May 2019 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX’s first 60 Starlink broadband satellites deployed in orbit

May 24, 2019

SpaceX successfully delivered the first 60 members of the company’s Starlink broadband satellite fleet to orbit Thursday night after a launch from Cape Canaveral.

India plans July launch of Chandrayaan 2 moon mission

May 23, 2019

Indian engineers hope to launch the country’s first robotic lunar lander between July 9 and July 16 on India’s most powerful rocket, the head of the Indian space agency said this week.

Chinese state media confirms Long March launch failure

May 23, 2019

A Chinese Long March 4C rocket failed to place its top secret military payload into orbit Wednesday after a launch from the Taiyuan space base southwest of Beijing, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Indian rocket successfully delivers radar observation satellite to orbit

May 22, 2019

An Indian rocket fired into space Wednesday with a high-power radar imaging satellite designed to peer through clouds and darkness to resolve signs of pollution, natural disasters and foreign military movements.

NASA to soon announce winner of first commercial lunar lander competition

May 21, 2019

Within days, NASA is expected to select a winner from a roster of nine eligible companies to try and become the first commercial entity to accomplish a soft landing on the moon with a robotic spacecraft. The privately-developed probe would be the vanguard in a series of unpiloted missions intended to deliver science instruments to the lunar surface and prepare for a human expedition as soon as 2024.

Live coverage: Indian PSLV launches with RISAT 2B radar satellite

May 21, 2019

An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off at 0000 GMT Wednesday (8 p.m. EDT Tuesday) carrying a radar observation satellite to collect imagery in support of military, intelligence and environmental agencies.

Indian radar reconnaissance satellite set for launch

May 21, 2019

An Indian satellite designed to collect all-weather, day-and-night radar imagery for military and intelligence authorities is scheduled for launch Wednesday on top of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

ULA begins stacking Atlas 5 rocket for late June launch

May 20, 2019

The bronze first stage of United Launch Alliance’s next Atlas 5 rocket arrived at its Cape Canaveral launch pad Friday, where it will be joined by five solid-fueled boosters, a Centaur upper stage and a U.S. Air Force communications satellite in the coming weeks ahead of liftoff set for June 27.

Long March 3C rocket launches Beidou satellite toward geostationary orbit

May 17, 2019

China launched a Beidou navigation satellite Friday using a Long March 3C rocket, adding another node to a growing space-based network that Chinese officials say will broadcast positioning and timing signals around the world next year.

Proton launch provider ILS embraces closer relationship with Roscosmos

May 17, 2019

International Launch Services, facing headwinds in a commercial launch market now largely shaped by billionaires and satellite miniaturization, has touted a new relationship with the Russian space agency and Glavkosmos as a means to drive down Proton rocket prices, make Russian space industry more friendly to the commercial market, and diversify its offerings.