Mission Reports – Page 51 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches two commercial radar satellites

March 16, 2023 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second launch from Virginia took off at 6:38 p.m. EDT (2238 GMT) Thursday. The company’s carbon fiber Electron small satellite launcher carried two commercial radar remote sensing satellites into orbit for Capella Space.

SpaceX supply ship docks at International Space Station

March 16, 2023 Stephen Clark

A day-and-a-half after launching from Florida, SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station Thursday to deliver fresh food, experiments, CubeSats, and a suite of U.S. military tech demo payloads.

SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Florida

March 14, 2023 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft packed with nearly 6,300 pounds of fresh food, hardware, and experiments for the International Space Station lifted off Tuesday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, kicking off a 36-hour transit to the orbiting research complex where it will dock for a month-long mission.

U.S. military experiments hitching ride to space station on SpaceX cargo ship

March 13, 2023 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s next resupply mission to the International Space Station is set for liftoff Tuesday night from Kennedy Space Center, hauling more than 6,300 pounds of cargo to the complex, including a $35 million, half-ton payload package for the U.S. military with experiments ranging from in-space laser power beaming to weather monitoring.

Proton rocket launches classified Russian government satellite

March 13, 2023 Stephen Clark

A Proton rocket launched Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, boosting into a high-altitude orbit a classified Russian government satellite Western analysts believe is designed to eavesdrop on other countries’ radio transmissions.

Crew Dragon splashes down to close out 157-day mission

March 12, 2023 William Harwood

Two NASA astronauts, a Japanese space veteran and a Russian cosmonaut bid their seven space station crewmates farewell and returned to Earth Saturday night, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa after a fiery plunge back through the lower atmosphere.

Relativity Space scrubs second launch attempt for Terran 1 rocket

March 11, 2023 Stephen Clark

Relativity Space got within a half-second of launching its first 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket Saturday from Cape Canaveral, but the countdown aborted after engine startup and the startup aerospace company stood down from its second launch attempt.

SpaceX capsule with four-person crew departs space station, heads for Earth

March 11, 2023 Stephen Clark

Closing out five months on the International Space Station, two NASA astronauts, a five-time Japanese space flier, and a Russian cosmonaut departed the complex Saturday inside a SpaceX Dragon crew capsule, heading for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico around 19 hours later.

Live coverage: Four-person space station returns to Earth

March 11, 2023 Stephen Clark

NASA commander Nicole Mann, pilot Josh Cassada, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina undocked from the International Space Station at 2:20 a.m. EST (0720 GMT) Saturday aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft. Wrapping up a five-month mission, the commercial crew capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida at 9:02 p.m. EST Saturday (0202 GMT Sunday).

Rocket Lab’s second launch from Virginia will loft two commercial radar satellites

March 10, 2023 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second mission from a new launch pad in Virginia is set to take off with two commercial radar remote sensing satellites for Capella Space.