Stephen Clark – Page 180 – Spaceflight Now

Assembly of Mars rover’s rocket to begin this week

May 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

Two key pieces of hardware needed for NASA’s next Mars rover — an Atlas rocket booster and sterile components of the rover’s sample collection system — recently arrived at Cape Canaveral ahead of the mission’s scheduled launch July 17.

Video: Dragon astronauts practice for launch day

May 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

Following the same timeline as they will on launch day, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken put on their SpaceX flight suits and strapped inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Astronauts have a surprise name for their Crew Dragon spacecraft

May 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken plan to reveal a name for their Crew Dragon spaceship on the day they launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a test flight to restore orbital human spaceflight capability to the United States.

Dragon crew runs through launch day dress rehearsal

May 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken donned their SpaceX-made launch and entry flight suits Saturday and rode to pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in a final dress rehearsal before launch day.

Trump to visit Kennedy Space Center for crew launch

May 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

President Trump plans to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida next week to view the first launch of astronauts into orbit from U.S. soil in nearly a decade, according to White House officials.

Time-lapse: Falcon 9 lifted vertical on pad 39A (members only)

May 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

This time-lapse video shows a view of launch pad 39A as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft were raised vertical at the historic seaside complex Thursday, May 21, in preparation for liftoff on a piloted test flight to the International Space Station.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket fires up engines on launch pad (members only)

May 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slated to launch two NASA astronauts into orbit May 27 test-fired its nine Merlin booster engines Friday, May 22, on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA clears SpaceX crew capsule for first astronaut mission

May 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

After a two-day readiness review, NASA managers gave a green light Friday for SpaceX to proceed with final preparations for launch next Wednesday, May 27, of a commercial spaceship carrying astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station on the first orbital spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011.

Soyuz rocket launches Russian missile warning satellite

May 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz booster and Fregat upper stage successfully carried a missile warning satellite into orbit Friday for the Russian military.

Virgin Orbit schedules its first orbital test launch this weekend

May 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

The first orbital test flight of Virgin Orbit’s privately-developed air-launched rocket is scheduled as soon as Sunday off the coast of Southern California, the company said Wednesday.