December 2021 – Page 7 – Spaceflight Now

Arianespace launches Galileo navigation satellites in final mission before Webb

December 5, 2021 Stephen Clark

Deployment of Europe’s independent Galileo navigation network resumed Saturday night with an on-target launch of two satellites aboard a Soyuz rocket, the final Arianespace mission from French Guiana before the historic liftoff of the James Webb Space Telescope later this month.

SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket ahead of NASA science probe launch

December 4, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX completed a static fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket Saturday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in preparation for a launch Dec. 9 with the space agency’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer science mission.

Photos: Atlas 5 rolls out to launch pad for Space Force mission

December 4, 2021 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance rolled an Atlas 5 rocket to its launch pad Friday at Cape Canaveral in preparation for liftoff on a mission to carry two U.S. Space Force technology demonstration satellites into orbit.

Live coverage: Soyuz rocket lifts off from jungle launch pad with Galileo satellites

December 3, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two more European Galileo navigation satellites have launched from French Guiana aboard a Russian-made Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage. Arianespace called off a launch attempt Friday night due to the risk of lightning at the spaceport. Liftoff occurred for 7:19 p.m. EST Saturday (0019 GMT Sunday).

Live coverage: ULA delays Atlas 5 launch

December 3, 2021 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance transferred an Atlas 5 rocket from its vertical hangar to launch pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Friday. Officials scrubbed a planned launch attempt Sunday due to a leak in the kerosene fuel ground storage system at the launch pad.

SpaceX aces 27th Falcon 9 rocket flight of the year, a new record

December 3, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX set a new record Thursday for the most missions by the company’s Falcon rocket family in a year, successfully sending a cargo of 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging spacecraft into orbit from Cape Canaveral.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Starlink and BlackSky satellites

December 2, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday night carrying 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky Earth-imaging payloads into orbit. The mission took off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral at 6:12 p.m. EST (2312 GMT), and the first stage landed on SpaceX’s offshore drone ship, completing its ninth trip to space and back.

Spacewalkers replace faulty antenna outside space station

December 2, 2021 William Harwood

Running two days late because of concerns about possibly threatening space debris, a veteran astronaut and a rookie crewmate floated outside the International Space Station Thursday and replaced a faulty antenna in a problem-free 6.5-hour spacewalk.

Soyuz launch to add two more satellites to Europe’s Galileo navigation network

December 1, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two more Galileo navigation satellites are set for liftoff Friday night from French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket, the first mission in more than three years to add to Europe’s space-based positioning and timing network. The mission was delayed from Wednesday by bad weather, then from Thursday due to the unavailability of a downrange tracking station.