Tag: Kennedy Space Center
-
SpaceX launches first of three missions for OneWeb
SpaceX conducted its 55th flight of the year to take the OneWeb Flight #15 mission using a flight-proven Falcon 9 to a polar low Earth orbit (LEO) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Liftoff occurred on Dec. 8 at 5:27:48 PM EST (22:27:48 UTC). Space Launch Delta 45…
-
NASA, SpaceX launch and dock CRS-26 mission to ISS
SpaceX’s newest Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft, C211, has launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 2:20:43 PM EST (19:20:43 UTC) on Saturday, Nov. 26 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Following an on-time liftoff, Cargo Dragon rendezvoused and docked with the forward port on the Harmony module of the International Space…
-
SpaceX Falcon Heavy lofts USSF-44 on first flight in three years
The world’s most powerful operational rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, took to the Florida skies for the first time in over three years on Nov. 1 for the USSF-44 mission, a US Space Force contracted flight with a classified payload and at least one rideshare satellite. Liftoff occurred right on time at 9:41 AM EDT (13:41…
-
SpaceX Crew-5 mission docks with ISS
SpaceX and NASA have launched a group of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Crew-5 mission. The crew flew atop a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 12:00:57 PM EDT (16:00:57 UTC). With…
-
Amid Starship milestones, Booster 7 set to return for pre-launch testing
SpaceX’s Starship program continues to march through a fluid set of milestones, ranging from a new record number of Raptor engines firing simultaneously, to the anticipated presence of a vehicle on the Starship pad at Florida’s historic LC-39A by the second quarter of 2023. Booster 7 achieved the seven-engine static fire test milestone before rolling…
-
NASA teams take SLS through fueling test to inform launch date
As part of continued troubleshooting and seal replacement validation efforts, teams at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida took the SLS rocket through a Core Stage and Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System (ICPS) fueling test on Wednesday, Sept. 21. NASA officials hoped the test would reveal no leaks of the liquid hydrogen (LH2) system, which has…
-
Starship vehicles move to next phase of testing despite issues
SpaceX continues to make progress with its orbital test flight duo, with Ship 24 completing a six-engine static fire test, followed by Booster 7 conducting a 33-engine spin prime milestone. As that launch inches closer, teams ready multiple vehicles for future launches and near completion of major construction at their Starship Florida launch site. See…
-
SpaceX launches Starlink 4-2 mission with BlueWalker 3 rideshare
SpaceX launched the Starlink 4-2 rideshare mission on Saturday, September 10, 2022, at 9:20 PM EDT (01:20 UTC on September 11) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Onboard Falcon 9 were 34 SpaceX Starlink satellites and the BlueWalker 3 prototype satellite for AST SpaceMobile’s cellular broadband constellation. The…
-
SLS teams scrub second launch attempt for Artemis I as hydrogen leaks persist
NASA has scrubbed the second launch attempt of the Artemis I mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a liquid hydrogen (LH2) leak was detected at the vehicle-to-ground interface on the LH2 Tail Service Mast Umbilical (TSMU). This was the fourth time teams loaded liquid hydrogen on the vehicle, and the fourth time…
-
Aiming for the Moon: Artemis I countdown begins for historic flight
The launch countdown for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Artemis I mission is underway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of a planned liftoff within a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:33 AM EDT (12:33 UTC) on Monday, August 29. The launch count comes after more than a decade…