February 2016 – Spaceflight Now

With Russian launch grounded, Iridium flips order of satellite deployments

February 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

Stymied by Russian government dithering that has indefinitely grounded a launch on a modified Soviet-era missile, Iridium officials say that SpaceX agreed to move up to July the first of seven Falcon 9 launches from California with the company’s next-generation mobile communications satellites.

Q&A with Kurt Eberly, Orbital ATK’s Antares deputy program manager

February 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

Kurt Eberly, who helps lead the Antares rocket program at Orbital ATK, recently spoke with Spaceflight Now about the launcher’s return-to-flight with newly-built engines later this year.

Shannon Lucid gives a guided tour of the Mir space station

February 29, 2016 Spaceflight Now

NASA Astronaut Shannon Lucid spent six months aboard the Mir Space Station in 1996. In this video she gives a guided tour of the Russian space outpost.

Kelly, Kornienko about to wrap up 340-day mission

February 29, 2016 William Harwood

Astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are making final preparations for return to Earth Tuesday evening, closing out a record 340-day stay aboard the International Space Station where they served as medical test subjects to learn more about the long-term effects of weightlessness, space radiation and isolation.

Video: Change of command aboard International Space Station

February 29, 2016 Justin Ray

With his year in orbit at an end, Expedition 46 commander Scott Kelly hands command of the International Space Station to Expedition 47 commander Tim Kopra.

Photos: Falcon 9 awaits liftoff

February 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is awaiting liftoff from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad as soon as Tuesday after three scrubs caused by propellant loading problems and a boat that strayed into restricted waters in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9 grounded again after last-second abort

February 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

A commercial communications satellite stayed on Earth after a last-second launch abort Sunday, the third time in five days that SpaceX has scrubbed the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Falcon 9 abort seen from press site

February 29, 2016 Spaceflight Now

A Falcon 9 rocket aborts its lift off at the final moment on February 28, 2016, as seen from the press site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket was supposed to launch the SES 9 communication satellite and had already been delayed by fueling problems and a boat that strayed into the launch danger area off shore.

Video: Scott Kelly’s in-flight news conference before landing

February 28, 2016 Justin Ray

As his year-long mission aboard the International Space Station draws to a close, Expedition 46 commander Scott Kelly of NASA gives a final in-flight news conference with U.S. media on Feb. 25.

Video: Next International Space Station crew in Star City

February 28, 2016 Justin Ray

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin finish their training in Star City in preparation for launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station on March 18.