Will Robinson-Smith – Page 63

Rocket Lab successfully completes return-to-flight Electron launch

December 14, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Rocket Lab launched its first flight of the Electron rocket since a failure on Sept. 19. The 42nd mission for the small-satellite launcher lifted off on Dec. 15 from New Zealand 1705 NZDT (0405 UTC or 11:05 p.m. EST).

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket set for return to flight mission

December 14, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

After more than a year of being sidelined, Blue Origin is preparing for a resurgence of its New Shepard rocket suborbital flights. The launch window for its uncrewed return-to-flight mission dubbed NS-24 opens on Monday at 9:30 a.m. CST (1530 UTC).

Falcon Heavy launch of secretive X-37B military spaceplane on hold

December 11, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Falcon Heavy is returning to the hangar and the launch of the USSF-52 mission with the X-37B spaceplane is on hold. A ground issue scrubbed an earlier launch attempt and now required work on the vehicle itself.

ULA’s first mission with its Vulcan rocket slides to January launch window

December 10, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

The debut of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket is slipping from late December into early January, according to the company’s president and CEO, Tory Bruno. In a social media post on Sunday, Bruno said the planned Dec. 24 launch date was no longer a viable option.

SpaceX sends 23 Starlink satellites to orbit on 90th Falcon launch of 2023

December 6, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

A Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 12:07 p.m. EST (0507 UTC). This launch marked the 280th Falcon 9 launch to date.

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.