Tag: Space Force
-
Effects of Falcon Heavy launch delay could ripple to downstream missions
SpaceX and the US Space Force thought they were ready to launch the military’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane this week, but ground teams in Florida need to roll the Falcon Heavy rocket back into its hangar for servicing. This is expected to push back the launch until at least late December, perhaps longer. SpaceX and Space…
-
Space Force chief says commercial satellites may need defending
Like the US Navy has long protected sea lanes during conflict, the military could be called upon to defend commercial satellites from attack, particularly as the Pentagon relies more on commercial networks for communication and surveillance, the Space Force’s top general said last week. In comments at a conference in Hawaii on September 20, Gen.…
-
The US military just proved it can get satellites into space super fast
As part of its efforts to be more nimble in space, the US military has been pushing satellite and launch companies to become more “responsive” in their ability to put spacecraft into space. Essentially, the military is concerned about other nations damaging or destroying its assets in orbit during a conflict. Military officials believe one…
-
Integrate raises $3.4M and wins Space Force contract for management software
An artist’s conception shows the Space Systems Command’s SpaceDEN facility. (U.S. Space Force Illustration) Seattle-based Integrate says it has raised $3.4 million in funding and secured a $1.25 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to boost its program management software platform into a higher orbit. The year-old startup has also brought Firefly Aerospace on…
-
ULA’s penultimate Delta IV Heavy launches NROL-68 mission
United Launch Alliance’s penultimate Delta IV Heavy rocket took flight on the NROL-68 mission Thursday, lofting a secretive payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff, from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, is expected at 05:18 AM EDT (10:18 UTC). The mission was set to launch on Wednesday before ULA scrubbed the attempt due…
-
Godspeed, Stoke Space! Rocket startup gets John Glenn’s launch pad at the Cape
An artist’s conception shows Stoke Space’s reusable second stage, equipped with a regeneratively cooled heatshield. (Stoke Space Illustration) Kent, Wash.-based Stoke Space says it’s won the go-ahead to take over the Florida launch complex where John Glenn began the trip that made him the first American in orbit in 1962. That’s the upshot of the…
-
SpaceX launches sixth next-generation GPS satellite
SpaceX launched its fourth mission of the year, a GPS-III satellite for the US Space Force, on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The launch saw a Falcon 9 rocket lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:24 EST (12:24 UTC). The payload for this mission is Global Positioning System…
-
SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches USSF-67 from 39A
The latest Falcon Heavy mission launched Sunday, Jan. 15, at 5:56 PM EST (22:56 UTC) and was later declared a success by the US Space Force. The flight, designated USSF–67 (United States Space Force 67), carried two payloads for the Space Force directly into geostationary orbit (GEO) from LC-39A. The Mission See Also USSF-67 Updates…
-
Boeing-built X-37B space plane lands after completing record 908-day orbital mission
The X-37B space plane lands at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Boeing / U.S. Space Force Photo) The U.S. Space Force’s Boeing-built X-37B space plane today completed yet another record-setting mission, landing like an airplane at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida 908 days after it was launched. This was the sixth mission in…
-
Florida spaceports brace for Hurricane Ian
The Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are bracing for the arrival and effects of Hurricane Ian, a major tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico that made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida at 3:05 PM EDT (19:05 UTC) on Wednesday, Sept. 28 with maximum sustained winds at 241 km/h (150 mph). Updates…