2017 – Page 9 – Spaceflight Now

Three video imaging satellites launched from China

November 21, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Long March 6 booster took off Tuesday from China with three commercial Earth observation satellites designed to record high-definition video and color imagery from a perch more than 300 miles above the planet.

Photos: Delta 2 climbs into the night from Vandenberg Air Force Base

November 21, 2017 Stephen Clark

Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base on California’s Central Coast on its third try, United Launch Alliance’s Delta 2 rocket lifted off Saturday with NOAA’s JPSS 1 polar-orbiting weather satellite.

NASA confirms contribution to Japanese-led Mars mission

November 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

NASA announced Thursday it will fund development of a scientific instrument that will fly on Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration mission, a robotic probe set for launch in 2024 to bring back the first samples from Mars’ largest moon Phobos.

NASA expects first Space Launch System flight to slip into 2020

November 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

The maiden flight of NASA’s Space Launch System, a heavy-lift human-rated rocket and one of the agency’s core programs, will likely not be ready for takeoff until 2020, officials said recently.

Penultimate Delta 2 rocket launch lofts advanced polar-orbiting weather satellite

November 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket climbed into space Saturday from California with a $1.6 billion polar-orbiting weather satellite for NOAA, the first of four upgraded observatories designed to keep vital meteorological data flowing to forecasters for the next two decades.

Video: JPSS 1 weather satellite deploys from Delta 2 rocket

November 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

NOAA’s new JPSS 1 weather satellite deployed from its Delta 2 launcher in an orbit more than 500 miles above Earth nearly one hour after blasting off from California.

Video: Delta 2 rocket lifts off from California

November 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket lifted off Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the JPSS 1 weather satellite, the first in a new line of polar-orbiting observatories for NOAA.

SpaceX delays launch to study data from recent payload fairing test

November 16, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has postponed its next launch from the Kennedy Space Center indefinitely to examine data from a recent payload fairing test for another customer.

Second Electron rocket shipped to New Zealand launch site

November 16, 2017 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second flight-ready Electron rocket has arrived at its launch base in New Zealand for the company’s first mission to deliver commercial satellites into orbit.

Top secret ‘Zuma’ mission puzzles satellite trackers

November 15, 2017 Stephen Clark

A top secret payload developed in secrecy for the U.S. government is set to ride into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday.