February 2023 – Page 4 – Spaceflight Now

Russian weather satellite deployed in geostationary orbit

February 9, 2023 Stephen Clark

Russia launched a geostationary weather satellite Feb. 5 on a Proton rocket, heading for a position more than 22,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean to cover Russia’s Far East and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

SpaceX ready for 33-engine test of Starship’s Super Heavy booster

February 8, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX is gearing up for the first full-up test-firing Thursday of all 33 engines on the booster for the company’s Starship mega-rocket in Texas, a critical milestone on the path to launching the giant vehicle on its first orbital test flight, which could happen as soon as March if this week’s test goes well.

SpaceX launches communications satellite for Spain’s Hispasat

February 6, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Monday night from Cape Canaveral with Amazonas Nexus, a powerhouse satellite owned by the Spanish company Hispasat to connect trans-Atlantic airline passengers, maritime traffic, and rural communities across the Americas.

Spanish-owned communications satellite ready for launch from Cape Canaveral

February 4, 2023 Stephen Clark

A nearly five-ton satellite for the Spanish company Hispasat is ready for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, beginning a mission to provide in-flight internet and other communications services over the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean.

Space station astronauts finish preps for next pair of new solar arrays

February 2, 2023 Stephen Clark

Continuing work left over from a spacewalk last month, astronauts Nicole Mann and Koichi Wakata headed outside the International Space Station Thursday to finish installing a mounting bracket for new solar arrays due to arrive at the complex on a SpaceX resupply mission in June.

SpaceX launches 53 more Starlink internet satellites

February 2, 2023 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Thursday with 53 more Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s global internet network.

20 years after Columbia disaster, lessons learned still in sharp focus at NASA

February 1, 2023 William Harwood

Twenty years ago, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart high over Texas on the way to landing in Florida, killing a crew of seven astronauts in a tragedy with long-lasting consequences that still reverberate across the space program.