September 2016 – Page 7 – Spaceflight Now

Lost Philae lander found on comet

September 5, 2016 Stephen Clark

Scientists culling through images taken last week by the Rosetta spacecraft’s sharp-eyed science camera have finally pinpointed the exact spot the Philae lander settled on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a daring descent nearly two years ago, the European Space Agency announced Monday.

Preview: NASA craft launches Thursday seeking the seeds of life on asteroid

September 5, 2016 Justin Ray

What began as a concept scribbled on a cocktail napkin in a Tucson bar 12 years ago — sending a spacecraft to an asteroid and retrieving a pristine sample to bring back to Earth for study — becomes reality Thursday with the launch of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.

Weather forecast favorable for Atlas 5 to launch NASA asteroid probe Thursday

September 4, 2016 Justin Ray

Prognosticators are predicting favorable weather conditions to launch an Atlas 5 rocket Thursday and send NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on its interplanetary journey to interrogate an asteroid and collect a surface sample for return to Earth.

Juno beams back dramatic new pictures of Jupiter

September 2, 2016 William Harwood

NASA’s Juno spacecraft, making its first scientific run over Jupiter’s poles Aug. 27, captured remarkable images of Jupiter’s atmosphere, showing that the equatorial bands and zones familiar to even amateur astronomers completely disappear at high latitudes.

Chinese officials silent after Long March rocket failure

September 2, 2016 Stephen Clark

A U.S. Air Force spokesperson said Friday that the military has not detected any objects deployed in orbit by a Chinese Long March rocket launch Wednesday, but China’s official media outlets still have not acknowledged the apparent failure.

Asteroid probe apparently unharmed in nearby SpaceX explosion, passes its FRR

September 2, 2016 Justin Ray

NASA says initial checks show no damage to the Atlas 5 rocket or the agency’s asteroid-bound OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that stood within the Vertical Integration Facility just a mile away from the SpaceX explosion Thursday.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket explodes on the launch pad

September 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

Watch as a 23-story Falcon 9 rocket explodes Thursday morning during a countdown before a pre-launch engine hotfire test at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad.

SpaceX rocket and Israeli satellite destroyed in launch pad explosion

September 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded in the final minutes of a simulated countdown at Cape Canaveral on Thursday, destroying the booster and an Israeli communications satellite valued at nearly $200 million.

Astronauts complete problem-free spacewalk

September 1, 2016 William Harwood

Space station commander Jeff Williams and flight engineer Kate Rubins completed a smooth 6-hour 48-minute spacewalk Thursday, retracting a spare cooling radiator, installing two high-definition TV cameras and inspecting a massive solar array rotation mechanism that has experience subtle vibrations in recent months.

Live coverage: Explosion at Falcon 9 launch pad

September 1, 2016 Spaceflight Now

An explosion has occurred at launch complex 40 where a Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled for a routine pre-launch static test fire of its nine Merlin main engines.