August 2022 – Page 3 – Spaceflight Now

Three mannequins installed on Orion spacecraft for flight around the moon

August 21, 2022 Stephen Clark

Three instrumented mannequins strapped into seats on NASA’s Orion spacecraft awaiting liftoff on the first flight of the huge Space Launch System rocket will help engineers evaluate the human experience for future astronauts trips to the moon.

Propulsion deal offers boost for Scottish horizontal space launches

August 21, 2022 Clive Simpson

UK-based horizontal launch company Astraius says it’s on track for a first launch in spring 2024 from Prestwick Spaceport in Scotland after signing deals with Northrop Grumman and Exquadrum for its innovative rocket.

SpaceX cargo capsule returns to Earth with leaky NASA spacesuit

August 21, 2022 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Cape Canaveral Saturday, wrapping up a 37-day flight to the International Space Station and returning home with experiments and a leaky spacesuit for troubleshooting.

SpaceX’s Starlink fleet gets 53 new satellites with launch from Florida

August 19, 2022 Stephen Clark

Fifty-three new Starlink internet satellites launched Friday from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, adding more capacity to the largest fleet of spacecraft ever put into orbit.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches 53 more Starlink satellites

August 19, 2022 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched another batch of 53 Starlink internet satellites Friday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3:21 p.m. EDT (1921 GMT) to loft the Starlink payloads into orbit, and the reusable first stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX rolls out Falcon 9 rocket for Starlink launch

August 19, 2022 Stephen Clark

Another 53 Starlink internet satellites are ready to rocket into orbit Friday from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The two-stage Falcon 9, powered by a reusable booster, will place the 53 internet relay nodes into a low-altitude transfer orbit.

Dragon cargo ship departs space station, heads for splashdown near Florida

August 19, 2022 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Dragon supply freighter undocked from the International Space Station Friday, heading for splashdown off the coast of Florida Saturday with about two tons of cargo, experiments, and a leaky spacesuit.

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket arrives at launch pad for lunar test flight

August 17, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA’s towering 322-foot-tall Space Launch System moon rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at their seaside launch complex early Wednesday after an overnight rollout from an assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center, moving a step closer to liftoff no earlier than Aug. 29 on an unpiloted test flight around the moon.

Russian spacewalk cut short by spacesuit power system problem

August 17, 2022 Stephen Clark

Russian ground controllers ordered International Space Station commander Oleg Artemyev back to the airlock after data showed voltage fluctuations in his spacesuit Wednesday, cutting short a spacewalk to continue outfitting the European Space Agency’s robotic arm delivered to the complex last year.

Live coverage: NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket rolls to launch pad

August 16, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center around 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0200 GMT Wednesday) for an overnight ride to launch pad 39B. The rocket arrived at the seaside launch complex about 10 hours later. The Artemis 1 mission is set for launch Aug. 29 on its inaugural test flight carrying NASA’s Orion spacecraft around the moon.