2014 – Page 7 – Spaceflight Now

Launch of SpaceX cargo mission slips to Dec. 19

December 11, 2014 Stephen Clark

The launch of SpaceX’s next resupply mission to the International Space Station has been rescheduled for no earlier than Dec. 19 to make sure the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon supply ship are ready for flight.

Trio of ocean surveillance satellites launched by China

December 11, 2014 Stephen Clark

A package of small satellites that will likely track global naval activity lifted off aboard a Chinese Long March 4C rocket.

Rosetta raises questions on how water got to Earth

December 11, 2014 Stephen Clark

New readings from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission have challenged the theory that comets brought water to Earth in a series of cataclysmic collisions during the solar system’s chaotic youth.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 blasts off from California

December 10, 2014 Justin Ray

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Launch occurred at 7:19 p.m. PST (10:19 p.m. EST; 0319 GMT).

Rover data suggest Mars crater once contained long-lived lake

December 10, 2014 Stephen Clark

Scientists analyzing imagery from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover believe sediments left by an ancient lake more than three billion years ago formed a towering mountain that is set to be the robot’s research subject for the rest of its mission on the red planet.

Photos: Orion spaceship unloaded from USS Anchorage

December 10, 2014 Stephen Clark

Fresh home from a high-flying test flight Friday that took it 3,600 miles above Earth, NASA’s Orion spacecraft was pulled off a U.S. Navy recovery ship Monday night for initial inspections before a cross-country trip to its home base in Florida.

Weather not looking promising for Atlas 5 launch

December 10, 2014 Justin Ray

Rainy weather at the California launch site is forecast to put a damper on plans to fly an Atlas 5 rocket on Thursday evening.

Orbital picks Atlas 5 to launch next space station cargo run

December 9, 2014 Stephen Clark

Orbital Sciences Corp. announced Tuesday it selected United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket to launch a Cygnus space station resupply mission in late 2015 while the company redesigns its Antares booster with a new engine following a catastrophic failure seconds after liftoff in October.

Orion spacecraft back on land

December 9, 2014 Stephen Clark

A U.S. Navy transport ship carrying NASA’s first space-worthy Orion capsule arrived Monday in San Diego, where ground crews will offload the spacecraft for shipment back to its home port at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Photos: Payload stacked for Thursday’s Atlas 5

December 9, 2014 Justin Ray

See images of a classified spy payload lifted on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.