Stephen Clark – Page 347 – Spaceflight Now

Asteroid-bound probe returns Earth-moon family portrait

October 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

Ten days after a swingby to receive a gravitational boost toward its asteroid target, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft turned one of its cameras back toward Earth, resolving its bluish home planet hanging in the void of space accompanied by the moon.

Russian resupply launch aborted, curbing express trip to station

October 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

The launch of a Soyuz rocket with a Progress refueling and resupply freighter was aborted seconds before liftoff Thursday in a rare scrub for Russia’s workhorse rocket, delaying the start of a journey to the International Space Station until at least Saturday and thwarting plans to test out a new automated fast-track rendezvous sequence.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with joint satellite for SES, EchoStar

October 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Space Coast Wednesday evening with the SES 11/EchoStar 105 communications satellite, a video relay and data distribution platform jointly developed by SES and EchoStar.

SpaceX launches its 15th mission of the year

October 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

Maintaining a brisk flight rate three days after its last launch, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 booster powered by a reused first stage into orbit Wednesday evening from Florida with an Airbus-built communications satellite for SES and EchoStar.

Photos: Previously-flown Falcon 9 booster poised for launch

October 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket powered by a reused first stage booster rolled out Tuesday to pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a day before its scheduled liftoff with an Airbus-built communications satellite designed for television broadcasts over the Americas.

Falcon 9 launch timeline with SES 11/EchoStar 105

October 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday evening, heading due east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the SES 11/EchoStar 105 communications satellite into orbit 36 minutes later.

Live coverage: SpaceX delivers joint SES/EchoStar satellite to orbit

October 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

Crowned with a European-built communications satellite designed to broadcast television over the Americas, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a previously-flown first stage booster lifted off Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A Wednesday at 6:53 p.m. EDT (2253 GMT).

Wallops launch base receives final hardware delivery for next Cygnus mission

October 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

Orbital ATK shipped the final major piece of hardware for the next Cygnus space station resupply mission to a launch base on Virginia’s Eastern Shore last week as technicians began loading cargo destined for delivery to the orbiting research lab.

Russian Progress supply ship poised for swift trip to space station

October 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

Russian ground crews are readying a robotic Progress cargo freighter for launch Thursday on an expedited trek to the International Space Station that should take less than three-and-a-half hours from liftoff to docking, cutting in half the normal transit time.

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket’s predawn launch from California

October 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off Monday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with 10 new satellites for Iridium’s upgraded communications network in low Earth orbit.