2017 – Page 40 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX scrubs Sunday launch attempt with Intelsat relay satellite

July 3, 2017 Stephen Clark

A computer-triggered abort halted the countdown of a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, pushing back the next mission in SpaceX’s launch surge until at least Monday.

Video: SpaceX aborts launch countdown in final seconds

July 3, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX scrubbed the launch of a nearly 7.5-ton Intelsat communications satellite Sunday after a computer-triggered abort halted the countdown in the final 10 seconds.

Launch of China’s heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket declared a failure

July 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

China’s second Long March 5 rocket fell short of orbit Sunday after lifting off from a spaceport in the southern Chinese province of Hainan, placing a cloud over the country’s plans to send a robotic sample return mission to the moon later this year.

Photos: Expendable Falcon 9 launcher raised vertical at pad 39A

July 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket was hydraulically hoisted vertical Sunday morning at launch pad 39A, less than 12 hours before a scheduled blastoff with the Intelsat 35e communications satellite.

Falcon 9 launch timeline with Intelsat 35e

July 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Sunday evening, heading due east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the Intelsat 35e communications satellite into orbit 32 minutes later.

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

July 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

Making its third try after back-to-back aborts, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the commercial Intelsat 35e communications satellite Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff from launch pad 39A occurred at 7:38 p.m. EDT (2338 GMT).

Second launch of China’s Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket set for Sunday

July 1, 2017 Stephen Clark

China’s Long March 5 rocket is counting down to liftoff Sunday from the country’s tropical island space center with a high-power, electrically-propelled communications satellite.

Trump signs order reviving long-dormant National Space Council

June 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

Emphasizing commercial, technological and national security opportunities in space, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday re-establishing the National Space Council, a space policy advisory and steering group that was last active nearly 25 years ago.

Air Force selects Atlas 5 to launch multipurpose satellite to high orbit

June 30, 2017 Justin Ray

A nuclear blast detection satellite and an assortment of experiments will be boosted directly into geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above Earth in 2019 by the most-powerful version of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket, the Air Force has decided.

Prototype solar array jettisoned as Dragon capsule prepares for trip home

June 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

An experimental solar wing sent to the International Space Station earlier this month was jettisoned from the orbiting lab’s robotic arm after engineers were unable to fully retract the array.