February 2016 – Page 3 – Spaceflight Now

Falcon 9 clears static fire test before launch this week

February 22, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s launch team in Cape Canaveral fueled a Falcon 9 rocket with super-chilled liquid propellants and briefly fired the first stage’s nine Merlin engines Monday in a customary preflight test ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled liftoff of a commercial television broadcasting satellite for the Asia-Pacific.

Record numbers apply to become a NASA astronaut

February 22, 2016 Stephen Clark

A record number of would-be space travelers have applied to join NASA’s corps of astronauts to fly aboard the International Space Station, the Orion crew capsule, or commercial spaceships built by Boeing and SpaceX, the space agency announced Friday.

U.S. resupply ship headed for space station to launch March 22

February 22, 2016 Justin Ray

Signs that a launch to the International Space Station is approaching are obvious this week at Cape Canaveral, with the Atlas 5 booster rocket beginning to take shape and the commercial resupply ship heading to its propellant depot.

OTD…Feb. 22 and STS-75

February 22, 2016 Justin Ray

Today in 1996…The launch of Columbia and the ill-fated Tethered Satellite System. Watch the liftoff:

Photos: Cygnus cargo ship’s departure from International Space Station

February 20, 2016 Justin Ray

The Orbital ATK commercial Cygnus resupply vessel departed the International Space Station on Friday after 72 days spent at the outpost, delivering more than 7,000 pounds of cargo and taking away 3,000 pounds of trash.

ExoMars orbiter and lander mated for final time

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

European technicians working at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan have bolted an Italian-built Mars lander to its mothership ahead of a March 14 launch toward the red planet.

Commercial Cygnus space freighter leaves station after two months

February 19, 2016 Justin Ray

Disconnected from the International Space Station berthing port and then cast free by the robotic arm, the commercial Cygnus cargo craft flew away Friday after successfully restarting U.S. resupply service to the outpost.

Photos: H-2A rocket soars on groundbreaking astronomy mission

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

Burning a mixture of super-cold liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and pre-packed solid propellant, Japan’s H-2A rocket vaulted into a deep blue evening sky over the beaches of Tanegashima Island on Wednesday with a satellite that will see the surroundings of black holes better than ever before.

Live coverage: Cygnus cargo freighter departs space station

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

A commercial supply ship owned and operated by Orbital ATK departed the International Space Station on Friday, heading for a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean with more than 1.5 tons of trash. The station’s robotic arm released Cygnus at 1226 GMT (7:26 a.m. EST).

NASA moves forward with mission using spy satellite telescope

February 18, 2016 Stephen Clark

NASA has formally approved plans — a year ahead of schedule — for an infrared space telescope launching around 2024 to record unique wide-angle views of the cosmos, seeking answers to questions about mysterious dark energy and searching for habitable worlds around other stars.