2016 – Page 62 – Spaceflight Now

Balky navigation unit prompts rare Soyuz launch scrub

April 24, 2016 Stephen Clark

Russian rocket technicians planned to swap out a failed inertial measurement unit inside a Soyuz rocket overnight Sunday after a failure in the navigation system forced officials to abort the booster’s planned launch of five satellites from French Guiana.

Q&A with Mark Mulqueen, Boeing’s space station program manager

April 24, 2016 Stephen Clark

The International Space Station’s oldest sections launched nearly 17 years ago, and with the huge orbiting research complex now well into its operational life as a microgravity science lab, prime contractor Boeing’s job is keeping the outpost going, according to Mark Mulqueen, who manages the aerospace company’s space station program.

Last space shuttle tank reaches Panama Canal for crossing to Pacific

April 23, 2016 Justin Ray

The tugboat and barge transporting the last space shuttle external tank to its display venue in California have reached the inlet to the Panama Canal, now just days away from sailing into the Pacific.

Environmental testing underway for JPSS 1 launching in January

April 23, 2016 Justin Ray

The next American polar-orbiting weather satellite that will feed long-range forecasts and track environmental trends has slipped into space-like testing ahead of launch.

Live coverage: Soyuz soars into space on its fourth launch attempt

April 22, 2016 Stephen Clark

After replacing a faulty inertial measurement system blamed for a scrubbed launch attempt Sunday, a Soyuz rocket headed to space from French Guiana today with five satellites, including the next spacecraft for Europe’s multibillion-dollar Earth observing network and a French experiment to probe the validity of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Five European satellites ready for Soyuz flight to custom orbits

April 22, 2016 Stephen Clark

The term “direct flight” will go to new heights Friday with a four-hour flight by a Soyuz rocket and its Fregat upper stage to deliver five satellites to three distinct orbital destinations hundreds of miles above Earth.

Orbital ATK eyes Kennedy Space Center as home of potential new launcher

April 21, 2016 Stephen Clark

NASA announced Thursday that Orbital ATK has begun negotiations to lease a disused section of Kennedy Space Center’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building and an Apollo-era launch platform for the company’s proposed next-generation rocket.

Faulty bracket leaves Norwegian satellite grounded

April 21, 2016 Stephen Clark

Officials from the Norwegian Space Center are looking for another launch opportunity for a microsatellite designed to track ship traffic and study space weather after engineers determined it could not safely be attached to a Soyuz rocket set for liftoff Friday.

Aerojet Rocketdyne tapped to build high-power ion drive

April 21, 2016 Stephen Clark

Aerojet Rocketdyne has won a $67 million NASA contract to build an advanced electric propulsion system with double the thrust of today’s ion thrusters that could drive future expeditions to asteroids and Mars.

Cluster of satellites meets Soyuz launcher in French Guiana

April 20, 2016 Stephen Clark

Five European satellites packaged inside an aerodynamic fairing have joined a Soyuz rocket its launch pad in the French Guiana jungle for a roaring ride into orbit Friday.