February 2016 – Page 6 – Spaceflight Now

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National Reconnaissance Office to begin year’s manifest with Delta 4

February 9, 2016 Justin Ray

Beginning the National Reconnaissance Office’s campaign of four launches in 2016 using boosters big and small to deploy a varied collection of new intelligence satellites, a Delta 4 rocket stands ready for liftoff before sun-up Wednesday from California.

Photos: NROL-45 payload fitted atop Delta 4 for launch

February 9, 2016 Justin Ray

This collection of photographs shows the National Reconnaissance Office’s classified NROL-45 payload, already encapsulated in the Delta 4 nose cone, being moved from the payload processing facility at Space Launch Complex 6 and lifted atop the United Launch Alliance rocket for flight from Vandenberg.

‘Slick 6:’ 30 years after the hopes of a West Coast space shuttle

February 8, 2016 Justin Ray

It was 1986 and the U.S. Air Force was on the cusp of something unprecedented in human spaceflight — launching a space shuttle crew from California and paving the way for people to fly true polar missions.

Glonass navigation system reinforced by Soyuz launch

February 7, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket blasted off from Russia’s northern cosmodrome Sunday, adding another satellite to the nation’s Glonass navigation fleet to replace an aging spacecraft.

Apollo 14 moonwalker Edgar Mitchell dies at 85

February 7, 2016 William Harwood

Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, died Thursday night after a short illness, one day before the 45th anniversary of his landing in the hilly Fra Mauro region of the moon with crewmate Alan Shepard. He was 85.

Recap story: Last GPS satellite of its generation arrives in space

February 7, 2016 Justin Ray

The main engine rumbling to life. Ice shards breaking free. The rocket lumbering off the pad. The battle against gravity being won once again. That was the scene as the Atlas 5 took flight to cap a generation of Global Positioning System satellites.

Photos: Atlas 5 launches navigation craft from Cape Canaveral

February 7, 2016 Justin Ray

A collection of pad photos from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight to deploy the GPS 2F-12 satellite for use by the U.S. military and billions of civilians around the world.

Videos: Atlas 5 caps a generation of GPS launches

February 7, 2016 Justin Ray

A replay of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launching the Global Positioning System 2F-12 satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, completing 27 years and 61 flights of the GPS 2 generation.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 countdown and launch journal

February 4, 2016 Justin Ray

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral at 8:38 a.m. EST (1338 GMT) Friday to place the Global Positioning System 2F-12 navigation satellite into space. Follow the mission in our live journal.

Photos: Atlas 5 rolls out for Friday launch to GPS constellation

February 4, 2016 Justin Ray

The Atlas 5 rocket emerges from the Vertical Integration Facility for rollout to Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral in preparation to launch GPS 2F-12 satellite on Friday at 8:38 a.m. EST.

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