October 2014 – Page 4 – Spaceflight Now

First commercial mission to the moon launched from China

October 25, 2014 Stephen Clark

A modest privately-funded instrument package built by a company in Luxembourg became the first commercial to the moon to get off the ground with a fiery nighttime launch aboard a Chinese rocket.

ILS plans to return Proton to commercial service next month

October 25, 2014 Stephen Clark

Nearly a year since its last mission in February, International Launch Services aims to resume commercial flights of Russia’s Proton rocket in late November with the Astra 2G communications satellite for SES.

Chinese probe launched on round-trip flight to the moon

October 23, 2014 Stephen Clark

China launched a demonstrator probe on a round-trip flight around the moon to test out a heat shield and landing capsule planned for use on a lunar sample return mission in 2017.

Orbital Sciences cleared for final Antares launch preps

October 22, 2014 Stephen Clark

Orbital Sciences Corp. is set to launch its next commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station on Monday after inspections revealed a rocket tracking station in Bermuda weathered a direct hit from Hurricane Gonzalo last week.

Russian cosmonauts wrap up successful spacewalk

October 22, 2014 William Harwood

Two cosmonauts ventured outside the International Space Station, jettisoning three no-longer-needed components and carrying out a photo survey of the Russian segment of the lab complex in the seventh and final spacewalk planned by the station crew this year.

Return of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft delayed

October 21, 2014 Stephen Clark

Rough seas in the Pacific Ocean will keep SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule in space a few days longer than planned, with the unpiloted supply ship’s return to Earth now set for Saturday hauling a load of research specimens from the International Space Station back to the ground.

Proton rocket blasts off with Russian telecom satellite

October 21, 2014 Stephen Clark

Russia’s Express AM6 communications satellite lifted off aboard a Proton rocket Tuesday and reached its targeted geostationary transfer orbit after a nine-hour climb thousands of miles above Earth.

Mars spacecraft safe after fortuitous comet encounter

October 20, 2014 Stephen Clark

A fleet of robotic spacecraft orbiting Mars got a front row seat to space history and lived to tell about it, giving scientists their first close-up look at a comet fresh from a cloud of primordial mini-worlds at the outer reaches of the solar system.

China puts government surveillance satellite in orbit

October 20, 2014 Stephen Clark

China sent a reconnaissance satellite into orbit from the Taiyuan space center, expanding the country’s network of intelligence-gathering spacecraft.

Orbital selects future Antares engine, but withholds details

October 19, 2014 Stephen Clark

Orbital Sciences Corp. has selected a new first stage propulsion system for its Antares rocket that will offer improved performance for launches beginning in 2017, the company’s chief executive said.