Stephen Clark – Page 391 – Spaceflight Now

Scientists narrow list of landing sites for NASA’s next Mars rover

February 13, 2017 Stephen Clark

A rover NASA plans to launch to Mars in 2020 will likely explore one of three locations selected last week by a scientific advisory group, which picked candidate landing sites that were once homes to ancient lakes and hot springs.

Fire returns to flame trench at Apollo-era launch pad in Florida

February 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

Nine Merlin engines ignited and throttled up to nearly 2 million pounds of thrust Sunday during a brief hold-down firing of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, sending a plume of smoke out of the flame trench at Kennedy Space Center’s historic launch pad 39A as the company preps for a space station cargo mission next weekend.

Live coverage: SpaceX begins final launch preparations at historic launch pad

February 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket is being readied for a space station resupply mission at Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A . The rocket is scheduled to launch at 10:01 a.m. EST (1501 GMT) on Saturday, weather permitting. Watch live coverage.

SpaceX readies rocket for tests at historic pad 39A

February 8, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX engineers are preparing to mount a Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s historic launch pad 39A for the first time this week as the company declares the modified facility ready to support a new era of commercial space missions.

Tornado strikes NASA’s Michoud plant in New Orleans

February 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

Employees and flight hardware for NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spaceship were mostly spared after a strong tornado struck the agency’s Michoud plant in New Orleans on Tuesday, but crews planned to begin repairs immediately to plug holes in buildings housing parts and tools to build the new mega-rocket.

NASA okays commercial airlock for space station

February 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

A commercial airlock built in partnership by NanoRacks and Boeing will be connected to the International Space Station in 2019, the companies announced Monday, after the proposed project won preliminary approval from NASA managers.

Iridium to share Falcon 9 launch with NASA-German gravity satellites

February 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

Iridium has secured a launch for five more of its next-generation communications craft in a rideshare arrangement with two U.S.-German research satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket by early 2018.

Planet acquires rival satellite company from Google

February 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

San Francisco-based Planet, a company with a fleet of miniature satellites in orbit looking down on Earth, has acquired Terra Bella from Google to add high-resolution imaging to its business portfolio.

Japanese cargo ship ends mission after space debris experiment flounders

February 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

Japan’s HTV supply ship fell to Earth on Sunday more than a week after leaving the International Space Station, burning up in the atmosphere after officials gave up on an experiment looking into ways to remove space junk from orbit.

Russia recalls rocket engines, grounding Proton missions until spring

February 3, 2017 Stephen Clark

The Russian government is investigating flaws found in Proton rocket engines, ordering all suspect components to be replaced before the heavy-lift booster can resume launches and promising penalties for those responsible for allowing substandard parts to slip through inspection.