2015 – Page 10 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Assembling Atlas 5 for International Space Station launch

November 24, 2015 Justin Ray

Relive the steps to stack the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Vertical Integration Facility for the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo freighter for the space station. The first stage was erected initially, followed by the interstage and Centaur stage, then the encapsulated payload.

Japanese H-2A rocket delivers for Telesat

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

Flying its most complex mission to date, a Japanese H-2A rocket fired off a launch pad and roared into space from southern Japan on Tuesday, heading for an on-target deployment of the Telstar 12 Vantage communications satellite four-and-a-half hours later.

Photos: Experimental LISA Pathfinder probe processed for launch

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, destined to test the concept of gravitational wave detection a million miles from Earth, is nearly ready for launch Dec. 2.

Live coverage: Japan’s H-2A rocket blasts off on first commercial flight

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

After a brief delay to chase away a boat from offshore waters, Japan’s H-2A rocket launched at 0650 GMT (1:50 a.m. EST) with the Telstar 12 Vantage telecom satellite. The launch from marks the first flight of an H-2A rocket with an upgraded upper stage, and the launcher’s first dedicated commercial mission.

Sporting new upgrades, H-2A rocket readied for flight

November 23, 2015 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket is set for liftoff Tuesday on its first fully commercial mission, carrying a communications satellite for Telesat of Canada that will bridge the Atlantic Ocean with expanded coverage for television broadcasters and mobile users from Latin America to the Middle East.

SpaceX receives firm order for its first crew flight

November 23, 2015 Stephen Clark

Fresh off a major design review, SpaceX’s human-rated Dragon spaceship has received the first of up to six firm mission orders from NASA under the company’s $2.6 billion commercial crew contract.

China launches first satellite for Laos

November 22, 2015 Stephen Clark

Built and financed by China, a $258 million Laotian communications satellite project launched Friday aboard a Long March 3B rocket to better connect the mountainous Southeast Asia nation and surrounding regions.

Vega booster crowned with gravitational probe pathfinder

November 20, 2015 Stephen Clark

After criss-crossing Europe for a decade, the LISA Pathfinder satellite testbed has reached its last stop before launch in early December on a mission to demonstrate the delicate technologies required to detect elusive low-frequency gravitational waves rippling through the cosmos.

International Space Station cargo ship hoisted atop Atlas 5 rocket

November 20, 2015 Justin Ray

Loaded with over 7,300 pounds of goods for the International Space Station, a commercial Cygnus cargo vessel was mounted atop its Atlas 5 rocket booster Friday for launch Dec. 3.

Photos: Cargo vessel enclosed in Atlas rocket nose cone

November 20, 2015 Justin Ray

This photo gallery shows the commercial Cygnus cargo resupplier for the International Space Station on Monday at Kennedy Space Center being encapsulated in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket’s payload fairing for the planned Dec. 3 liftoff.