Stephen Clark – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy aces second mission

April 15, 2019

Photos captured by remote cameras placed at launch pad 39A show SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket soaring skyward Thursday evening atop more than 5 million pounds of thrust.

Stricken with fuel leak, Intelsat 29e seen drifting in geostationary orbit

April 15, 2019

A Boeing-built Intelsat communications satellite launched three years ago is drifting in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles over the equator after suffering a fuel leak and releasing debris fragments last week, according to an analysis by space surveillance experts.

Photos: Stratolaunch’s giant airplane flies over Mojave

April 13, 2019

Stratolaunch’s rocket carrier jet, the largest aircraft in the world by wing span, took off Saturday morning from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California for its first test flight.

World’s largest airplane completes first flight

April 13, 2019

Built for hauling rockets aloft to launch satellites, the world’s biggest airplane landed Saturday after a widely-anticipated test flight over California’s Mojave Desert, six months after the death of billionaire benefactor Paul Allen clouded the future of the project.

SpaceX retrieves Falcon Heavy fairings from sea for reuse on future launch

April 12, 2019

SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said Thursday that the company’s recovery fleet in the Atlantic Ocean recovered the two halves of the Falcon Heavy’s payload shroud after the heavy-lifter’s second launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Musk said the company plans to reuse the fairing for the first time later this year.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy successful in commercial debut

April 11, 2019

On its second flight, SpaceX’s mammoth Falcon Heavy rocket hurled an Arabsat communications satellite the size of a school bus nearly one-quarter the way to the moon Thursday, days after NASA’s administrator identified the privately-developed rocket as a backup to the agency’s behind-schedule Space Launch System for sending astronauts back to the lunar surface.

Photos: SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy fires into a clear evening sky

April 11, 2019

Soaring into a clear early evening sky, SpaceX’s second Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from a seaside launch complex Thursday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida before a crowd of thousands of space enthusiasts.

Israeli probe crashes in attempt to become first privately-funded moon lander

April 11, 2019

An Israeli-built spacecraft seeking to become the first privately-developed probe to land on the moon crashed on descent Thursday, but the mission was widely lauded as a breakthrough for the commercial space industry, and Israeli prime minster Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would try again.

Live coverage: Israel’s Beresheet lander lost during descent to the moon

April 11, 2019

The privately-funded, Israeli-built Beresheet spacecraft failed Thursday during its historic attempt to land on the moon, seeking to become the first mission to reach the lunar surface without significant government backing. The landing was expected to occur at 1925 GMT (3:25 p.m. EDT).

Privately-funded Israeli probe set for daring moon landing attempt

April 11, 2019

An Israeli-built spacecraft financed through donations from billionaire philanthropists is set to make history Thursday when it tries to become the first privately-funded probe to land on the moon.