Stephen Clark – Page 138 – Spaceflight Now

Boeing says assembly complete on first set of new space station solar arrays

January 13, 2021 Stephen Clark

Engineers from Boeing and a team of subcontractors have finished building the first pair of six new solar arrays to bolster the International Space Station’s aging electrical system ahead of their launch to the orbiting outpost as soon as May aboard SpaceX’s next Cargo Dragon mission.

Cargo Dragon heads for splashdown off Florida’s west coast

January 12, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s first upgraded Cargo Dragon spaceship departed the International Space Station Tuesday morning with more than 4,400 pounds of research specimens and other equipment, heading for splashdown Wednesday night in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida.

James Webb, OneWeb highlight Arianespace’s 2021 launch schedule

January 11, 2021 Stephen Clark

The planned Halloween launch of the James Webb Space Telescope — one of eight Ariane 5 launches left before the rocket’s retirement — and a series of flights to build out OneWeb’s satellite internet network highlight Arianespace’s schedule this year.

NASA mission extension enables first flybys of Jupiter’s moons in 20 years

January 11, 2021 Stephen Clark

In a pair of mission extensions, NASA has cleared the way for more seismic observations on Mars with the robotic InSight lander and approved plans for the Juno spacecraft to alter its orbit and perform close flybys of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, Ganymede, and the volcanic moon Io.

Cargo Dragon return delayed by poor weather

January 11, 2021 Stephen Clark

Poor weather in the offshore recovery zone east of Florida forced SpaceX and NASA to delay the departure of an upgraded Cargo Dragon spaceship from International Space Station Monday. The capsule is bringing home several tons of research equipment, specimens, and other equipment.

China to begin construction of space station this year

January 10, 2021 Stephen Clark

The core section of China’s space station is scheduled to launch in the next several months, the first of 11 missions carrying lab elements, cargo, and astronauts to the fledgling outpost over the next two years, according to Chinese space program officials.

Smallsat launch providers readying for first missions of 2021

January 10, 2021 Stephen Clark

Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab teams are gearing up for their first missions of the year in the coming days, with Virgin’s air-launched rocket set for its second demonstration flight and Rocket Lab’s Electron booster poised to launch a small German-owned communications satellite.

Articles by Stephen Clark

Boeing says assembly complete on first set of new space station solar arrays

Cargo Dragon heads for splashdown off Florida’s west coast

James Webb, OneWeb highlight Arianespace’s 2021 launch schedule

NASA mission extension enables first flybys of Jupiter’s moons in 20 years

Cargo Dragon return delayed by poor weather

China to begin construction of space station this year

Smallsat launch providers readying for first missions of 2021

SpaceX delivers for Turkey in first launch of 2021

Watch a live view of the Falcon 9 launch pad at Cape Canaveral (members only)

Photos: Falcon 9 poised for first launch of 2021