3000 and Venµs satellites lifted off at 0158:33…

  • Live coverage: Arianespace launches 10th Vega rocket

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Vega rocket with the Optsat 3000 and Venµs Earth observation satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. Watch on a mobile device. Arianespace’s live video stream begins at approximately 0145 GMT (9:45 p.m. EDT).

  • Timeline for Vega launch with Optsat 3000 and Venµs

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    A Vega rocket is set to deliver two satellites into similar but distinct orbits for the Italian military and the French and Israeli space agencies. Here are the key events scheduled during the European Vega rocket’s launch from French Guiana with the Italian military’s Optsat 3000 high-resolution reconnaissance satellite and the French-Israeli Venµs environmental satellite.…

  • Two Israeli-built satellites set for launch Tuesday

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    The Optsat 3000 satellite, seen at top, awaits encapsulation inside the Vega rocket’s payload fairing last month. The Venµs spacecraft is closed up inside the black dual-payload structure below Optsat 3000. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – S. Martin A European Vega rocket is scheduled to launch Tuesday from a tropical spaceport…

  • Europe’s lightweight Vega launcher nears 10th flight

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    The Vega rocket’s solid-fueled Zefiro 23 second stage was hoisted on top of the launcher’s first stage last month on a launch pad at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Piron A solid-fueled Vega rocket has been stacked on a launch pad in…

  • BepiColombo Mercury mission tested for journey into ‘pizza oven’

    —

    by

    starpathwp-production
    in

    A view of the BepiColombo spacecraft stacked in launch configuration at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC test center in the Netherlands. The sunshield cover for Japan’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter is pictured at lower right. Credit: Airbus Defense and Space Three spacecraft built in Europe and Japan have completed their final joint tests to ensure they…