Tag: Russia
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With Russian launch grounded, Iridium flips order of satellite deployments
Artist’s concept of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Iridium Stymied by Russian government dithering that has indefinitely grounded a test launch on a modified Soviet-era missile, Iridium officials say that SpaceX agreed to move forward to July the first of seven Falcon 9 launches from California with the company’s next-generation mobile communications satellites. Iridium originally…
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Putin blasts mismanagement at new Russian spaceport
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Soyuz launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Credit: Kremlin press service The first launch from Russia’s new cosmodrome in the country’s Far East will not occur until at least early 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week, in a widely-anticipated delay after reports of botched construction and corruption…
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Remembering Sputnik – The satellite that began the Space Race
58 years ago a tiny satellite was successfully lofted into orbit, firing the opening salvo in what would become the Space Race. Sputnik-1 became the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth, a trailblazer for thousands of spacecraft that have since ridden uphill while providing the initiator of technological advances that allowed humans to leave the…
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Russia gives up on Progress supply ship docking
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION File photo of a Russian Progress supply freighter on approach to the International Space Station last year. Credit: ESA/NASA Russian flight controllers have given up attempting to salvage a Progress cargo ship loaded with 3 tons of supplies and equipment intended for the International Space Station. Astronaut Scott…
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Galileo launch failure blamed on frozen Fregat fuel line
Artist’s concept of a Fregat upper stage during launch with two Galileo navigation satellites. Photo credit: Arianespace TV/Spaceflight Now A design flaw in a Russian Fregat upper stage was responsible for the botched orbital injection of two European Galileo navigation satellites in August, officials said Wednesday, causing hydrazine fuel to freeze inside the rocket’s maneuvering…
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Remembering Buran – The Shuttle’s Estranged Soviet Cousin
Under a veil of secrecy, the Soviet Space Shuttle “Buran” launched on her maiden mission 25 years ago. It was to be her only flight in space, with the program mothballed in 1993, following the dissolution of the USSR. She was destroyed during the collapse of her hanger roof at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2002. Buran: Developed…
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STS-132: PRCB baselines Atlantis’ mission to deliver Russia’s MRM-1
With Discovery safely back from STS-119, Atlantis undergoing pad processing for STS-125, and Endeavour ready to roll to the VAB on Friday ahead of STS-400/127, NASA is hard at work preparing for a busy summer launch schedule while planning continues for future flights. Of these future flights, the Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) has officially…
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ILS Proton M launches with ASTRA IM for long trip to orbit
International Launch Services (ILS) have launched a Russian Proton M launch vehicle from Pad 39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 20:44 UTC. The vehicle is on a nine hour journey to loft the ASTRA 1M telecommunications satellite into orbit. Click HERE FOR LAUNCH VIDEO AND LIVE COVERAGE The first three stages of the Proton will use a…