March 2021 – Page 3 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches small satellites from New Zealand

March 22, 2021 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2021 lifted off at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT) Monday from New Zealand carrying six small satellites for customers in Australia and the United States, along with a test platform for a NASA small satellite mission to the moon launching later this year.

Live coverage: Soyuz launches with 38 satellites

March 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:07 a.m. EDT (0607 GMT) Monday with 38 small and medium-size satellites for customers in 18 countries.

Biden to nominate former Sen. Bill Nelson as NASA administrator

March 19, 2021 William Harwood

Former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, a longtime space advocate whose district included the Kennedy Space Center and who flew aboard the shuttle Columbia in 1986 as a congressional observer, is President Biden’s choice to serve as NASA’s next administrator, the White House announced Friday.

Soyuz crew relocates spacecraft to new space station parking spot

March 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut strapped into their Soyuz spacecraft Friday and moved the capsule to a different docking port on the International Space Station, clearing the way arrival of a fresh crew next month.

NASA’s moon rocket scores an ‘A+‘ on critical engine test

March 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

The core piece of NASA’s first huge Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket designed to carry astronauts back to the moon fired its main engines more than eight minutes Thursday in southern Mississippi, acing a crucial test before the it ships to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for liftoff.

Soyuz rocket with special paint scheme rolls out to Baikonur launch pad

March 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

Sporting a new blue and white paint scheme to mark the upcoming 60th anniversary of the first human spaceflight, a Russian Soyuz rocket loaded with 38 international satellites has rolled out to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan ahead of a planned liftoff Saturday.

Live coverage: NASA completes eight-minute Space Launch System hot fire test

March 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA fired up four hydrogen-fueled main engines on the core stage of the first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket Thursday in on a test stand in Mississippi, a redo of a crucial hot fire test that was cut short in January by technical issues. The engines burned more than eight minutes in an apparently successful test.

Perseverance rover records sounds of driving on Mars

March 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Perseverance rover has recorded the crunching, rattling sound of its six metallic wheels rolling across Mars.

NASA’s moon rocket set for second test-firing Thursday

March 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two months after a first test-firing ended prematurely, NASA plans to ignite the core stage of the first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket again Thursday for an eight-minute burn to confirm it is ready for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.

Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket selected for responsive launch demo

March 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Space Force is planning for an airborne launch of a solid-fueled Pegasus rocket over the Pacific Ocean by early summer after quietly awarding Northrop Grumman a contract for the mission last year.