Mission Reports – Page 90 – Spaceflight Now

Firefly’s second rocket set for launch from California

September 10, 2022 Stephen Clark

A year after an early engine shutdown cut short an inaugural test flight, Firefly Aerospace’s second Alpha launcher is scheduled to take off Sunday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a demonstration mission to place seven small satellites into orbit.

SpaceX planning next two Falcon 9 launches in Florida

September 10, 2022 Stephen Clark

The 39th and 40th launches of the year from Florida’s Space Coast are set to blast off Saturday night and Tuesday night on missions to deploy more satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink internet network, plus a rideshare payload for AST Space Mobile’s planned space-based cellular broadband network.

NASA officials evaluating late September launch dates for Artemis 1 moon mission

September 8, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA officials said Thursday they hope to try again to launch the Artemis 1 moon rocket from the Kennedy Space Center as soon as Sept. 23 or 27, but that schedule comes with two big caveats: A repair to a leaky liquid hydrogen fueling line must hold tight during a tanking test next weekend, and the Space Force’s Eastern Range has to extend the certification of batteries on the moon rocket’s flight safety system.

Eutelsat internet satellite launched aboard Ariane 5 rocket

September 7, 2022 Stephen Clark

A powerful Eutelsat commercial communications satellite launched Wednesday aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana, heading into orbit on a mission expected to last more than 15 years to provide broadband connectivity to rural households, ships, and airplane passengers across Europe.

NASA to repair Artemis 1 moon rocket’s leaky hydrogen connector at launch pad

September 7, 2022 Stephen Clark

Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will repair a leak in a liquid hydrogen fueling line on the Artemis 1 moon rocket the launch pad rather than inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a decision the agency says will enable teams to test the repair under cryogenic conditions.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches from French Guiana

September 7, 2022 Stephen Clark

An Ariane 5 rocket launched at 5:45 p.m. EDT (2145 GMT) Wednesday from Kourou, French Guiana, with a powerhouse European broadband satellite owned by Eutelsat and built by Thales Alenia Space. The Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite will beam internet connectivity across Europe for fixed broadband consumers and in-flight WiFi.

High-power European broadband satellite set for launch from French Guiana

September 6, 2022 Stephen Clark

An Ariane 5 rocket is set to blast off Wednesday from French Guiana — a day later than planned due to a poor weather forecast Tuesday — with a Eutelsat-owned satellite designed to beam broadband internet signals across Europe from a position in geostationary orbit.

Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites, Boeing rideshare payload

September 4, 2022 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday night with 51 more Starlink internet satellites and a rideshare payload that will use a Spaceflight-built orbital transfer vehicle to climb into a higher orbit to test broadband communications technology for Boeing. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral occurred at 10:09 p.m. EDT Sunday (0209 GMT Monday).

Hydrogen leak delays moonshot by at least several weeks

September 3, 2022 William Harwood

NASA’s star-crossed Space Launch System moon rocket was grounded for the second time in five days Saturday, this time by a large hydrogen leak in a fuel line quick-disconnect fitting that will delay the $4.1 billion booster’s maiden flight by several weeks, likely into October.

Live coverage: NASA to conduct Artemis 1 repair work at the launch pad

September 3, 2022 Stephen Clark

NASA says it will carry out repairs and tests on the Artemis 1 rocket at the launch pad rather than immediately rolling back to the hangar. The agency needs the Space Force to extend the certification of flight termination batteries if it wants to make another launch attempt in September. Otherwise the rocket will have to return to the assembly building and face a lengthy delay.