2015 – Page 99 – Spaceflight Now

Ships deployed into the Atlantic for experimental rocket landing

January 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

A barge and command ship chartered by SpaceX are stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s East Coast in a bid to recover a used-up Falcon 9 rocket stage Tuesday in a long-theorized — but never tried — maneuver that could lay the groundwork for a big advance in space technology.

Falcon 9/SpaceX-5 launch timeline

January 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent into orbit from Cape Canaveral on SpaceX’s fifth operational resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Live coverage: Dragon completes space station resupply flight

January 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship wrapped up a 29-day stay at the International Space Station on Tuesday, departing the complex with with nearly 3,700 pounds of research specimens and return cargo before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

In an eerie scene, Chinese villagers visit rocket crash site

January 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

The expended first stage of a Long March rocket tumbled into a forested region of southwestern China a few minutes after successfully blasting off Dec. 31 with a Chinese weather satellite, and photographers were there to capture the booster’s fall back to Earth.

2014’s launch tally highest in two decades

January 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

There were more successful space launches in 2014 than in any year since 1992, with Russia, the United States and China responsible for more than 80 percent of global launch activity.

Rain and clouds in the forecast for Tuesday’s SpaceX launch

January 3, 2015 Stephen Clark

Forecasters predict mostly cloudy conditions and a chance of light rain for Tuesday morning’s scheduled takeoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a space station-bound supply ship, with a 40 percent chance weather could prevent liftoff during an instantaneous predawn launch opportunity.