Tag: rocket
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Honda’s hopper suddenly makes the Japanese carmaker a serious player in rocketry
An experimental reusable rocket developed by the research and development arm of Honda Motor Company flew to an altitude of nearly 900 feet Tuesday, then landed with pinpoint precision at the carmaker’s test facility in northern Japan. The accomplishment may not sound like much, but it’s important to put it into perspective. Honda’s hopper is…
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The Pentagon seems to be fed up with ULA’s rocket delays
In recent written testimony to a US House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the military, the senior official responsible for purchasing launches for national security missions blistered one of the country’s two primary rocket providers. The remarks from Major General Stephen G. Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration,…
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After Thursday’s flight, Starship is already the most revolutionary rocket ever built
One of the best things about spaceflight is its power to dazzle us. I will never forget seeing the first images of Pluto and its moon Charon for the first time, with their vibrant colors and exotic geology. A world with super-sized ice volcanoes? Oh my. Similarly affecting were up-close views of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, revealed…
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Our ranking of top US launch companies finds a familiar name on top
After our inaugural ranking last year, Ars Technica is again publishing a list of the most accomplished US commercial launch companies. We hope the list sparks debate, discussion, and appreciation for the challenge of operating a successful rocket company. Please note that this is a subjective list, although hard metrics such as total launches, tonnage…
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Astra launches on first orbital test; fails in first stage flight
Teams in Alaska supported the launch of Astra’s first orbital test flight, featuring the company’s Rocket 3.1 launcher. Liftoff from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, occurred at 8:20 pm PDT on September 11 (03:20 UTC on Sept. 12). The mission failed shortly after launch during first stage flight. This launch attempt was the…
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Closer than humanly possible: New launch pad photos capture historic SpaceX liftoff in all its glory
Flames from the Falcon 9 Merlin engines at liftoff. 1300 ft (400 m) from launchpad (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are now safely aboard the International Space Station after yesterday’s historic launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.…
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Dramatic photos of historic SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch from GeekWire camera 1,200 feet away
Falcon Heavy clears the tower. (GeekWire Photo/Kevin Lisota) [Editor’s Note: This post has been updated with additional pictures, including the one above, retrieved Wednesday from a third camera set up by photographer Kevin Lisota inside the fence at Cape Canaveral, 1,200 feet away from the Falcon Heavy launch pad.] CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The maiden voyage…
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Watch ‘Starman’ drift: SpaceX’s Tesla reaches the ultimate cruising altitude and rides off into space
SpaceX’s Starman, drifting in a Tesla Roadster, has an incredible view of Earth on Tuesday. (SpaceX Image via YouTube) This might be the ultimate space oddity. High above his home planet, where millions of people are no doubt sitting in traffic in cars of their own, “Starman” drifted effortlessly through a wide open expanse on…
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Second Attempt: GOCE launched via Russian Rockot
A Russian Rockot launch vehicle – a converted SS-19 Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) – launched on Tuesday, following a 24 hour delay when Monday’s attempt was scrubbed at T-7 seconds, due to an issue with the Launch Service Tower. The vehicle is carrying the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) spacecraft into orbit on Monday.…