Tag: military space
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Soyuz rocket launches Russian military satellite after one-month delay
Video credit: Russian Ministry of Defense A Russian military communications satellite rode a Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage Thursday into an orbit stretching nearly 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) above Earth, successfully launching after a one-month delay to replace a suspect third stage on the Soyuz booster. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off with a Meridian…
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Next GPS satellite lands in Florida for April launch
A container with the U.S. Space Force’s third GPS 3-series navigation satellite arrived at Space Coast Regional Airport Feb. 5 aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo / Lt. Col. Maggie Sullivan The U.S. Space Force’s third new-generation GPS 3-series navigation satellite has arrived in Florida for final processing…
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Florida launch base to be renamed Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Two reusable rocket boosters land at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after the successful launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket with the Arabsat 6A satellite April 12, 2019. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by James Rainier The military-run spaceport at Cape Canaveral will soon be renamed Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to reflect the facility’s…
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Boeing backs out of DARPA spaceplane program
After receiving more than $150 million in U.S. military funding to design and develop a reusable winged spaceplane named Phantom Express, Boeing said Wednesday it is ending its work on the vehicle, effectively killing a program military officials hoped would offer regular, reduced-cost launch opportunities for small satellites. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,…
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NRO, the U.S. spy satellite agency, preps for first dedicated launch on foreign soil
The payload shroud for Rocket Lab’s next mission — designed NROL-151 by the National Reconnaissance Office — is pictured inside a processing facility in New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab’s first mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, which owns the U.S. government’s fleet of intelligence-gathering satellites, is scheduled to launch from New Zealand as…
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ULA completes fueling test on next Delta 4-Heavy rocket
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket stands at pad 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for a wet dress rehearsal. Credit: Dane Drefke / United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance engineers filled a Delta 4-Heavy rocket with super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants Friday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a…
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China’s first launch of 2020 lofts mystery payload
A Long March 3B rocket lifts off Tuesday with the TJS 5 satellite. Credit: People’s Daily A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launched a satellite Tuesday toward a position in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) above Earth. Chinese state media claimed the mysterious spacecraft has a communication and television broadcast mission,…
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Rocket Lab to debut Virginia launch pad with U.S. Air Force mission next year
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT) after press conference. File photo of an Electron rocket lifting off from Rocket Lab’s launch site in New Zealand, powered by nine liquid-fueled Rutherford engines. Credit: Rocket Lab / Andrew Burns & Simon Moffatt Rocket Lab plans to launch a research and development microsatellite mission for the…
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Falcon 9 performs extended mission in test for future U.S. military launches
An aft-facing camera on the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage captured this view of the Dragon spacecraft with its solar panels extended shortly after arriving in orbit Thursday. The upper stage continued its mission and performed a long-duration coast experiment after releasing the Dragon cargo ship. Credit: SpaceX An extended mission for the Falcon 9…
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Long-duration coast experiment on tap after Falcon 9 launch Thursday
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Dec. 4 after scrub. Artist’s illustration of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX will perform a multi-hour experiment on the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket after the launcher deploys a Dragon supply ship on the way to the International Space Station Thursday, gathering thermal data and other information…