Tag: launch

New Crew Launches to ISS Following NASA’s First Medical Evacuation

AP News reports, “A new crew rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation. SpaceX launched the replacements as soon as possible at NASA’s request, sending the U.S., French and Russian astronauts on an expected eight- to nine-month mission stretching until fall. The four should arrive at the orbiting lab on Saturday, filling the vacancies left by their evacuated colleagues last month and bringing the space station back to full staff.”
Full Story (AP News)

FCC Clears Amazon to Launch 4,500 Additional LEO Satellites

CNBC reports, “The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday it approved Amazon’s request to deploy 4,500 satellites, expanding the company’s planned constellation as it vies to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The FCC’s approval brings the size of Amazon’s planned constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to roughly 7,700 satellites.”
Full Story (CNBC)

Persistent Hydrogen Leaks Push Artemis II Launch to March

Ars Technica reports, “The launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission will have to wait another month after a fueling test Monday uncovered hydrogen leaks in the connection between the rocket and its launch platform at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ‘Engineers pushed through several challenges during the two-day test and met many of the planned objectives,’ NASA said in a statement following the conclusion of the mock countdown.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

Air Force Authorizes SpaceX to Develop SLC-37 in Florida as Starship Launch Site

SPACE reports, “SpaceX just took a big step toward launching its Starship megarocket from Florida. The U.S. Air Force has given SpaceX permission to develop Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as a launch site for Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. All 11 of the giant vehicle’s test flights to date have flown from Starbase, SpaceX’s facility in South Texas.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Rocket Lab Successfully Launches HASTE Vehicle with Payloads for MDA and DIU

Defense Daily reports, “Rocket Lab [RKLB] on Tuesday announced the successful launch of a suborbital mission using its HASTE launch vehicle with missile defense technology payloads operating for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Defense innovation Unit (DIU). The company said the launch took place at its Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Va., on the morning of Nov. 18.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)

Video

SpaceX Launches Joint NASA-European Research Satellite

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched a joint NASA-European environmental research satellite early Monday, the second in an ongoing billion-dollar project to measure long-term changes in sea level, a key indicator of climate change. The first satellite, known as Sentinel-6 and named in honor of NASA climate researcher Michael Freilich, was launched in November 2020. The follow-on spacecraft, Sentinel-6B, was launched from California atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 12:21 a.m. EST.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Blue Origin Set to Launch New Glenn Following Weekend Weather Delay

Spaceflight Now Update at 10:40 am ET:  “NASA scrubbed the launch due to strong solar impacts.”

Spaceflight Now reports Blue Origin was able to secure permission from the Federal Aviation Administration for a daytime launch. According the article, Blue Origin will “take another crack at launching its 98-meter-tall (321 ft) New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, Nov. 12.”  An 87-minute launch window “opens at 2:50 p.m. EST (1950 UTC) on Wednesday.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)


Video

Watch Launch Live
Spaceflight Now

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Another 28 Starlink Satellites from California

SPACE reports, “SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink satellites today (Oct. 27),” sending 28 of them up from California’s central coast.  Launch took place “at 8:43 p.m. EDT (5:43 p.m. local California time).” The rocket’s first stage returned “to Earth as planned about 8.5 minutes later, landing in the Pacific Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’”
Full Story (SPACE)

SpaceX Launches 10,000th Starlink Satellite to Orbit

SPACE reports, “SpaceX notched two big milestones on a single Falcon 9 liftoff today (Oct. 19). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink internet satellites lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 3:24 p.m. EDT (1924 GMT; 12:24 p.m. local California time). Those 28 included the 10,000th Starlink spacecraft ever to reach orbit.”
Full Story (SPACE)