Stephen Clark – Page 82 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX aces 27th Falcon 9 rocket flight of the year, a new record

December 3, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX set a new record Thursday for the most missions by the company’s Falcon rocket family in a year, successfully sending a cargo of 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging spacecraft into orbit from Cape Canaveral.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Starlink and BlackSky satellites

December 2, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday night carrying 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky Earth-imaging payloads into orbit. The mission took off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral at 6:12 p.m. EST (2312 GMT), and the first stage landed on SpaceX’s offshore drone ship, completing its ninth trip to space and back.

Soyuz launch to add two more satellites to Europe’s Galileo navigation network

December 1, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two more Galileo navigation satellites are set for liftoff Friday night from French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket, the first mission in more than three years to add to Europe’s space-based positioning and timing network. The mission was delayed from Wednesday by bad weather, then from Thursday due to the unavailability of a downrange tracking station.

Two BlackSky satellites hitching ride on Starlink mission

November 30, 2021 Stephen Clark

BlackSky said Tuesday it is launching two optical Earth observation satellites as rideshare payloads on a SpaceX Starlink mission planned for liftoff this week from Cape Canaveral. The mission is set for launch Thursday, one day later than the previous schedule.

China launches surge of space missions

November 30, 2021 Stephen Clark

China has launched four space missions from three different spaceports in the span of a week, hauling cargo into orbit for military communications, radar surveillance, and optical imaging.

Weather forecast favorable for SpaceX launch this week

November 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Forecasters predict a 90% chance of good weather Wednesday night at Cape Canaveral for launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a fresh group of Starlink internet satellites.

Russian military launches new missile warning satellite

November 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Russia’s military successfully deployed a spacecraft in orbit Nov. 25 to join a constellation of satellites circling the globe to monitor for missile launches.

NASA gives green light to fuel James Webb Space Telescope

November 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA engineers have cleared teams at the Guiana Space Center in South America to begin loading 63 gallons of fuel and oxidizer into the James Webb Space Telescope, after extra testing showed the observatory suffered no damage during a processing incident in the clean room earlier this month.

Russian node module docks with International Space Station

November 26, 2021 Stephen Clark

Russia’s Prichal docking module linked up with the International Space Station Friday, adding the final planned piece of the Russian segment of the outpost to provide a new connection for future crew and cargo ships.

NASA spacecraft blasts off on experimental mission to divert asteroid

November 24, 2021 Stephen Clark

A small NASA space probe blasted off from California early Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a first-of-its-kind mission to change the orbit of an asteroid, pioneering a technique that may one day be used to divert an asteroid off of a collision course with Earth.