Stephen Clark – Page 322 – Spaceflight Now

Reconnaissance satellite launched by Japanese H-2A rocket

February 27, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket launched Tuesday with a clandestine government-owned satellite to collect sharp-eyed views of North Korea’s missile developments and other global hotspots.

Atlas 5 launch on track for Thursday, SpaceX mission expected to slip

February 27, 2018 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is set to roll to its launch pad Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, a day before liftoff with a new-generation NOAA weather satellite. The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Spanish communications satellite is expected to be shuffled after the Atlas 5 flight in a rapid-fire launch sequence at the Florida spaceport this week.

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket and GOES-S weather satellite assembled for launch

February 26, 2018 Stephen Clark

Technicians around Cape Canaveral spent the last four weeks assembling a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket and preparing a Lockheed Martin-built NOAA weather satellite for liftoff March 1.

SpaceX postpones Falcon 9 launch over payload fairing concerns

February 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX officials have postponed the launch of a Spanish-owned telecommunications satellite from Cape Canaveral planned for this weekend to conduct additional testing on the Falcon 9’s payload fairing pressurization system, the company announced Saturday.

Japanese spy satellite launch delayed by poor weather forecast

February 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

A bad weather forecast has prompted Japanese space officials to delay the launch of an H-2A rocket with a high-resolution government-owned reconnaissance satellite by at least 48 hours until Monday night, U.S. time.

Investigators say erroneous navigation input led Ariane 5 rocket off course

February 23, 2018 Stephen Clark

A bad input to the Ariane 5 rocket’s guidance system that was missed during pre-launch quality control checks caused the launcher to deviate from its expected flight path and place two commercial communications satellites in the wrong orbit Jan. 25, Arianespace announced Friday.

Recycled SpaceX rocket boosts Paz radar satellite, first Starlink testbeds into orbit

February 22, 2018 Stephen Clark

Launching with a Spanish radar observation craft and the first two experimental satellites for SpaceX’s planned global broadband network, a Falcon 9 rocket fired away from California’s Central Coast shortly before sunrise Thursday after several days of delays.

SpaceX fires up Falcon 9 rocket for weekend launch from Florida

February 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket booked to launch a commercial communications satellite for Hispasat, a Madrid-based telecom company, fired its nine main engines late Tuesday night at Cape Canaveral for a pre-flight hold-down test.

White House emphasizes industry over science in Space Council appointments

February 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

A roster of representatives from the commercial space industry, astronauts, retired military officers and politicians will advise the National Space Council as the top-level government panel seeks to reshape U.S. space policy, regulations and exploration strategies.

Photos: Falcon 9 on the eve of launch from Vandenberg

February 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX crews at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California rolled out a Falcon 9 rocket and lifted it vertical atop its launch pad ahead of a planned blastoff Wednesday with a Spanish radar observation satellite and two test probes for a planned global broadband Internet network.