January 2015 – Page 5 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Atlas in the roll

January 20, 2015 Justin Ray

The Atlas 5 rocket emerges from the Vertical Integration Facility for rollout to Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral in preparation to launch MUOS No. 3 Tuesday evening.

Redesign likely needed for Orion airbag system

January 19, 2015 Stephen Clark

Engineers plan to redesign part of the Orion capsule’s self-righting flotation system that only partially engaged as the spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean following an orbital test flight in December, NASA officials said.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 blasts off with Navy satellite

January 19, 2015 Justin Ray

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket fitted with five powerful solid-fueled boosters has lifted off from a seaside launch complex at Cape Canaveral with the U.S. Navy’s third Mobile User Objective System communications satellite.

Video: Former shuttle engine test-fired

January 19, 2015 Justin Ray

A former space shuttle main engine is tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi in preparation for its use on the Space Launch System rocket.

Photos: Lightning shines in the eye of a cyclone

January 18, 2015 Stephen Clark

Electrifying photos taken from the International Space Station show flashes of lightning glowing like spotlights in the eye of Tropical Cyclone Bansi in the Indian Ocean.

Preview: Navy craft to ride milestone Atlas-Centaur launching

January 17, 2015 Justin Ray

The 200th Atlas-Centaur rocket, history some 52 years in the making, will blast off Tuesday from Cape Canaveral to deliver a U.S. Navy mobile communications satellite into orbit.

SpaceX shares dramatic video of Falcon 9’s crash landing

January 16, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk has shared images of the Falcon 9 booster’s crash landing on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean after the rocket’s successful Jan. 10 liftoff with supplies for the International Space Station.

Photos: Navy satellite readied for Atlas 5 launch

January 16, 2015 Justin Ray

This photo gallery shows the U.S. Navy’s third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite being encapsulated in the rocket’s nose cone and being lifted atop the Atlas-Centaur vehicle. Liftoff is planned for Jan. 20.

Thick clouds a concern for Tuesday’s Atlas 5 launch

January 16, 2015 Justin Ray

The preliminary weather forecast for Tuesday evening’s Atlas 5 rocket launch carrying a Navy communications satellite predicts a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions, with thick clouds the main threat against flying at 7:43 p.m. EST as scheduled.

Lost Beagle 2 spacecraft found on Mars

January 16, 2015 Keith Cooper

The UK’s Beagle 2 mission to Mars, which was lost in Christmas week 2003 during the final stages of its voyage to the red planet, has been rediscovered by NASA’s eagle eye in the Martian sky, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.