February 2015 – Page 9 – Spaceflight Now

New Navy satellite spreads wings, unfurls antennas in orbit

February 6, 2015 Justin Ray

The massive U.S. Navy communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral two weeks ago has completed prescribed maneuvers to reach geosynchronous orbit and successfully unfurled its umbrella-like antenna reflectors.

Customers assured of Dnepr rocket’s near-term availability

February 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

Flights of the Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr rocket are expected to continue this year despite proclamations the satellite launcher program is suspended, officials said this week.

Dawn revealing unprecedented views of dwarf planet Ceres

February 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

Fresh imagery from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft reveal the icy dwarf planet Ceres in new detail, showing surface features coming into focus as the probe nears insertion into orbit for a comprehensive survey of the unexplored world.

Bonus fuel could change OSIRIS-REx flight plan

February 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

A NASA spacecraft under construction for launch in 2016 to retrieve samples from asteroid Bennu could benefit from an extra load of fuel, allowing an extended stay at the asteroid or a return to Earth a year early.

Photos: Final batch of SMAP launch shots aboard Delta 2 rocket

February 5, 2015 Justin Ray

“We had a terrific ride into space aboard the United Launch Alliance’s Delta 2 vehicle. They deposited us exactly where we wanted to be with with accuracy and precision,” said Kent Kellogg, NASA’s SMAP project manager.

Atlas 5 rocket assembly starts for NASA launch in March

February 5, 2015 Justin Ray

The Atlas rocket to launch four formation-flying spacecraft for NASA in March began to take shape Wednesday at the assembly building adjacent to the Complex 41 pad.

NASA’s Pluto probe takes new pictures of target

February 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

Less than six months from a historic close-up of Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft has glimpsed its distant target at a range of 126 million miles, and better pictures are coming.

NOAA space weather sentinel joined with Falcon 9 rocket

February 3, 2015 Stephen Clark

A new space weather observatory to be stationed a million miles from Earth has been enclosed inside the nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff Sunday from Cape Canaveral.

Photos: ESA re-entry testbed prepared for liftoff

February 3, 2015 Stephen Clark

Engineers have put the finishing touches on a prototype spaceship representing a leap in European space technology, aiming for liftoff Feb. 11 for a flight 260 miles into space and back to Earth for a pinpoint splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA presses Congress for more commercial crew funding

February 3, 2015 Stephen Clark

The Obama administration has requested more than $1.2 billion from congressional appropriators next year to meet NASA’s funding commitments for Boeing and SpaceX’s commercial crew ferry spacecraft, and anything less could delay flights of the capsules past 2017.