September 2018 – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

British Earth-imaging satellites ride Indian rocket into orbit

September 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

Two British-built reconnaissance satellites, one designed to test new radar imaging technology and another to collect high-resolution optical imagery, arrived in orbit Sunday after a successful liftoff aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Live coverage: Two British satellites launch from India

September 16, 2018 Stephen Clark

An Indian rocket lifted off with two British-built Earth-imaging satellites at 1638 GMT (12:38 p.m. EDT) Sunday — one developed with the financial backing of the UK government to demonstrate radar reconnaissance technology, and another destined for use by a commercial imaging company in Asia.

Leftover Delta 2 rocket to go on display at Kennedy Space Center

September 15, 2018 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance plans to assemble leftover parts for a Delta 2 rocket display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida alongside other icons of U.S. rocketry, the company announced Saturday soon after the final Delta 2 launch.

Early morning launch closes book on Delta 2 legacy spanning nearly 30 years

September 15, 2018 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket fired away from a California military base and disappeared into an overcast cloud deck Saturday on its final flight, carrying a NASA research satellite into orbit and closing the book on a nearly 30-year legacy of launches.

Live clean audio coverage: Final Delta 2 rocket set for launch (members only)

September 15, 2018 Spaceflight Now

Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket with NASA’s ICESat 2 satellite to measure global ice sheets.

Engineers say goodbye to society-changing Delta 2 rocket

September 14, 2018 Stephen Clark

When the first Delta 2 rocket took off on Valentine’s Day 1989, ideas like navigating by smartphone and driving robots on Mars were science fiction. More than 150 launches over the last 30 years helped change all that.

Live coverage: Final Delta 2 rocket launches from California

September 14, 2018 Stephen Clark

The final flight of a Delta 2 rocket, a mainstay of the U.S. launch industry for nearly 30 years, began at 6:02 a.m. PDT (9:02 a.m. EDT; 1302 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with NASA’s ICESat 2 Earth science satellite.

SpaceX promises details of “private passenger” moon flight Monday

September 14, 2018 William Harwood

A year-and-a-half after announcing plans to launch two private citizens on a flight around the moon using the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket and Dragon capsule, SpaceX posted a tweet late Thursday announcing apparently revised plans to launch a “private passenger” on a moon flight using SpaceX’s new BFR rocket.

Live coverage: Japanese supply ship launches in pursuit of space station

September 14, 2018 Stephen Clark

Japan’s seventh HTV resupply mission to the International Space Station blasted off from Tanegashima Island on Saturday aboard an H-2B rocket. The unpiloted cargo carrier launched at 1752 GMT (1:52 p.m. EDT), kicking off a nearly five-day pursuit of the space station.

Scientists eager to renew global ice measurements with ICESat 2 mission

September 14, 2018 Stephen Clark

The satellite awaiting launch early Saturday from California aboard the final flight of the venerable Delta 2 rocket should allow scientists to more precisely track changes in our planet’s ice sheets, using six green laser beams to chart the height and slope of polar ice and glaciers, providing a key input into climate change research.