The New York Times reports, “Leaving behind the two NASA astronauts it took to the International Space Station three months ago, Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft is set to begin its return to Earth on Friday evening. Six hours after it undocks from the station, it is to parachute to a landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. If bad weather or technical issues cause a delay, Starliner’s return could happen on Sept. 10, Sept. 14 or Sept. 18.”
Full Story (New York Times)
Tag: Scheduled for
NASA Targeting Sept. 6 for Bringing Uncrewed Starliner Back to Earth
Aviation Week reports, “Following its decision to continue the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) without its crew for safety reasons, NASA on Aug. 29 set the spacecraft’s departure from the International Space Station (ISS) for no earlier than Sept. 6. Starliner’s undocking from the ISS is targeted for 6:04 p…”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
First Launch of Ariane 6 Set for July 9
Aviation Week reports, “After last year’s announcement of the June 15-30 window for the first flight of the Ariane 6 rocket, the European Space Agency has set a launch date of July 9 for the delayed program. European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher made the announcement June 5 at the ILA Berlin air…”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription Publication)
Boom Prepares XB-1 Demonstrator for Maiden Supersonic Flight
Aviation24.be reports, “The world is on the verge of witnessing a historic moment in aviation. Boom Supersonic, the company pioneering the return of commercial supersonic travel, is preparing for the maiden supersonic flight of its XB-1 demonstrator. After a rigorous program of 11 successful test flights at increasing speeds, XB-1 is poised to break the sound barrier. This groundbreaking event will be livestreamed globally, allowing the public to witness this pivotal moment in aviation history. The livestream is scheduled for January 28, 2025, at 06:45 PST/09:45 EST/14:45 GMT.”
Full Story (Aviation24.be)
June 1 Set as New Target Date for Starliner’s Crew Flight Test
Spaceflight Now reports that the latest launch date was announced late Wednesday evening, following a Tuesday night notice that May 25 was off the table. Liftoff of the Atlas 5 rocket on June 1 is set for 12:25 p.m. EDT (1625 UTC). A press briefing is now set for Friday, May 24, at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) to discuss the work done and the path forward to launch. “Williams and Wilmore continue to remain in quarantine in Houston, Texas, and have spent the additional weeks conducting further simulator training to prepare for the mission.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Set to Launch from California Wednesday Night
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with another 20 Starlink satellites from California Wednesday night. The Starlink 9-11 mission will feature 13 satellites that include Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base is set for 8:21 p.m. PST (11:21 p.m. EST, 0421 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX Targets November 18 for Starship Flight 6 Launch
Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX “announced on Wednesday a target launch date of Nov. 18” for its sixth test flight of Starship. This will be the fastest turnaround for the Starship program as SpaceX works towards what needs to become a weekly launch cadence for NASA’s Artemis program.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Blue Origin Set to Launch New Shepard Moon-Gravity Mission
SPACE reports, “Blue Origin is targeting Feb. 4 for the 29th launch of its New Shepard suborbital rocket, which was postponed from Jan. 28 due to weather and a technical “issue with the rocket’s avionics. But everything appears to be in order now … Liftoff of the NS-29 mission is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET.”
Full Story (SPACE)