Stephen Clark – Page 384 – Spaceflight Now

Rosetta’s comet shows scars from swing through inner solar system

March 22, 2017 Stephen Clark

Scientists examining imagery from Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft have logged numerous changes to the face of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, from collapsing cliffs to a growing crack through the comet’s neck that could foretell the eventual unraveling of the city-sized icy world.

Ariane 5 launch pushed back to Wednesday by labor strikes in Kourou

March 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

A work stoppage at the Ariane 5 rocket’s launch base in South America prevented rollout of the booster to the launch pad Monday, pushing back the liftoff of two communications satellites for Brazil and South Korea until at least Wednesday.

Europe’s ExoMars spacecraft begins lowering its orbit

March 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a Russian-launched, European-built spacecraft that arrived at Mars in October, is starting to dip into the upper reaches of the red planet’s atmosphere in a year-long “aerobraking” campaign place the observatory in the right position to hunt for methane, an indicator of potential biological activity.

SpaceX’s Dragon supply carrier wraps up 10th mission to space station

March 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft ended a four-week mission Sunday with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, returning from the International Space Station with more than 3,600 pounds of cargo, blood and urine samples, and specimens from a rodent research experiment aimed at helping patients with catastrophic bone injuries and osteoporosis.

Live coverage: Dragon cargo craft returns to Earth

March 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

After 24 days at the International Space Station, SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship came back to Earth on Sunday with more than 5,400 pounds of cargo, human and animal research specimens, and other gear tagged for the trip home. Release from the station’s robotic arm occurred at 5:11 a.m. EDT (0911 GMT), and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean was a few minutes before 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT).

Photos: EchoStar 23 takes flight on Falcon 9 rocket

March 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

The EchoStar 23 communications satellite, on the way to a 15-year service life broadcasting television signals, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SES 10 telecom satellite fueled and readied for launch on reused rocket

March 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

Launch preparations for the SES 10 communications satellite, the first spacecraft to ride a reused Falcon 9 booster to space, are on track for a late March blastoff from Florida, officials said.

SpaceX nabs GPS launch contract as Air Force opens more missions for bidding

March 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Air Force this week awarded SpaceX a contract to launch a Global Positioning System satellite in early 2019, concluding the second of as many as 15 competitions the military plans to run over the next year to pit SpaceX against United Launch Alliance for rights to lift defense and intelligence-gathering payloads into orbit.

Photos: Falcon 9 flies off pad 39A

March 17, 2017 Stephen Clark

Climbing into a clear night sky, a Falcon 9 rocket soared into space early Thursday with the EchoStar 23 commercial communications satellite from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

H-2A rocket launches with Japanese radar reconnaissance craft

March 17, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Japanese spy satellite launched aboard an H-2A rocket Friday, heading for a 300-mile-high orbit to track North Korean and Chinese military movements as tensions run high in the region.