Falcon 9 – Page 104 – Spaceflight Now

Falcon 9 launch timeline with JCSAT 8/Kacific 1

December 16, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Monday, heading due east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the JCSAT 18/Kacific 1 communications satellite into orbit around 33 minutes later.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Boeing-built telecom satellite for Asia-Pacific

December 16, 2019 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 7:10 p.m. EST Monday (0010 GMT Tuesday) with the JCSAT 18/Kacific 1 communications satellite, heading for a position in geostationary orbit to beam broadband signals across the Asia-Pacific. The launcher deployed the satellite into an on-target orbit, and the first stage returned to land on SpaceX’s drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX performs hold-down firing for heavyweight satellite launch Monday

December 13, 2019 Stephen Clark

A test-firing of a twice-flown Falcon 9 booster Friday at Cape Canaveral paved the way for SpaceX’s next launch, scheduled for Monday night with a heavyweight Boeing-built communications satellite to beam broadband signals to Japan and the Pacific islands.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 set for launch Monday from Cape Canaveral

December 13, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral raised a Falcon 9 rocket vertical at the Complex 40 launch pad and performed a static fire test Friday. The Falcon 9 will be used to launch a commercial geostationary communications satellite no earlier than Monday at 7:10 p.m. EST (0010 GMT Tuesday).

Falcon 9 performs extended mission in test for future U.S. military launches

December 8, 2019 Stephen Clark

An extended mission for the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage after launch Thursday with a space station cargo ship helped demonstrate SpaceX’s ability to perform long-duration flight sequences to inject U.S. military payloads directly into high-altitude geosynchronous orbit.

After redesigns, the finish line is in sight for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship

December 7, 2019 Stephen Clark

Five-and-a-half years ago, SpaceX founder Elon Musk revealed SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, a sleek-looking human-rated spaceship with 3D-printed engines, a roomy stylized interior and touchscreen controls. Now SpaceX’s first ship to ferry astronauts — with numerous design changes introduced since 2014 — is about to leave the company’s factory for final testing before launching early next year.

Dragon soars on research and resupply flight to International Space Station

December 5, 2019 Stephen Clark

A commercial Dragon supply freighter built and owned by SpaceX rocketed into a clear blue sky over Florida’s Space Coast Thursday with a menagerie of research experiments and holiday surprises heading for the International Space Station.

Photos: Falcon 9 in the starting blocks for space station resupply run

December 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

Ready for a resupply run to the International Space Station, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday ahead of a planned liftoff with more than 5,700 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies.

Live coverage: Dragon cargo capsule arrives at space station

December 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Sunday with more than 5,700 pounds of supplies and experiments. The supply ship was captured by the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm at 5:05 a.m. EST (1005 GMT).

Long-duration coast experiment on tap after Falcon 9 launch Thursday

December 3, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX will perform a multi-hour experiment on the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket after the launcher deploys a Dragon supply ship on the way to the International Space Station Thursday, gathering thermal data and other information to verify the vehicle’s ability to perform long-duration missions and inject payloads into demanding, high-energy orbits.