Falcon 9 – Page 150 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off, then lands at Cape Canaveral

April 29, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office on Monday after a first stage sensor problem halted a countdown Sunday. Liftoff from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida occurred at 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT), and the first stage landed at nearby Cape Canaveral around nine minutes later. The upper stage’s flight entered a pre-planned news blackout a few minutes after launch.

Iridium hails performance of new satellites, targets four more launches this year

April 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

Eight of Iridium’s first ten upgraded communications satellites launched in January started providing voice and data relay service ahead of schedule, and SpaceX says it can launch up to 40 more Iridium spacecraft by the end of the year, Iridium officials reported Thursday.

Weather looks good for Falcon 9 launch Sunday, but payload still a mystery

April 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

An official weather outlook issued by U.S. Air Force meteorologists Thursday calls for partly cloudy skies on Florida’s Space Coast for liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just after sunrise Sunday with a clandestine payload for the U.S. government’s intelligence agencies.

SpaceX completes static fire test for Sunday launch of secret satellite

April 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

Nine Merlin engines at the base of SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket fired up Tuesday on a launch pad in Florida, wringing out the booster and ground systems ahead of a planned liftoff Sunday with a top secret payload for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency.

Watch a Falcon 9 rocket fire its engines Tuesday at pad 39A

April 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket completed a prelaunch hotfire test at launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday in a signifiant step before Sunday’s scheduled liftoff of a top secret U.S. government spy payload.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket on track for Sunday launch

April 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX rolled out a Falcon 9 rocket to launch pad 39A early Tuesday for a prelaunch hotfire test before this weekend’s liftoff with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. government spy satellite agency. The static fire test was completed at 3:02 p.m. (1902 GMT).

Photos: SpaceX booster lands for second time on drone ship

April 4, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s reused Falcon 9 first stage booster returned to a landing on an ocean-going platform a few minutes after launching March 30 with the SES 10 communications satellite, then returned to Port Canaveral early Tuesday.

Musk previews busy year ahead for SpaceX

April 4, 2017 Stephen Clark

There’s a lot on SpaceX’s agenda this year if the company can maintain its pace, including refinements of the Falcon 9 rocket to hasten refurbishment between flights and the debut of the long-delayed Falcon Heavy launch vehicle with two side boosters recycled from previous missions, Elon Musk said after last week’s successful liftoff of a previously-flown rocket.

Photos: SpaceX’s photos from Thursday’s reflight of Falcon 9 booster

April 1, 2017 Stephen Clark

Remote sound-triggered cameras around launch pad 39A captured stunning views of Thursday evening’s launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the first reflight of a commercial orbital-class booster.

Falcon 9 / SES 10 post-launch press conference audio

April 1, 2017 Spaceflight Now

Listen as SpaceX and SES hold a post-launch press conference at the NASA Press Site at Kennedy Space Center to discuss the successful Falcon 9 launch of SES-10 to geostationary transfer orbit. The SES-10 mission was the world’s first reflight of an orbital class rocket. (Membership required)