Tag: United Launch Alliance
-
Rocket Report: Starship could save Mars Sample Return; BE-4s for second Vulcan
Welcome to Edition 6.40 of the Rocket Report! There was a lot of exciting news this week. For the first time, SpaceX launched a reusable Falcon 9 booster for a 20th flight. A few miles away at Cape Canaveral, Boeing and United Launch Alliance completed one of the final steps before the first crew launch…
-
All the pieces are in place for the first crew flight of Boeing’s Starliner
Ground teams on Florida’s Space Coast hoisted Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket this week, putting all the pieces in place for liftoff next month with two veteran NASA astronauts on a test flight to the International Space Station. This will be the first time astronauts fly on Boeing’s Starliner…
-
After a fiery finale, the Delta rocket family now belongs to history
The final flight of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket took off Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The Delta IV Heavy, one of the world’s most powerful rockets, launched for the 16th and final time Tuesday. It was the 45th and last flight of…
-
Delta IV Heavy launches on final mission
United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket has successfully launched Tuesday on its final flight, the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff from SLC-37B at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station has happened at 12:53 PM EDT (17:53 UTC) following a scrub on the initial attempt over a week ago. The launch marks the…
-
Rocket Report: Blue Origin to resume human flights; progress for Polaris Dawn
Welcome to Edition 6.38 of the Rocket Report! Ed Dwight was close to joining NASA’s astronaut corps more than 60 years ago. With an aeronautical engineering degree and experience as an Air Force test pilot, Dwight met the qualifications to become an astronaut. He was one of 26 test pilots the Air Force recommended to…
-
The Delta IV Heavy, a rocket whose time has come and gone, will fly once more
This is the rocket that literally lights itself on fire before it heads to space. It’s the world’s largest rocket entirely fueled by liquid hydrogen, a propellant that is vexing to handle but rewarding in its efficiency. The Delta IV Heavy was America’s most powerful launch vehicle for nearly a decade and has been a…
-
SpaceX wants to take over a Florida launch pad from rival ULA
One of the largest launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will become vacant later this year after the final flight of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket. SpaceX is looking to make the sprawling facility a new home for the Starship launch vehicle. The environmental review for SpaceX’s proposal to take over…
-
ULA’s Vulcan rocket shot for the Moon on debut launch—and hit a bullseye
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida—Right out of the gate, United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket chased perfection. The Vulcan launcher hit its marks after lifting off from Florida’s Space Coast for the first time early Monday, successfully deploying a commercial robotic lander on a journey to the Moon and keeping ULA’s unblemished success record intact. “Yeehaw! I…
-
First Vulcan rocket launches commercial moon lander with a boost from Blue Origin
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket lifts off from its Florida launch pad. (NASA via YouTube) Update: Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander fell back to Earth 10 days after launch due to a propellant leak that ruled out a moon landing. United Launch Alliance’s next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off for the first time tonight, making use…
-
Navajo objection to flying human ashes to the Moon won’t delay launch
Science instruments aren’t the only things hitching a ride to the Moon on a commercial lunar lander that is ready for launch on Monday. Two companies specializing in “space burials” are also sending cremated human remains to the Moon, and this doesn’t sit well with the Navajo Nation. The Navajo people, one of the nation’s…