Tag: Kennedy Space Center
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Video: Falcon 9 fires away from pad 39A
Video credit: Spaceflight Now This zoomed-in shot shows SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket firing off launch pad 39A Thursday with the U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket lifted off from pad 39A at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) with the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane, a robotic miniature space shuttle that can operate without…
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Kennedy Space Center braces for Hurricane Irma
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION An aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building and surrounding facilities, including the Space Launch System’s mobile launch platform. Credit: NASA/KSC With an eye on fast-moving Hurricane Irma, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center Thursday while NASA and contractor personnel rushed to prepare…
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SpaceX beats hurricane with smooth launch of military’s X-37B spaceplane
Credit: SpaceX Succeeding on a one-shot launch attempt before Hurricane Irma shuts down the Cape Canaveral spaceport, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into orbit Thursday with the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane, a reusable robotic mini-shuttle that could stay aloft for years with clandestine on-board experiments. Burning a super-chilled mixture of kerosene and liquid…
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4K video: Wide-angle view of Falcon 9 launch
Video credit: Spaceflight Now Watch a 4K video replay of Thursday’s Falcon 9 launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This view was recorded at the KSC press site around 3 miles from the launch pad. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket lifted off from pad 39A at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) with the U.S.…
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Photos: Military mini-shuttle transferred to SpaceX launch pad
Cocooned inside the nose cone of its Falcon 9 rocket booster, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane journeyed from a former space shuttle hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, past the Vehicle Assembly Building and toward launch pad 39A last week ahead of liftoff Thursday. The miniature space shuttle, designed for robotic operations without a…
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SpaceX readies rocket to launch military spaceplane into orbit
Artist’s concept of the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane. Credit: Boeing With an eye on dangerous Hurricane Irma’s forecast path toward Florida, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force are proceeding with preparations to launch an unpiloted reusable military spaceship Thursday on a mission to conduct experiments in orbit, deploy multiple small satellites and glide back…
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Falcon 9 rocket fired up for launch of military mini-shuttle
The Falcon 9 rocket fired its nine Merlin 1D engines at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT). Credit: William Harwood/CBS News Running through a practice countdown and hold-down engine firing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket passed a key checkpoint Thursday ahead of liftoff next week with the U.S. Air Force’s fifth…
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Video: SpaceX rocket runs through hotfire test at pad 39A
SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket ignited its Merlin main engines for several seconds Thursday at Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A ahead of a planned launch next week. The Merlin 1D engines fired at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT), sending a plume of exhaust out the flame trench to the north of pad 39A. Liftoff is…
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4K and HD video replays of SpaceX rocket undergoing static fire test at pad 39A
In one of its final preflight tests, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignited at pad 39A in Florida for several seconds Thursday, ramping up to full throttle in an end-to-end checkout of the booster before liftoff next week on a space station resupply flight. The cargo mission is set for launch Monday at 12:31 p.m.…
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SpaceX performs static fire, preps for Monday launch from Florida
A plume of exhaust and steam erupts from pad 39A as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket fires its nine Merlin main engines during Thursday’s static fire test. Credit: Spaceflight Now Set to resume a brisk pace of launch activity after a nearly six-week respite, SpaceX test-fired its next Falcon 9 rocket Thursday at NASA’s Kennedy Space…