2016 – Page 21 – Spaceflight Now

Hurricane Nicole prompts Antares launch delay to Sunday

October 11, 2016 Stephen Clark

The threat from Hurricane Nicole churning toward a tracking station in Bermuda will keep Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket from launching on a space station cargo run until at least Sunday, officials said Tuesday.

‘Great relief’ the worst of Hurricane Matthew stayed away from space center

October 11, 2016 Stephen Clark

Kennedy Space Center officials said Tuesday that Hurricane Matthew knocked out the main cooling system for the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building and surrounding structures, but they expect no lingering effects from the storm on NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spaceship scheduled for their first full-scale test flight around the moon in 2018.

Study suggests Saturn’s moon Dione has underground ocean

October 11, 2016 Stephen Clark

Scientists crunching data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft believe Saturn’s moon Dione has a liquid ocean buried 60 miles under a thick icy shell, potentially adding to a growing list of ocean worlds in the frigid outer solar system.

SpaceX still expects to resume launches by the end of the year

October 11, 2016 Stephen Clark

Strong winds from Hurricane Matthew stripped exterior panels from SpaceX’s payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral last week, but the damage is not likely to affect the company’s plans to launch Falcon 9 rockets again by the end of the year, officials said.

Cape gets back into rocket business after Hurricane Matthew

October 11, 2016 Justin Ray

Taking delivery of the Atlas 5 rocket that will boost an advanced weather observatory into space next month, United Launch Alliance and the Air Force are back at work following disruptions from Hurricane Matthew.

Critical Antares rocket launch set for Friday night

October 10, 2016 Stephen Clark

The debut launch of an upgraded version of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket has slipped to Friday after ground teams resolved a minor vehicle issue and made emergency preparations for Hurricane Matthew, which bypassed the Antares launch site on Virginia’s Eastern Shore this weekend.

Stratolaunch announces plan to fly with Pegasus rockets

October 10, 2016 Stephen Clark

Stratolaunch Systems, a company backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, will launch Pegasus XL rockets produced by Orbital ATK from the world’s largest airplane as officials shift focus toward deploying lighter satellites into orbit.

Hurricane Matthew passes by Cape Canaveral coastline

October 7, 2016 Stephen Clark

Hurricane Matthew slammed NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, home to multiple launch pads and spacecraft assembly facilities, with wind gusts of more than 100 mph early Friday, but there were no immediate reports of significant damage at the spaceport as the storm passed just offshore.

Photos: Australian, Indian telecom satellites take off on Ariane 5

October 6, 2016 Stephen Clark

A late afternoon launch from French Guiana on Wednesday sent two communications satellites into orbit aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket for the Australian and Indian governments, and imagery recorded the powerful booster blasting off into a clear sky over the tropical space base.

Kennedy Space Center, Air Force station, brace for Matthew

October 6, 2016 William Harwood

Launch pads and critical facilities at the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are braced for the onslaught of Hurricane Matthew overnight Thursday, one of the most powerful storms to threaten Florida’s Space Coast since the dawn of the space age 50 years ago.