May 2015 – Page 5 – Spaceflight Now

OTD…May 11 and STS-125

May 10, 2015 Justin Ray

#OTD…In 2009, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission launched

UAE details ambitious plan for Martian weather satellite

May 8, 2015 Stephen Clark

Scientists from the United Arab Emirates have announced the Arab world’s first Mars probe will launch in July 2020 and collect global measurements of the Martian atmosphere.

Photos: Atlas 5 and X-37B mated together for upcoming launch

May 8, 2015 Justin Ray

The Air Force’s miniature space shuttle and its ride to orbit have been joined together inside an assembly building at Cape Canaveral in preparation for launch May 20.

Stricken space freighter re-enters atmosphere

May 8, 2015 Stephen Clark

A Russian Progress cargo craft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean early Friday after spinning out of control following liftoff April 28 with supplies for the International Space Station.

Space-based airplane tracking demonstrated by ESA satellite

May 7, 2015 Stephen Clark

An experimental receiver aboard a European satellite has picked up signals from more than 15,000 aircraft in the last two years, paving the way for future missions that could track global commercial air traffic from space.

OTD…May 7 and STS-49

May 7, 2015 Justin Ray

#OTD…The maiden launch of shuttle Endeavour in 1992 to rescue the Intelsat 603 satellite

Photos: SpaceX’s passenger spaceship flies on first test run

May 7, 2015 Stephen Clark

It didn’t go into space, but SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule fired off a launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday for a 99-second test flight to demonstrate a crucial safety mechanism that would save astronauts from a catastrophic rocket failure. View photos of the human-rated spacecraft’s first flight.

Out-of-control Progress cargo craft to fall back to Earth

May 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

A Russian space freighter that failed to deliver supplies to the International Space Station last week is due to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere as soon as Thursday.

NASA gives more information on its experiment aboard the X-37B

May 6, 2015 Justin Ray

In addition to carrying an Air Force electric propulsion thruster test, a materials research investigation sponsored by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will be flying aboard the X-37B miniature spaceplane later this month.

Video: Dragon test articles flies pad abort profile

May 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

A test article of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon flew on an arcing minute-and-a-half demonstration flight over Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, launching atop eight 3D-printed rocket thrusters and descending to a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.