2017 – Page 12 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Cygnus supply ship arrives at space station

November 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

Two days after blasting off from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus supply ship reached its destination Tuesday. The automated spacecraft packed with 3.7 tons of supplies and experiments was captured by the International Space Station’s robotic arm at 5:04 a.m. EST (1004 GMT).

Photos: Rollout of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket

November 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

Riding a self-propelled transporter, an Orbital ATK Antares rocket rolled out to it launch pad Thursday on Virginia’s Eastern Shore for final preparations to send a Cygnus supply ship to the International Space Station.

Photos: Vega rocket lifts off with Moroccan satellite

November 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

A European Vega rocket took off Tuesday from a tropical launch pad in South America with Mohammed VI-A, a Moroccan spy satellite built in France.

Antares rocket rolled to Virginia launch pad for station cargo run

November 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

A commercial Antares rocket rolled out of a hangar on a one-mile trip to its launch pad on Virginia’s Eastern Shore on Thursday, ready for final countdown preparations ahead of liftoff Saturday morning on a cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station.

Engine for upgraded Falcon 9 rocket explodes on test stand

November 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Merlin engine designed for the version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts into orbit for NASA failed during testing Saturday in Texas, but the company said its upcoming launches will not be affected by the accident.

Richard Gordon, Gemini and Apollo astronaut, dies at 88

November 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

Richard “Dick” Gordon, a Navy test pilot-turned-astronaut who pioneered spacewalking procedures and orbited the moon, died at his home this week in California. He was 88.

Morocco’s first high-resolution surveillance satellite launched aboard Vega rocket

November 8, 2017 Stephen Clark

A reconnaissance satellite built in secrecy in France for the Moroccan government launched Tuesday on top of a Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Center in South America.

Live coverage: Arianespace launches its 10th mission of the year

November 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

A European Vega rocket lifted off Tuesday from the Guiana Space Center on the northern shoreline of South America with a high-resolution reconnaissance satellite for the Moroccan government. Launch occurred at 8:42:31 p.m. EST Tuesday (0142:31 GMT Wednesday) from Kourou, French Guiana.

Battery changeout delays weather satellite launch from California

November 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

The launch of a new U.S. weather satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has been delayed at least four days to Nov. 14, allowing time for technicians to remove and replace a faulty battery on the payload’s Delta 2 rocket, United Launch Alliance said Monday.

China returns Long March 3B rocket to service after June failure

November 5, 2017 Stephen Clark

China’s Long March 3B rocket, used to power navigation and communications satellites into high-altitude orbits, launched for the first time in nearly five months Sunday with two spacecraft for the country’s Beidou positioning network.