Stephen Clark – Page 126 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Soyuz launches with 38 satellites

March 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:07 a.m. EDT (0607 GMT) Monday with 38 small and medium-size satellites for customers in 18 countries.

Soyuz crew relocates spacecraft to new space station parking spot

March 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut strapped into their Soyuz spacecraft Friday and moved the capsule to a different docking port on the International Space Station, clearing the way arrival of a fresh crew next month.

NASA’s moon rocket scores an ‘A+‘ on critical engine test

March 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

The core piece of NASA’s first huge Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket designed to carry astronauts back to the moon fired its main engines more than eight minutes Thursday in southern Mississippi, acing a crucial test before the it ships to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for liftoff.

Soyuz rocket with special paint scheme rolls out to Baikonur launch pad

March 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

Sporting a new blue and white paint scheme to mark the upcoming 60th anniversary of the first human spaceflight, a Russian Soyuz rocket loaded with 38 international satellites has rolled out to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan ahead of a planned liftoff Saturday.

Live coverage: NASA completes eight-minute Space Launch System hot fire test

March 18, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA fired up four hydrogen-fueled main engines on the core stage of the first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket Thursday in on a test stand in Mississippi, a redo of a crucial hot fire test that was cut short in January by technical issues. The engines burned more than eight minutes in an apparently successful test.

Perseverance rover records sounds of driving on Mars

March 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Perseverance rover has recorded the crunching, rattling sound of its six metallic wheels rolling across Mars.

NASA’s moon rocket set for second test-firing Thursday

March 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two months after a first test-firing ended prematurely, NASA plans to ignite the core stage of the first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket again Thursday for an eight-minute burn to confirm it is ready for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.

Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket selected for responsive launch demo

March 17, 2021 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Space Force is planning for an airborne launch of a solid-fueled Pegasus rocket over the Pacific Ocean by early summer after quietly awarding Northrop Grumman a contract for the mission last year.

Russia looks to China as new space exploration partner

March 15, 2021 Stephen Clark

Russia’s decision to partner with China on a planned lunar research station, and not join the U.S.-led Artemis moon program, was disappointing after more than two decades of cooperation on the International Space Station, says NASA’s top human spaceflight official.

SpaceX extends its own rocket reuse record on Starlink launch

March 14, 2021 Stephen Clark

Using a Falcon 9 booster flying for a record ninth time, SpaceX’s swift sequence of launches continued Sunday with a predawn liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center carrying another set of 60 Starlink internet satellites, the company’s third mission in 10 days.