Tag: Spaceflight
-
Spaceflight Inc. unveils a new breed of orbital tug that’s built for far-out missions
An artist’s conception shows the Sherpa-ES orbital transfer vehicle. (Spaceflight Inc. Graphic) When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends a robotic lander to the moon’s south pole, perhaps as early as next year, Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. plans to make a few extra deliveries with its own piggyback spacecraft. The mission, known as GEO Pathfinder, will…
-
SpaceX launches 88 spacecraft into orbit — including two of Spaceflight’s orbital tugs
A SpaceX Falcon 9 booster makes its landing after the Transporter-2 launch. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sent dozens of satellites into orbit today with a launch that featured an unusual on-the-ground touchdown for its first-stage booster. Eighty-eight spacecraft were packed aboard the two-stage rocket, which took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force…
-
LeoStella delivers first Loft Orbital satellite for SpaceX’s jam-packed rideshare mission
Loft Orbital’s YAM-3 satellite is on display in the foreground at LeoStella’s factory in Tukwila, Wash. In the background, clean-room workers use their arms to spell out Y-A-M-3. (Leostella Photo) SpaceX is getting set to launch scores of satellites for its Transporter-2 rideshare mission, and one of those satellites marks a milestone for LeoStella. Loft…
-
Inside look: Spaceflight ships out Sherpa orbital tugs to give 36 spacecraft a ride
Tony Frego, Spaceflight Inc.’s senior director of mission management, shows off the Sherpa-LTE1 orbital transportation vehicle and its electric propulsion system. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) AUBURN, Wash. — A pair of space tugs are beginning their journey from Spaceflight Inc.’s clean room, south of Seattle, to low Earth orbit. Along the way, the Sherpa…
-
BlackSky Earth-observing satellites lost due to anomaly during Rocket Lab launch
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its pad in New Zealand. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) Two satellites for BlackSky’s Earth observation constellation were lost today when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle suffered an anomaly, just minutes after liftoff from New Zealand. Rocket Lab said the mission failure was under investigation.…
-
Seattle’s satellite industry plays leading role in BlackSky’s Earth-observing network
The two BlackSky satellites that were launched, and lost, during a Rocket Lab mission are seen here at LeoStella’s satellite factory being prepared for shipment to New Zealand in March. (LeoStella Photo) Update for 6:30 a.m. PT May 15: Two BlackSky satellites were lost when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket suffered an…
-
Atmosphere-monitoring satellites will ride on Spaceflight’s new breed of space tug
An artist’s conception shows one of NASA’s LLITED satellites in orbit. (Illustration by The Aerospace Corp.) Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. says it’s won a contract to handle the launch logistics for a pair of NASA satellites that will study the factors behind atmospheric drag. The twin CubeSats for a mission known as Low-Latitude Ionosphere / Thermosphere…
-
SpaceX puts record 143 satellites in orbit, with Spaceflight playing a supporting role
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises from its launch pad with 143 satellites on board. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX set a record for the number of satellites sent into orbit by a single rocket, and that’s not the only milestone reached during today’s Transporter-1 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket launch also marked the orbital debut of…
-
Spaceflight Inc. fills out its line of Sherpa orbital transfer vehicles for small satellites
An artist’s conception shows Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX in orbit. (Spaceflight Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. today unveiled two new options for its Sherpa orbital transfer vehicle — one that uses an environmentally friendly chemical thruster system to help get small satellites where they need to go, and another that’s powered by an electric propulsion system. Such options…
-
Space Notes: Spaceflight makes launch deal, RBC Signals to host Swarm, and a new fellowship is born
An artist’s conception shows HawkEye 360’s satellites in orbit. (HawkEye 360 Illustration) — Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. says it’s signed an agreement with HawkEye 360 to support multiple launches of the Virginia-based company’s radio-frequency mapping satellites. Spaceflight will provide mission management services for HawkEye 360’s Cluster 4, 5 and 6 launches. Each cluster consists of three…