Tag: Shuttle
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Space Shuttle Endeavour displayed vertically in new exhibit at California Science Center
After 25 flights, Space Shuttle Endeavour is set to complete its next mission of education. On June 25, the California Science Center unveiled the shuttle in its final display configuration, poised vertically for “launch” with an attached external tank (ET) and twin solid rocket boosters (SRBs). While the exhibit is not set to open until…
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SpaceX’s SLC-6 redevelopment green light
In a pivotal step forward for an increase in commercial spaceflight from the West Coast, the Department of the Air Force (DAF) has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) authorizing sweeping changes to SpaceX’s launch and landing aspirations at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The decision clears the path…
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30 years after its first repair mission, Hubble continues to observe the cosmos
30 years ago, on the very early morning of Dec. 2, 1993, the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-61 crew launched on a high-stakes mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. 30 years after the successful flight, which enabled Hubble to finally fulfill its promise to revolutionize our view of the Universe, the veteran observatory…
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SpaceX SLC-6 takeover to mark a new chapter for a famous pad
One of the most iconic launch sites in the world, Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6), will be leased by SpaceX. Confirmation came after Col. Rob Long, Space Launch Delta 30 (SLD 30) commander, signed a statement supporting SpaceX’s lease to launch Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions from the launch site.…
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Northrop Grumman conducts FSB-2 SLS solid rocket booster test
As the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket prepares for its first flight as soon as late August, Northrop Grumman conducted the program’s Flight Support Booster-2 test firing on Thursday at its facility in Promontory, Utah. The Flight Support Booster-2 test is part of an ongoing program to ensure the continued safety and flight-worthiness of the…
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30 years after Intelsat VI rescue, Northrop Grumman aims to make in-space servicing a permanent reality
On 7 May 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on her first voyage at 23:40 UTC from Pad-B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her target: Intelsat VI F-3 (now known as Intelsat 603). The goal: rendezvous with, repair, and re-release the satellite. In the now-30 years since that mission, on-orbit satellite repair and…
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30 years after Intelsat VI rescue, Northrop Grumman aims to make in-space servicing a permanent reality
On 7 May 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on her first voyage at 23:40 UTC from Pad-B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her target: Intelsat VI F-3 (now known as Intelsat 603). The goal: rendezvous with, repair, and re-release the satellite. In the now-30 years since that mission, on-orbit satellite repair and…
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40 years after STS-2: Columbia’s second flight and the path to reusability
April 14, 1981. The orbiter Columbia rested on a runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, having completed the first-ever Space Shuttle mission. Now a daunting task lay ahead. Something that had never been attempted before would now have to become reality. Columbia would have to be turned around for a second mission. No longer…
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Teams evaluate Hubble safe mode event, history of telescope leads to JWST
Thirty-one years after its launch, and 12 years after its most-recent servicing mission, the NASA/ European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope remains in safe mode on orbit as operators work to determine why the iconic observatory ceased science operations at 02:38 EDT on October 25. The latest safe mode event continues to publicly show…
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From Apollo to multi-user, the changing yet similar nature of Launch Complex 39
As the Artemis 1 SLS vehicle prepares to take its place on LC-39B later this year for its first round of pad testing ahead of its debut mission, the Space Launch System (SLS) and Artemis program represent yet another major alteration to the LC-39 area of the Kennedy Space Center, originally designed to meet President…