Mission Reports – Page 67 – Spaceflight Now

NASA assesses moon rocket after a brush with Hurricane Nicole

November 10, 2022 William Harwood

NASA’s $4.1 billion Artemis moon rocket, exposed to the elements atop its Kennedy Space Center launch pad, was rocked by high winds and driving rain early Thursday as Hurricane Nicole roared ashore just south of the spaceport.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 rocket launches on its final mission from California

November 10, 2022 Stephen Clark

The final launch of an Atlas 5 rocket from California took off early Thursday with NOAA’s JPSS 2 weather satellite and the LOFTID re-entry tech demo experiment for NASA. The Atlas 5 rocket launched at 1:49 a.m. PST (4:49 a.m. EST; 0949 GMT) Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base. United Launch Alliance has 19 more Atlas 5s slated to launch from Florida before the rocket’s retirement.

Watch live: Hurricane force wind gusts detected at Artemis 1 launch pad

November 9, 2022 Stephen Clark

Hurricane Nicole made landfall on Florida’s east coast south of Kennedy Space Center early Thursday, while NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket rode out the storm on pad 39B. We’re streaming live views from Kennedy Space Center.

Cygnus cargo ship arrives at space station after solar array trouble

November 9, 2022 Stephen Clark

A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, overcoming a deployment failure on one of its two power-generating solar arrays to deliver 4.1 tons of cargo and experiments to the complex.

First launch of NASA’s Artemis moon rocket slips to Nov. 16

November 8, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA said Tuesday the launch of its Artemis 1 moon rocket will be delayed from Nov. 14 to no earlier than Nov. 16 as approaching Tropical Storm Nicole interrupts preflight processing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Subtropical Storm Nicole delays SpaceX launch; Artemis 1 rocket stays on pad

November 7, 2022 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has pushed back the flight of its next Falcon 9 rocket from Tuesday to Saturday as Subtropical Storm Nicole threatens the east coast of Florida, officials said Monday. But NASA is keeping its Artemis 1 moon rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for a launch attempt next week.

Cygnus cargo ship launches to space station, deploys one of two solar arrays

November 7, 2022 Stephen Clark

Using its second-to-last Antares rocket with Russian engines before a redesign to rely on all-U.S. propulsion, Northrop Grumman sent a Cygnus supply ship into orbit from Virginia on Monday to deliver spacewalk equipment, experiments, and fresh treats for the crew on the International Space Station. Ground teams only confirmed one of the two solar arrays deployed after launch, but engineers believe the spacecraft has enough power to reach the station and complete its primary mission.

China launches high-power Ka-band communications satellite

November 6, 2022 Stephen Clark

China launched a high-power communications satellite Saturday on a mission to connect airline passengers, maritime vessels, and other users across China, Southeast Asia, and remote routes between the Asia-Pacific region and North America.

First Starliner crew flight slips to April 2023

November 6, 2022 Stephen Clark

The first test flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule with astronauts has been delayed from February to April 2023, moving the mission after a busy stretch of crew and cargo missions to the International Space Station, and allowing more time for engineers to address problems discovered on an unpiloted test flight earlier this year, NASA said last week.

Live coverage: Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launches from Virginia

November 6, 2022 Stephen Clark

Northrop Grumman launched an Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 5:32 a.m. EST (1032 GMT) Monday to begin a resupply mission to the International Space Station. A fire alarm at Northrop Grumman’s spacecraft control center prevented launch Sunday.