Tag: SpaceX
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SpaceX Dragon completes CRS-6 mission with splashdown
SpaceX’s CRS-6 Dragon unberthed from the International Space Station (ISS) and was released from the grip of the Station’s “Big Arm” on Thursday. The resupply ship then completed homeward leg of her trouble-free orbital adventures, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean expected less than six hours after parting ways with the orbital outpost. CRS-6:…
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SpaceX cargo ship returns to Earth
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION A SpaceX cargo capsule loaded with 3,100 pounds of research samples, no-longer-needed equipment and trash returned to Earth Thursday after a month-long stay at the International Space Station, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Long Beach, Calif., after a fiery descent from orbit. Astronaut…
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SpaceX has ‘aggressive’ schedule leading up to crew flights
A prototype of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship blasts off May 6 on a test of the capsule’s abort system. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Staying true to a corporate philosophy that favors high-visibility flight tests, SpaceX plans to continue wringing out major parts of the company’s human-rated Dragon spaceship in a sequence of dramatic flights leading up…
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SpaceX gets certified to launch NASA science missions
File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Credit: SpaceX NASA has formally certified SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to launch all but the space agency’s most costly robotic science missions, beginning with a a U.S.-French oceanography satellite set for liftoff from California in July. NASA’s Launch Services Program, which…
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ULA, SpaceX face off in landmark Air Force launch competition
Artist’s concept of a GPS 3 satellite. Credit: Lockheed Martin The U.S. Air Force has identified the launch of a next-generation GPS navigation satellite for the first in a series of competitive rocket procurements between United Launch Alliance and SpaceX, service officials announced Wednesday. The Air Force released a draft request for proposals Wednesday for…
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Soyuz 2-1A caused Progress M-27M failure and ISS schedule changes
The failure of the Progress M-27M cargo run to the International Space Station (ISS) was caused by issues with the Soyuz 2-1A third stage, Roscosmos announced on Tuesday. As expected, the resulting fallout of the failure has resulted in schedule changes on the Station’s arrivals and departures board, with the main impact felt by three…
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Falcon Heavy enabler for Dragon solar system explorer
SpaceX head Elon Musk has revealed plans to utilize the Falcon Heavy and Dragon 2 vehicles for science missions throughout the solar system. Citing Dragon 2’s capability as a “science delivery platform”, Mr. Musk claimed the crew-capable spacecraft could also be tasked with landing scientific payloads at destinations ranging from the Moon and Mars –…
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Photos: SpaceX’s passenger spaceship flies on first test run
It didn’t go into space, but SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule fired off a launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday for a 99-second test flight of a crucial safety mechanism that would save astronauts from a catastrophic rocket failure. The 8-ton spaceship blasted off at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40…
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SpaceX crew capsule completes dramatic abort test
Updated at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) with details from Elon Musk The Crew Dragon capsule blasted off from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT). Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now A rocket-powered prototype of SpaceX’s human-rated crew capsule vaulted off a launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday for a…
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Video: Dragon test articles flies pad abort profile
A test article of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon flew on an arcing minute-and-a-half demonstration flight over Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, launching atop eight 3D-printed rocket thrusters and descending to a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The 20-foot-tall spaceship took off at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) to test the Dragon’s abort system, which would help…