January 2019 – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

Video: Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon briefly ignites engines (members only)

January 24, 2019 Spaceflight Now

Watch as a Falcon 9 rocket with the first Crew Dragon capsule atop, briefly fired its engines for a crucial pre-launch test on Jan. 24, 2019.

India debuts new version of workhorse PSLV

January 24, 2019 Stephen Clark

A new variant of India’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle with two strap-on solid rocket boosters and an upper stage converted into an experiment-carrying platform debuted Thursday with a launch into polar orbit.

New Shepard launches NASA experiments to space, aims for human flights this year

January 23, 2019 Stephen Clark

Blue Origin, the commercial space company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched a package of NASA experiments to the edge of space Wednesday from West Texas with a suborbital New Shepard booster, then successfully recovered the reusable rocket and space capsule a few minutes later.

Boe pulled from commercial crew test flight due to medical issue

January 22, 2019 William Harwood

Eric Boe, one of three astronauts assigned to the first piloted test flight of a Boeing CST-100 Starliner commercial crew ship later this year has been removed from the mission due to unspecified medical issues, NASA announced Tuesday. He will be replaced by veteran astronaut Mike Fincke.

China’s Long March 11 rocket lofts Earth-imaging and tech demo satellites

January 22, 2019 Stephen Clark

China’s second space launch of the year released four satellites into orbits more than 300 miles in altitude, adding two spacecraft to the Chinese-owned Jilin 1 commercial Earth-imaging constellation and deploying two smallsats on tech demo missions.

Watch live views of launch pad 39A in Florida (members only)

January 22, 2019 Stephen Clark

Spaceflight Now members can watch live views of launch pad 39A in Florida as SpaceX gears up for the first orbital test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon briefly fires engines in test

January 22, 2019 Stephen Clark

The Falcon 9 rocket set to launch the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on a test flight in February briefly ignited its Merlin main engines on pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday. The Crew Dragon test flight to the International Space Station is a precursor to the spaceship’s first mission with astronauts later this year.

Live view of launch pad 39A as SpaceX readies first Crew Dragon for launch (members only)

January 21, 2019 Spaceflight Now

A live view of launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center where SpaceX is preparing for a test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft without astronauts aboard.

Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches U.S. spy satellite into unusual orbit

January 19, 2019 Stephen Clark

A top secret surveillance payload owned by the National Reconnaissance Office soared into space Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket, entering an unusual orbit not previously used by the U.S. government’s spy satellite fleet.

Blue Origin plans New Shepard launch Wednesday

January 19, 2019 Stephen Clark

Blue Origin plans to launch its single stage New Shepard suborbital booster Wednesday as the commercial space company moves closer to flying people to the edge of space.