The Russian Soyuz MS-03 crew transport spacecraft is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with three passengers on a two-day trek to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russia’s Oleg Novitskiy and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency will join the station’s existing three-person Expedition 50 crew.
Falcon 9
SpaceX closes out year with successful GPS satellite launch
A new era in GPS navigation launched Sunday, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket climbed into orbit with a Lockheed Martin-built satellite designed to beam higher-power positioning, navigation and timing signals around the world, providing military and civilian users with more accurate data that is more resistant to growing jamming threats.
Falcon Heavy
Preparations underway for SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launch
SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy mission, set for April 18 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will launch a powerhouse bus-sized broadband satellite for Viasat into a high-altitude circular geostationary orbit, a demanding flight profile that will require disposal of all three of the rocket’s reusable boosters.
