2016 – Page 79 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Cygnus cargo ship’s departure from International Space Station

February 20, 2016 Justin Ray

The Orbital ATK commercial Cygnus resupply vessel departed the International Space Station on Friday after 72 days spent at the outpost, delivering more than 7,000 pounds of cargo and taking away 3,000 pounds of trash.

ExoMars orbiter and lander mated for final time

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

European technicians working at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan have bolted an Italian-built Mars lander to its mothership ahead of a March 14 launch toward the red planet.

Commercial Cygnus space freighter leaves station after two months

February 19, 2016 Justin Ray

Disconnected from the International Space Station berthing port and then cast free by the robotic arm, the commercial Cygnus cargo craft flew away Friday after successfully restarting U.S. resupply service to the outpost.

Photos: H-2A rocket soars on groundbreaking astronomy mission

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

Burning a mixture of super-cold liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and pre-packed solid propellant, Japan’s H-2A rocket vaulted into a deep blue evening sky over the beaches of Tanegashima Island on Wednesday with a satellite that will see the surroundings of black holes better than ever before.

Live coverage: Cygnus cargo freighter departs space station

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

A commercial supply ship owned and operated by Orbital ATK departed the International Space Station on Friday, heading for a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean with more than 1.5 tons of trash. The station’s robotic arm released Cygnus at 1226 GMT (7:26 a.m. EST).

NASA moves forward with mission using spy satellite telescope

February 18, 2016 Stephen Clark

NASA has formally approved plans — a year ahead of schedule — for an infrared space telescope launching around 2024 to record unique wide-angle views of the cosmos, seeking answers to questions about mysterious dark energy and searching for habitable worlds around other stars.

Black hole observatory launched from Japan

February 17, 2016 Stephen Clark

Japan launched a pioneering observatory with X-ray vision Wednesday to peer into the mysterious, light-starved neighborhoods around black holes and study the genesis of galaxies and other cosmic mega-structures billions of light-years from Earth.

STS-104 Post-Flight Presentation

February 17, 2016 Spaceflight Now

The five STS-104 Atlantis astronauts narrate the highlights of their mission in this post-flight film. The shuttle mission in July 2001 delivered the $164 million Joint Airlock to the International Space Station. The module, named Quest, gave the outpost a new doorway for American and Russian spacewalks.

Look back on the blastoff of a Russian missile-turned-launcher

February 17, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Soviet-era missile originally built to deliver nuclear warheads to the United States in wartime fired into space for a much different purpose Tuesday, carrying a European environmental satellite into orbit to help track the effects of climate change.

Live coverage: H-2A rocket delivers on 30th flight

February 16, 2016 Stephen Clark

Japan’s Astro-H mission, an X-ray astronomy observatory designed to shed light on black holes and the unseen structure of the universe, lifted off aboard an H-2A rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 0845 GMT (3:45 a.m. EST) Wednesday.