Tag: Launch
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Russian Soyuz rocket delivers military intelligence-gathering satellite into orbit
A Soyuz-2.1b rocket takes off Feb. 2 with a Lotos military intelligence-gathering satellite. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense Russia sent a spy satellite into orbit aboard a Soyuz rocket Feb. 2 from a snowy launch pad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, setting off on a mission to detect, locate, and characterize foreign military radio signals. The…
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China launches military satellite toward geostationary orbit
A Long March 3B rocket takes off with the TJS 6 satellite. Credit: CASC A mysterious Chinese government satellite, believed to be a military-operated early warning station, successfully launched into orbit Feb. 4 on top of a Long March 3B rocket. The three-stage, 184-foot-tall (55-meter) rocket lifted off from the Xichang space center at 1536…
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After success in 2019, Chinese startup fails on second orbital launch attempt
This image of the Hyperbola 1 launch was shared on Chinese social media. The second orbital launch attempt by Chinese launch company iSpace failed shortly after liftoff Feb. 1, following a successful debut flight in 2019 that made iSpace the first private firm in China to put a payload into orbit. The Hyperbola 1 rocket…
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SpaceX fires 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, with more set to launch Friday
A Falcon 9 rocket climbs into a moonlit sky over Cape Canaveral after liftoff at 1:19 a.m. EST (0619 GMT) Thursday. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Sixty more SpaceX-owned Starlink internet satellites rocketed through a moonlit winter sky over Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 launcher early Thursday, while another Falcon 9 stood on a different…
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No SpaceX doubleheader for now, but range is ready for two launches in a day
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Feb. 5 with additional launch delay. A Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Thursday, while another Falcon 9 stands in the foreground on pad 39A for liftoff this weekend. Credit: SpaceX One of the two Falcon 9 rockets SpaceX planned to take off in…
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SpaceX Starship prototype lost in test flight landing mishap
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION A prototype SpaceX Starship vehicle exploded on touchdown after a successful climb and descent. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX launched a prototype Starship rocket Tuesday from its Boca Chica, Texas, flight facility, successfully sending the silver booster up to an altitude of about six miles as planned. But the unpiloted…
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FAA approves Starship test after saying SpaceX violated safety rules on last flight
Update: Starship completed a successful climb to approximately 10 kilometers altitude and descended horizontally toward the landing site. It appeared to lose control as it was in the process of flipping back to a vertical position and exploded as it bellyflopped onto the landing pad. We’ll have a full report later. SpaceX defied public safety…
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China launches military spy satellite trio into orbit
A Chinese Long March 4C rocked launched Friday with three Yaogan 31 military surveillance satellites. Credit: Xinhua China launched three Yaogan military satellites Friday on a Long March 4C rocket, adding to a fleet of spacecraft independent analysts believe are designed to spy on naval forces. The three Yaogan 31-series satellites lifted off aboard a…
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China’s first launch of 2021 orbits communications satellite
A Long March 3B rocket lifts off from the Xichang launch base with the Tiantong 1-03 satellite. Credit: CASC A Chinese Long March 3B rocket deployed the Tiantong 1-03 satellite to provide mobile communications services after a successful launch Tuesday, the first of more than 40 Chinese space missions set for liftoff in 2021. The…
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SpaceX sets new rocket reuse records with successful Starlink launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 8:02 a.m. EST (1302 GMT) Wednesday. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites Wednesday into a sunny sky over Florida’s Space Coast, adding more capacity and coverage to the company’s commercial broadband network while setting new records for…