August 2020 – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Mobile gantry retracted from ULA’s Delta 4-Heavy for Aug. 27 launch attempt

August 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

Towering more than 30 stories tall, the mobile gantry structure at the Delta 4-Heavy rocket’s launch pad at Cape Canaveral was wheeled into position for liftoff of the triple-core launcher Thursday with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Hurricane Laura observed from International Space Station

August 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA commander Chris Cassidy shared views of Hurricane Laura captured Thursday as the International Space Station soared more than 250 miles over the dangerous storm while it churned across the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana.

Live coverage: Launch of Delta 4-Heavy aborted seconds before liftoff

August 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral was aborted three seconds before a planned liftoff at 3:28 a.m. EDT (0728 GMT). The rocket was set to loft a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency.

Delta 4-Heavy likely heading for geosynchronous orbit with surveillance payload

August 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

The top secret intelligence-gathering payload for the U.S. government set for launch Tuesday on top of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket is likely the next in a line of sensitive eavesdropping satellites designed to intercept radio signals and other communications traffic from adversaries around the world.

Russia’s long-delayed space station research module arrives at launch base

August 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

A long-delayed Russian science module was transported by train from Moscow to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan earlier this month for a final series of electrical tests and outfitting before launch to the International Space Station next year.

Boeing plans second Starliner test flight in December or January

August 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

Boeing said Tuesday it is “making excellent progress” toward launching a second unpiloted test flight of its Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station by the end of this year or in early January, setting the stage for the first Starliner demonstration mission with astronauts in mid-2021.

China launches another Gaofen Earth observation satellite

August 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

Another Chinese Gaofen Earth-imaging satellite launched Sunday aboard a Long March 2D rocket, riding to space with a pair of experimental rideshare payloads for the Chinese military.

August set to end with string of launches from Cape Canaveral

August 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

Launch teams are readying three rockets for a series of blastoffs this week from Cape Canaveral to loft a classified orbiting spy platform for the U.S. government, a long-delayed Argentine radar imaging payload, and the next set of Starlink broadband satellites.

Images: SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites, catches rocket’s payload fairing

August 20, 2020 Stephen Clark

Imagery from the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday show the launcher vaulting into space from Cape Canaveral with another batch of nearly 60 Starlink satellites, followed by the successful recovery of the rocket’s first stage booster and payload shroud offshore.

SES orders two more Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX

August 20, 2020 Stephen Clark

SES announced Thursday it has tapped SpaceX for two additional Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral to deliver more Boeing-built O3b mPower broadband satellites into orbit, adding to a pair of Falcon 9 flights ordered by SES last year to launch the first batch of mPower platforms beginning in late 2021.