Mission Reports – Page 420

March 26, 2026

Breaking News

[ March 25, 2026 ] NASA outlines ambitious $20 billion plan for moon base Artemis
[ March 22, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ March 20, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ March 19, 2026 ] NASA returns its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2 Artemis
[ March 18, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9

Falcon 9 rocket fires engines in hold-down test for station resupply launch

May 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX ran through countdown and fueling procedures with a Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, culminating in ignition of the booster’s nine first stage Merlin engines in a customary check of the launcher’s readiness before liftoff Thursday with a Dragon supply ship for the International Space Station.

Video: SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket at pad 39A

May 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

Four days before its scheduled blastoff on a resupply run to the International Space Station, a Falcon 9 rocket ran through a countdown rehearsal and engine test Sunday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Live coverage: SpaceX prepares for station cargo launch

May 28, 2017 Spaceflight Now

A Falcon 9 rocket was raised into position at pad 39A on Sunday for a customary test firing of its nine first stage Merlin engines. The rocket is being readied for a launch Thursday with a Dragon capsule carrying supplies to the International Space Station.

Russia sends military satellite into orbit for missile warnings

May 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

Russia lofted a military satellite Thursday to join a network of orbiting early warning stations detecting and tracking missile launches around the world, providing the Russian government notice of potential attack.

Videos: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifts off for first time

May 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s Electron commercial satellite launcher lifted off from New Zealand on its debut test flight Thursday and soared into space on its maiden mission.

Maiden flight of Rocket Lab’s small satellite launcher reaches space

May 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

The debut launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from a privately-operated base in New Zealand made it to space Thursday, proving the performance of major parts of the booster before faltering short of the velocity it needed to enter orbit, the company said in a statement.

Observers spot top secret satellite launched by SpaceX earlier this month

May 24, 2017 Stephen Clark

A network of amateur skywatchers and satellite observers have located a classified spacecraft owned by the National Reconnaissance Office, a U.S. government intelligence agency, in low Earth orbit after its launch May 1 from Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Probe into crash of ESA lander recommends more checks on ExoMars descent craft

May 24, 2017 Stephen Clark

Investigators who studied the crash of the European Space Agency’s Schiaparelli lander on Mars last year have recommended more stringent testing and computer modeling before the launch of a joint European-Russian landing craft in 2020 to avoid a repeat of the mistakes that doomed the probe’s descent through the Martian atmosphere.

Astronauts replace failed computer in short spacewalk

May 23, 2017 William Harwood

After a bit of a struggle with a balky bolt, space station commander Peggy Whitson replaced a failed external computer during a short, hurriedly planned spacewalk Tuesday while crewmate Jack Fischer installed a pair of antennas to improve wireless communications during future excursions.

Rocket Lab delays debut of new launcher to dodge bad weather

May 23, 2017 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab, a company eyeing a market to launch small satellites, said Monday that bad weather at its privately-operated launch base on New Zealand’s North Island kept a commercial Electron booster from lifting off on its maiden test flight for the second day in a row.