October 2021 – Page 4 – Spaceflight Now

Spacecraft for asteroid deflection experiment ready for fueling

October 20, 2021 Stephen Clark

A small spacecraft built for a NASA asteroid defense experiment arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California earlier this month and is ready for fueling, one of the final milestones before liftoff in November on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Boeing zeros in on cause of Starliner launch delay

October 19, 2021 William Harwood

Engineers are zeroing in on the “root cause” of a disappointing August launch scrub that grounded Boeing’s Starliner astronaut ferry ship: humidity-triggered corrosion in key propulsion system valves, company managers said Tuesday.

Webb telescope unboxed after shipment to Guiana Space Center

October 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

Engineers removed the James Webb Space Telescope from its intercontinental shipping container in South America last week, and kicked off a final pre-launch comprehensive electrical systems test Monday ahead of blastoff in December on an Ariane 5 rocket, NASA’s program manager said.

NASA moves Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building

October 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center moved the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 moon mission into the Vehicle Assembly Building Tuesday for stacking on top of the Space Launch System.

NASA officials optimistic Lucy asteroid mission will overcome solar array snag

October 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

A NASA official said Monday there is “widespread optimism” that a solar array snag discovered on the Lucy asteroid probe after its launch over the weekend will not jeopardize the spacecraft’s 12-year exploration mission.

China launches orbiting solar observatory

October 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

China successfully launched a half-ton scientific research satellite Oct. 14 to study the violent and sudden physical processes behind solar flares, joining 10 other small payloads on a Long March 2D rocket that also tested grid fins to help guide the expendable booster away from populated areas during its fall back to Earth.

Russian actress returns to Earth after space station movie shoot

October 17, 2021 William Harwood

A Russian actress and her director-cameraman, wrapping up a 12-day movie shoot aboard the International Space Station, returned to Earth Sunday and promptly filmed a few additional scenes that will be part of the film’s conclusion.

Live coverage: Russian actress, film director, cosmonaut back on Earth

October 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

Closing out a nearly 12-day high-flying film shoot on the final frontier, Russian actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko returned to Earth Sunday with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy. The crew’s Soyuz spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan at 12:35 a.m. EDT (0435 GMT), following an undocking from the International Space Station three hours earlier.

NASA asteroid explorer leaves planet Earth on Atlas 5 rocket

October 16, 2021 Stephen Clark

Bound for a pristine population of ancient asteroids, a NASA science probe named Lucy took off from Cape Canaveral before dawn Saturday and rocketed into space on top of an Atlas 5 launcher to begin a 12-year, $981 million mission seeking out clues about the early solar system.

Live coverage: NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe blasts off on Atlas 5 rocket

October 16, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft, buttoned up in the nose cone of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5, took off from Cape Canaveral at 5:34 a.m. EDT (0934 GMT) Saturday. The Lucy mission will take aim on eight asteroids during a 12-year mission, a record number of flyby targets for a single spacecraft.