Mission Reports – Page 129

April 25, 2024

Breaking News

[ April 23, 2024 ] Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches NASA, Korean payloads on Electron flight Electron
[ April 23, 2024 ] SpaceX completes 300th Falcon booster landing during Starlink mission Falcon 9
[ April 22, 2024 ] News from the Press Site: NASA explores new path for Mars Sample Return, Dragonfly mission to Titan gets green light News
[ April 18, 2024 ] SpaceX completes 40th Falcon 9 launch of the year with Starlink mission Falcon 9
[ April 17, 2024 ] SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket on Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center Falcon 9

Two hitchhiker smallsats to accompany SpaceX’s next Starlink mission into orbit

May 14, 2021 Stephen Clark

An innovative commercial Capella radar observation spacecraft with night vision and a small payload from the California-based smallsat manufacturer Tyvak are set to ride into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast Saturday with 52 more Starlink internet satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Rocket Lab ready for second booster recovery attempt

May 14, 2021 Stephen Clark

The scheduled launch Saturday of two commercial BlackSky Earth-imaging satellites from New Zealand will double as an opportunity for Rocket Lab to test an enhanced heat shield on its Electron booster, an upgrade that should allow the company to recover rockets in better condition for eventual reuse.

Chinese rover heads for landing on Mars

May 14, 2021 Stephen Clark

A Chinese rover outfitted with cameras, a weather station, and a sophisticated laser spectrometer could touch down on Mars as soon as Friday, a feat that would make China the second nation to successfully land and operate a spacecraft on the surface of the Red Planet.

Watch our interview with two International Space Station astronauts

May 14, 2021 Stephen Clark

Spaceflight Now editor Stephen Clark spoke live to International Space Station astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur about their mission Friday.

SpaceX outlines plans for Starship orbital test flight

May 13, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has revealed the flight plan for the first orbital test launch of the company’s huge stainless steel Starship rocket, a 90-minute, around-the-world mission that will originate from South Texas and culminate with a controlled re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

Russian actress, Japanese entrepreneur cleared for space station visits

May 13, 2021 William Harwood

Russian actress Yulia Peresild and filmmaker Klim Shipenko will join cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov for a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station on Oct. 5 to shoot scenes for an upcoming movie, the Russian space agency announced Thursday.

U.S. military warning sentinel attached to Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral

May 12, 2021 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance crews at Cape Canaveral have topped off an Atlas 5 rocket for liftoff Monday with the U.S. military’s next infrared sentinel to join a satellite fleet designed detect missile launches around the world.

NASA, Axiom sign agreements moving ahead with first commercial station visit

May 10, 2021 William Harwood

NASA and Houston-based Axiom Space have signed a “mission order” setting the stage for four civilians to visit to the International Space Station early next year, the first fully commercial flight to the orbiting lab complex, agency managers said Monday.

NASA chief criticizes China for uncontrolled rocket re-entry

May 10, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Saturday that China is failing to meet “responsible standards” on space debris after a massive Long March rocket stage fell back to Earth over the Indian Ocean in an uncontrolled re-entry that is likely to be repeated with additional launches next year.

SpaceX reaches rocket reuse milestone on Starlink launch

May 9, 2021 Stephen Clark

The launch of another 60 Starlink internet spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Sunday thrust SpaceX past a major milestone in rocket reuse: the 10th successful flight of a Falcon 9 booster. The mission marked the fourth SpaceX launch from Florida in 16 days, with the next batch of Starlink satellites due to blast off next Saturday.