2015 – Page 31 – Spaceflight Now

Kelly assumes command of space station

September 5, 2015 William Harwood

In a brief ceremony Saturday, veteran cosmonaut Gennadi Padalka, the most experienced spaceman on or off the planet, turned over command of the International Space Station to NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who along with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko is midway through a nearly yearlong stay in orbit.

Enter the Starliner: Boeing names its commercial spaceship

September 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

Boeing’s commercial human-rated spaceship designed to ferry NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station will be named the CST-100 Starliner, extending the company’s naming theme to the final frontier, officials announced Friday.

Soyuz docks with space station, boosts crew to nine

September 4, 2015 William Harwood

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station early Friday, boosting the lab’s crew to nine for the next week and providing a ride home next March for two station crew members who are only halfway through a nearly yearlong stay aboard the lab complex.

Japanese X-ray observatory completes decade-long mission

September 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

An orbiting astronomical observatory launched 10 years ago to probe violent stellar explosions and black holes has been deactivated after it stopped regularly communicating with the ground, the Japanese space agency said Thursday.

Radar on NASA’s SMAP Earth observing satellite declared lost

September 3, 2015 Stephen Clark

One-half of the instrument payload aboard NASA’s $916 million Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite has failed after collecting just two months of data, NASA announced Wednesday after weeks of troubleshooting turned up no progress in recovering the sensor.

Photos: More Atlas 5 launch shots

September 3, 2015 Justin Ray

Another batch of Atlas 5 rocket launch photos from Wednesday’s flight for the U.S. Navy carrying the Mobile User Objective System spacecraft.

Recap story: Atlas 5 completes heavy-duty launch assignment

September 2, 2015 Justin Ray

In a breath-taking display at daybreak Wednesday, an Atlas rocket powered an enormous U.S. Navy satellite into space to close the last remaining gap and give global reach to the military’s new mobile communications system.

Photos: Predawn launch of Atlas 5

September 2, 2015 Justin Ray

A collection of pad photos from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight to deploy the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System communications satellite No. 4.

Photos: Atlas 5 puts on predawn sky show

September 2, 2015 Stephen Clark

Streaking away from Cape Canaveral less than an hour before sunrise Wednesday, an Atlas 5 launcher painted a memorable spectacle in the skies over Florida, catching the first rays of the morning as it rocketed out of the stratosphere with a U.S. Navy communications satellite.

Video: Liftoff of Atlas 5 rocket to deploy Navy’s MUOS 4 satellite

September 2, 2015 Justin Ray

A replay of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launching the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System communications satellite No. 4 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.