April 2022 – Page 6 – Spaceflight Now

First-of-its-kind commercial astronaut mission heads for space station

April 8, 2022 Stephen Clark

Strapped in the seats of a SpaceX crew capsule, a retired NASA astronaut and three wealthy paying passengers rocketed into orbit Friday from the Kennedy Space Center on the first fully commercial mission to the International Space Station.

Live coverage: Four private astronauts launch to International Space Station

April 8, 2022 Stephen Clark

Four private citizens rode into orbit Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft, taking aim on the International Space Station on the first all-commercial mission to visit the research complex. Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida occurred at 11:17 a.m. EDT (1517 GMT).

SpaceX ready for launch of first all-commercial crew to space station

April 7, 2022 William Harwood

SpaceX and a Houston company are gearing up to launch four private citizens Friday on the first NASA-sanctioned, fully commercial flight to the International Space Station, a key step in a government push to encourage private-sector development on the high frontier.

NASA’s SLS moon rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 share the scene at Kennedy Space Center

April 6, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 shared the scene Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center — the first time since 2009 that rockets have stood on both pads at Launch Complex 39.

Falcon 9 rocket test-fired for Axiom commercial crew mission

April 6, 2022 Stephen Clark

SpaceX rolled a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule to their launch pad Tuesday and test-fired the booster’s engines Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center, setting up for launch Friday of four private space fliers on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station.

NASA bumps Artemis countdown rehearsal until after Axiom crew launch

April 5, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA officials said Tuesday they are standing down from a cryogenic loading test on the agency’s Space Launch System moon rocket until after the launch of a commercial crew mission from a neighboring pad at the Kennedy Space Center. A countdown test Monday was delayed by what NASA managers characterized as minor issues, including a liquid oxygen temperature concern and a manual valve that was left in the wrong configuration before teams evacuated the SLS launch pad.

Amazon books up to 83 launches with ULA, Arianespace, and Blue Origin

April 5, 2022 Stephen Clark

Amazon announced the largest commercial launch deal in history Tuesday, revealing agreements for up to 83 missions to deploy thousands of internet satellites on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, Arianespace’s Ariane 6, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn vehicle.

Launch of Axiom’s commercial space station mission delayed until Friday

April 4, 2022 Stephen Clark

The launch of the first all-private crew to the International Space Station has been delayed to Friday, officials announced late Monday. The four commercial space fliers will ride to the station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Ground system problem halts Artemis 1 countdown dress rehearsal

April 3, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA launch controllers called off plans to load super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first fully-assembled Space Launch System moon rocket Sunday for a countdown dress rehearsal, giving time for ground teams to troubleshoot problems with fans used to ventilate the giant rocket’s mobile launch structure at the Kennedy Space Center.

Artemis 1 wet dress rehearsal timeline

April 3, 2022 Stephen Clark

This timeline covers major countdown activities planned during the NASA’s wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis 1 mission. The wet dress rehearsal will include loading of more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch System moon rocket on launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.