Stephen Clark – Page 278 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Antares rocket fires into space from Virginia’s Eastern Shore

November 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

Look back on the launch Saturday of a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia, powered by a pair of kerosene-fueled RD-181 engines producing 864,000 pounds of thrust.

Moroccan spy satellite launched aboard Vega rocket

November 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Vega launcher lifted off Tuesday night from a spaceport at the edge of South America’s Amazon rainforest, climbed into orbit on the power of four Italian- and Ukrainian-built rocket stages, and successfully deployed a French-built, Moroccan-owned military surveillance satellite nearly 400 miles above Earth.

China’s Long March 2D rocket launches five satellites

November 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

Five satellites rode a Long March 2D rocket into orbit Monday from the Jiuquan launch base in northwestern China, including a pathfinder for a planned constellation of low-altitude relay satellites and a mysterious spacecraft ambiguously described by Chinese state media.

Japanese cargo capsule succeeds in re-entry tech demo

November 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

A miniature cargo return vehicle carried aboard a Japanese supply ship splashed down in the Pacific Ocean earlier this month in the first test of a new capsule to bring home experiment samples from the International Space Station.

Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with Moroccan spy satellite

November 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Moroccan military reconnaissance satellite secretly built in France lifted off Tuesday night aboard a European Vega rocket in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch occurred at 8:42 p.m. EST (0142 GMT).

Photos: Falcon 9 takes off from launch pad 39A with Es’hail 2 comsat

November 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosted by a recycled first stage fired into the skies over the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 15, and these photos show the start of the 229-foot-tall launcher’s journey into orbit.

China expands reach of Beidou navigation network with another launch

November 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Two more Beidou navigation satellites launched from China on Sunday, ending a record run of 18 satellite deployments this year for the Chinese alternative to GPS and placing the program on the cusp of expanding to full-time coverage over most of Asia, Africa and Europe.

Space station receives second of back-to-back cargo deliveries

November 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Wrapping up a two-day chase since launching from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, a commercial Cygnus cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station Monday with more than 7,200 pounds of supplies and experiments, the second freighter to reach the orbiting complex in 15 hours.

NASA says goodbye to Kepler planet-hunter

November 18, 2018 Stephen Clark

Ground controllers have beamed the final commands to NASA’s Kepler telescope, turning off the spacecraft’s transmitters and disabling the craft’s automatic recovery software after the planet-hunting observatory ran out of fuel last month.

Russian freighter arrives at International Space Station

November 18, 2018 Stephen Clark

Two days after launching from the steppe of Kazakhstan, a Russian Progress resupply and refueling freighter docked with the International Space Station Sunday.