2015 – Page 96 – Spaceflight Now

Astronauts return to US side of space station after leak scare

January 14, 2015 William Harwood

Concern about a possible ammonia coolant leak Wednesday prompted astronauts on the International Space Station to evacuate the U.S. segment of the complex and shelter in the Russian portion of the outpost while flight controllers scrambled to untangle initially confusing telemetry.

Virgin Galactic planning SpaceShipTwo’s return to flight

January 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

Less than 10 weeks after a fatal crash that destroyed a suborbital rocket plane and raised questions about the future Virgin Galactic, the company’s chief executive says engineers are developing a test program for a replacement spaceship expected to fly later this year.

Atlas/MUOS 3 mission stats

January 14, 2015 Justin Ray

A look at the Atlas 5 launch of the Navy’s MUOS 3 satellite by the numbers.

10 years since we landed on Titan

January 14, 2015 Keith Cooper

Ten years ago Wednesday, on Jan. 14, 2005, a compact, flattened cylinder called Huygens, chock-full of sensors, cameras and scientific experiments, went hurtling through the orange skies of the mysterious moon Titan.

Live coverage: Station crew safe after ammonia leak scare

January 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

Two NASA astronauts and an Italian flight engineer took shelter in the space station’s Russian segment Wednesday as mission control analyzed a possible leak of toxic ammonia coolant aboard the complex. Initial data indicated it was likely a false alarm.

24 launches scheduled at Cape Canaveral this year

January 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

Up to 24 launches are planned from Cape Canaveral in 2015, thanks to jam-packed manifests for SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to send up satellites for the U.S. military, NASA and commercial telecom operators.

Atlas/MUOS 3 launch timeline

January 14, 2015 Justin Ray

Preview the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launching the U.S. Navy’s third MUOS mobile communications satellite.

Launch campaign resumes for ESA space plane

January 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

Engineers are resuming preparations to launch an experimental European re-entry test vehicle on a Vega rocket Feb. 11 after a two-month delay ordered by safety authorities to analyze risks posed to the public by the booster’s unique trajectory after liftoff from French Guiana.

NASA kicks off SLS engine testing in Mississippi

January 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

A powerful space shuttle-era rocket engine ignited for more than eight minutes on a test stand in Mississippi last week, kicking off hotfire testing for NASA’s Space Launch System mega-rocket after contamination and computer woes kept the engine silent several months longer than planned.

Astronauts eager to dig in to fresh delivery of supplies, gifts

January 12, 2015 Stephen Clark

Astronauts on the International Space Station are eager to begin unpacking 2.6 tons of supplies and experiments — including a package of belated Christmas gifts — after delivery aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule Monday.