Will Robinson-Smith – Page 52

Three robotic missions target Moon landings over one week in January

December 6, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

In a blend of interesting circumstances and happenstance, two private companies and Japan’s space agency are all poised to land on the Moon in the back half of January 2024.

SpaceX conducts static fire test ahead of fifth Falcon Heavy launch of 2023

December 3, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Following two Falcon 9 launches from both California and Florida, SpaceX closed out the first weekend of December with a Falcon Heavy static fire test. The ignition of the 27 Merlin engines comes a week ahead of the planned launch of the U.S. military’s secretive X-37B spaceplane.

Amazon buys three launches from SpaceX for rival internet constellation

December 1, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Tech giant Amazon is adding a fifth rocket to launch its satellite internet constellation. In a surprise move on Friday afternoon, the company announced it purchased three flights aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets to send batched of its Project Kuiper satellites to low Earth orbit.

SpaceX launches ride share mission with South Korean spy satellite, first Irish satellite

December 1, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Kicking off the month of December for SpaceX is a Falcon 9 ride share mission with a payload of 25 spacecraft on board. Liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base with 25 spacecraft occurred at 10:19 a.m. PST (1:19 p.m. EST, 1819 UTC).

ESA Director General: Ariane 6 aiming for summer 2024 debut

November 30, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher said Thursday the Ariane 6 is expected to launch for the first time between June 15 and July 31, 2024. The determination comes on the heels of what ESA determined to be a successful hot fire test of the rocket’s main engine.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, ULA mark 60th anniversary of RL10 rocket engine

November 28, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

A rocket engine with a long pedigree marked a big milestone on Monday. It’s 60 years since the hydrogen-fueled RL10 engine debuted onboard a Centaur upper stage launched from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 27, 1963.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 3rd pair of O3b mPOWER satellites from Cape Canaveral

November 12, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

The launch of the SES O3b mPOWER satellites a day after the Transporter-9 rideshare mission from California. The Boeing-built O3b mPOWER 5&6 satellites launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the start of the 89-minute window that opened at 4:08 p.m. EST (2108 UTC).

SpaceX launches more than a hundred payloads on Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg

November 11, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a rideshare mission to low Earth orbit with a multitude of small payloads. The Transporter-9 mission lifted off into a clear blue sky at 10:49 a.m. PST (18:49 UTC).

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket on 29th resupply mission to the Space Station

November 9, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Rodents, water filters and a laser relay are among the 6,500 pounds of science and equipment that will launch to the International Space Station on Thursday evening. A Falcon 9 rocket launched carrying a SpaceX Cargo Dragon at 8:28 p.m. EST (0128 UTC on Nov. 10) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

U.S. military’s X-37B mini-shuttle to launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy for the first time

November 9, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

The U.S. military’s experimental spaceplane will soon soar to orbit using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, a Pentagon news release announced. The X-37B spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center no earlier than December 7.