Tag: Falcon 9
-
Iridium NEXT-5 satellites ride to orbit on SpaceX Falcon 9
SpaceX conducted the fifth launch of its contract with Iridium Communications Friday, deploying ten more satellites to bring Iridium’s next-generation fleet up to a total of fifty satellites in orbit. Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 07:13:51 Pacific Daylight Time (14:13 UTC). The launch also saw SpaceX make an unsuccessful attempt…
-
DigitalGlobe books two launches with SpaceX for Earth-imaging fleet
Artist’s illustration of a WorldView Legion satellite. Credit: SSL Two Falcon 9 rockets with reused first stage boosters will place the initial block of DigitalGlobe’s commercial WorldView Legion satellite fleet in orbit in 2021, the Earth-imaging company recently announced. Financial terms of DigitalGlobe’s contract with SpaceX were not disclosed in the March 14 contract release,…
-
Falcon 9 set for CRS-14 mission completes Static Fire testing
SpaceX has conducted the milestone Static Fire test on the Falcon 9 set to launch the CRS-14 Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS). The test occurred a few hours into the six hour test window that opened at 11 AM Eastern at Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40. The latest CRS mission will once again involve hardware that highlights…
-
Ground equipment problem slips next Falcon 9 launch to Friday
File photo of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Thales Alenia Space Trouble with a piece of ground equipment used for testing of the 10 Iridium communications satellites aboard the next Falcon 9 rocket launch has forced a 24-hour delay in the mission to Friday, officials said Tuesday. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher from…
-
Falcon 9 conducts static fire test ahead of the fifth Iridium NEXT mission
SpaceX has static fired its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-4E ahead of the fifth of eight planned Iridium NEXT launches. The vehicle, which includes the flight-proven booster 1041.2, will lift the fifth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into a 625 km polar orbit. The static fire test was conducted near…
-
Falcon 9 conducts static fire test ahead of the fifth Iridium NEXT mission
SpaceX has static fired its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-4E ahead of the fifth of eight planned Iridium NEXT launches. The vehicle, which includes the flight-proven booster 1041.2, will lift the fifth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into a 625 km polar orbit. The static fire test was conducted near…
-
U.S. Air Force divides new launch contracts between SpaceX, ULA
File photo of an Atlas 5 rocket launch. Credit: United Launch Alliance SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have split up to $645 million in new contracts to deploy U.S. Air Force navigation and surveillance satellites into orbit from 2019 through 2021. A Falcon 9 rocket built and operated by SpaceX will launch the Air Force’s…
-
Launch preps advance in California for next Falcon 9 flight
All 10 Iridium Next satellites for the next Falcon 9 launch have arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for liftoff March 29. Credit: Iridium SpaceX’s fifth launch of replacement spacecraft for Iridium’s global voice and data communications network is set for March 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a flight that…
-
NASA releases summary of investigation into SpaceX’s 2015 launch failure
NASA’s independent review team that investigated the destruction of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon supply ship shortly after liftoff in June 2015 concluded a design error led to the loss of more than two tons of provisions and equipment heading for the International Space Station. Engineers from NASA’s Launch Services Program, a group…
-
NASA’s IRT publishes report on SpaceX’s CRS-7 failure
On Monday, NASA’s Independent Review Team (IRT) published the first public report on the SpaceX CRS-7 failure. The accident occurred on June 28th, 2015 when a Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage experienced an over-pressurization event during first stage ascent. The incident led to a launch vehicle failure approximately two minutes and nineteen seconds into flight.…