Tag: FAA
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Launches from Kourou temporarily suspended by social unrest
A barricade outside the Guiana Space Center. Credit: France Guyane The launch an Ariane 5 rocket with Brazilian and Korean communications satellites that was set for this week has been postponed indefinitely after protesters blocked access to the French Guiana spaceport. The heavy-lift launcher was scheduled to lift off Tuesday, but widespread protests and a…
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FAA signs off on SpaceX mishap investigation
Credit: US Launch Report The Federal Aviation Administration has granted a launch license for SpaceX’s deployment of 10 Iridium communications satellites next week after reviewing the company’s inquiry into a Falcon 9 rocket explosion in September, an agency spokesperson said Friday. The FAA has regulatory oversight authority over commercial space activities in the United States,…
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FAA closes the case on SpaceX’s rocket explosion and OKs Falcon 9 satellite launch
A closeup shows the fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in January 2016. (NASA Photo) SpaceX has the all-clear to return its Falcon 9 rocket to flight next week after a four-month suspension due to a launch-pad explosion. The go-ahead came in the form of a launch license…
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Iridium satellites closed up for launch on Falcon 9 rocket
The first 10 Iridium Next satellites were encapsulated inside the payload fairing of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket earlier this week. Credit: Iridium The first 10 satellites for Iridium’s next-generation mobile voice and data relay network have been fueled, joined with their deployment module and encapsulated inside the clamshell-like nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9…
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A virtual marketplace for a future Moon Village? The FAA just might make it happen
An artist’s conception shows a permanent lunar base that’s part of the European Space Agency’s “Moon Village” vision. (Credit: ESA) GUADALAJARA, Mexico – If the world wants to create a village on the moon, the Federal Aviation Administration is willing to start up an online trading post for lunar services. George Nield, the FAA’s associate administrator for commercial…
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FAA puts key Amazon, UPS, Facebook and Google execs on Drone Advisory Committee
An Amazon delivery drone. Photo via Amazon. Gur Kimchi, the vice president of Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery operation, has been named along with a variety of other tech executives to a Drone Advisory Committee that “will help the FAA prioritize its activities, including the development of future regulations and policies” for unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace. Gur…
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Moon Express wins a green light from U.S. government for its lunar mission
An artist’s conception shows the Moon Express MX-1 lander in lunar orbit. (Credit: Moon Express) BELLEVUE, Wash. – Moon Express says it has received preliminary clearance for the robotic lander that it plans to send to the moon next year, after a voluntary payload review involving the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal agencies. The clearance…
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Virgin Galactic receives FAA license to fly SpaceShipTwo – and it’s taxiing on runway
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, known as VSS Unity, is pulled behind a Range Rover Autobiography vehicle during its first taxi test at California’s Mojave Air and Space Port. (Credit: Virgin Galactic) Virgin Galactic says it’s received an operator license from the Federal Aviation Administration for flying its SpaceShipTwo rocket plane into outer space with commercial…
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White House works out a process to clear commercial missions to moon and Mars
An artist’s conception shows Moon Express’ MX-1 lander extending its robotic arm to take a “selfie” of the spacecraft on the lunar surface with Earth in the background. (Credit: Moon Express) After months of discussion, federal agencies are closing in on a process to approve commercial missions to other celestial bodies – including the moon, Mars…
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Moon Express asks FAA to review its plans for Google Lunar X Prize landing in 2017
An artist’s conception shows the Moon Express MX-1 spacecraft orbiting the moon in preparation for landing. (Credit: Moon Express) Moon Express, the lunar exploration venture backed by Seattle tech entrepreneur Naveen Jain, says it’s asking the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a payload review of its spacecraft and plans for a mission to the moon…