Mission Reports – Page 468

October 23, 2025

Breaking News

[ October 23, 2025 ] Live coverage: SpaceX to expend Falcon 9 booster to launch Spainsat NG 2 communications satellite Falcon 9
[ October 22, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on 550th Falcon 9 mission Falcon 9
[ October 18, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Falcon 9
[ October 18, 2025 ] SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket on record-breaking 31st flight Falcon 9
[ October 17, 2025 ] Orion spacecraft arrives at VAB ahead of stacking for Artemis 2 Mission Reports

LISA Pathfinder launch grounded to analyze Vega upper stage

December 1, 2015 Stephen Clark

Launch managers in French Guiana have delayed liftoff of a European gravitational probe pathfinder at least one day to study out-of-bounds thermal readings from the upper stage of its Vega rocket booster, officials said Tuesday.

Finely-crafted experimental space probe ready for launch

December 1, 2015 Stephen Clark

A modest European-built spacecraft tuned to test the delicate, cutting edge technologies required to detect gravitational waves, a measurement that scientists say could yield unforeseen discoveries about the universe, is awaiting liftoff aboard a solid-fueled Vega rocket this week.

ExoMars nears launch, thanks to nonstop work in factory

November 30, 2015 Stephen Clark

Working around the clock to meet a 12-day launch window in March, European engineers are putting the final touches on a Mars orbiter that could shed light on whether tiny microbes or geologic activity still linger on the barren planet.

ExoMars orbiter and lander on display

November 30, 2015 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli lander were recently presented to the media as they prepare for a tandem launch to the red planet in March.

Photos: H-2A rocket launches satellite for Canadian company

November 26, 2015 Stephen Clark

A powerful H-2A launcher, boosted by four strap-on rocket motors and an upgraded second stage, lifted off from Japan on Tuesday with a multipurpose communications satellite for Ottawa-based Telesat. Check out photos of the H-2A rocket soaring into clear skies.

Japanese H-2A rocket delivers for Telesat

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

Flying its most complex mission to date, a Japanese H-2A rocket fired off a launch pad and roared into space from southern Japan on Tuesday, heading for an on-target deployment of the Telstar 12 Vantage communications satellite four-and-a-half hours later.

Photos: Experimental LISA Pathfinder probe processed for launch

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, destined to test the concept of gravitational wave detection a million miles from Earth, is nearly ready for launch Dec. 2.

Live coverage: Japan’s H-2A rocket blasts off on first commercial flight

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

After a brief delay to chase away a boat from offshore waters, Japan’s H-2A rocket launched at 0650 GMT (1:50 a.m. EST) with the Telstar 12 Vantage telecom satellite. The launch from marks the first flight of an H-2A rocket with an upgraded upper stage, and the launcher’s first dedicated commercial mission.

Sporting new upgrades, H-2A rocket readied for flight

November 23, 2015 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket is set for liftoff Tuesday on its first fully commercial mission, carrying a communications satellite for Telesat of Canada that will bridge the Atlantic Ocean with expanded coverage for television broadcasters and mobile users from Latin America to the Middle East.

Vega booster crowned with gravitational probe pathfinder

November 20, 2015 Stephen Clark

After criss-crossing Europe for a decade, the LISA Pathfinder satellite testbed has reached its last stop before launch in early December on a mission to demonstrate the delicate technologies required to detect elusive low-frequency gravitational waves rippling through the cosmos.