Tag: launch

NASA Set to Launch Ax-4 Mission to ISS as Soon as June 19

Space News reports, “NASA says a private astronaut mission could launch to the International Space Station as soon as June 19 as it works to understand an air leak on the Russian segment of the station. In a June 14 statement, NASA said it is working with Axiom Space and SpaceX on ‘reviewing launch opportunities’ for the Ax-4 mission, with the earliest such opportunity on June 19.”
Full Story (Space News)

NASA Delays Commercial Crew Launch to Inspect Space Station Leaks

The Washington Post reports, “NASA said Thursday it was postponing a launch of private astronauts to the International Space Station while it works with its Russian counterparts to investigate persistent leaks on the orbiting laboratory. In a statement, NASA said that Russian cosmonauts recently sealed ‘some areas of interest’ in a module on the Russia side of the space station. As a result, ‘the segment is holding pressure,’ NASA said. It added that crews also noticed a ‘new pressure signature,’ and need additional time ‘to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary.’”
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication)
More Info (CBS News)

SpaceX Says Engine Hardware Failure Caused Starship Flight 8 Mishap

Space News reports, “The failure of SpaceX’s Starship on its most recent test flight had a different root cause than the previous failure, despite happening at about the same time. SpaceX released details May 23 about the cause of the Flight 8 mishap that took place March 6, when several Raptor engines on the Starship upper stage shut down and the vehicle started to tumble.”
Full Story (Space News)

 

 

 

 

Video

SpaceX Starship launches on flight 8, catches booster but loses ship again (Launch at 00:25:35 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

Fram2 Astronauts Launch on Polar Orbit Mission

Spaceflight Now reports, “A historic mission took flight from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night. Against the backdrop of an off-shore band of thunderstorms, four first-time astronauts soared off the pad at Launch Complex 39A onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and headed into a polar orbit. Malta resident Chun Wang funded the orbital polar expedition and flew alongside Norwegian cinematographer, Jannicke Mikkelsen; German arctic robotics researcher, Rabea Rogge; and Australian polar guide, Eric Philips.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)



Video

Fram2 Astronauts Launch on Polar Orbit Mission (Launch occurs at 2:00:17)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Launch of NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions Scrubbed Due to Spacecraft Issue and Poor Weather

Spaceflight Now reports, “Update March 11, 12:39 a.m. ET: NASA and SpaceX scrubbed the launch attempt Monday night. NASA is preparing to launch its first ride share flight in support of the Science Mission Directorate with two missions flying on the same Falcon 9 rocket. However, a last-minute issue what NASA described as “a SPHEREx ground data-flow issue” cause the mission to scrub.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Disrupts Florida Airports With Unsuccessful Test Flight

The New York Times reports, “Starship — the huge spacecraft that Elon Musk says will one day take people to Mars — failed during its latest test flight on Thursday when its upper stage exploded in space, raining debris and disrupting air traffic at airports from Florida to Pennsylvania. It was the second consecutive test flight of the most powerful rocket ever built where the upper-stage spacecraft malfunctioned. It started spinning out of control after several engines went out and then lost contact with mission control.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

 

 

 

 

Video

SpaceX Starship launches on flight 8, catches booster but loses ship again (Launch at 00:25:35 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)

Blue Origin Scheduled to Launch 10th Space Tourism Flight Today

SPACE reports, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origin, “plans to launch its 10th space tourism mission this morning (Feb. 25), and you can watch the action live . Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard vehicle will lift off from the company’s West Texas site today during a window that opens at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT; 9:30 a.m. local Texas time).”
Full Story (SPACE)

First Asteroid Mining Prospector to Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Wednesday

The New York Times reports, “A private company is aiming to heave a microwave oven-size spacecraft toward an asteroid later this week, its goal to kick off a future where precious metals are mined around the solar system to create vast fortunes on Earth. AstroForge’s second robotic spacecraft, called Odin, is bundled into a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will also launch a privately built moon lander and a NASA-operated lunar orbiter as soon as Wednesday from Florida. About 45 minutes after the launch, Odin will separate and begin its solo journey into deep space, while the moon missions — the Athena lander from Intuitive Machines and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer — take off on their own separate journeys.”
Full Story (New York Times)