News – Page 514 – Spaceflight Now

November 7, 2025

Breaking News

[ November 6, 2025 ] Issue with Atlas 5 booster liquid oxygen vent valve causes second scrub of ViaSat-3 F2 launch Atlas 5
[ November 6, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ November 5, 2025 ] Atlas booster valve issue scrubs launch of ViaSat-3 F2 satellite Atlas 5
[ November 5, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ November 4, 2025 ] President Trump renominates commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator News

Astronauts set for Friday spacewalk

January 6, 2017 William Harwood

Two astronauts plan to venture outside the International Space Station Friday, taking over from earlier robotic arm operations to help replace a set of batteries used to store power from one of the lab’s four sets of solar arrays.

Fastest ever stacking of Atlas 5 underway for next national security launch

January 5, 2017 Justin Ray

Just two weeks before it flies to space, the core stage of the next Atlas 5 rocket was erected aboard the mobile launcher platform this morning by United Launch Alliance technicians to kick off a streamlined vehicle assembly that will break a record.

Shuttle engine delivered to Orion service module assembly site

January 2, 2017 Stephen Clark

A former space shuttle orbital maneuvering system engine has been delivered to Germany for attachment to the European-built service module destined to steer NASA’s next Orion spacecraft on a course around the moon on an uncrewed test flight in late 2018.

SpaceX failure probe complete; flights to resume Sunday from California

January 2, 2017 William Harwood

After an exhaustive investigation, SpaceX engineers have identified the most likely cause of the spectacular explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket during a pre-launch test Sept. 1 that destroyed the booster and its $195 million satellite payload, the company announced Monday.

Space station battery work starts New Year’s Eve

January 1, 2017 William Harwood

Working over the New Year holiday weekend, robot arm operators at the Johnson Space Center will begin a complex procedure to replace 12 aging batteries in the International Space Station’s solar power system with six state-of-the-art lithium-ion power packs, a multi-step process over the next two weeks that will require two spacewalks to complete.

Iridium satellites closed up for launch on Falcon 9 rocket

December 30, 2016 Stephen Clark

The first 10 satellites for Iridium’s next-generation mobile voice and data relay network have been fueled, joined with their deployment module and encapsulated inside the clamshell-like nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster for launch as soon as next week from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Internal debris may be causing problem with Mars rover’s drill

December 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

Engineers suspect a piece of foreign object debris may be intermittently stalling a motor needed to place the Curiosity Mars rover’s drill bit onto rocks, and the robot’s ground team is assessing the source of the potential contamination.

Chinese Earth observation satellites launched into lower-than-planned orbit

December 28, 2016 Stephen Clark

Two commercial Earth-imaging satellites launched by a Chinese Long March 2D booster Wednesday are flying in lower-than-planned orbits after an apparent rocket mishap, according to tracking data published by the U.S. military.

Orbital ATK has no plans to phase out seldom-used Pegasus rocket

December 27, 2016 Stephen Clark

The build-up of Orbital ATK’s next air-launched Pegasus XL rocket will start in the coming weeks at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and while its flight in mid-2017 is the last Pegasus launcher on the manifest with a confirmed payload, company officials are confident the unique vehicle has a future beyond next year.

Proton rocket’s next flight moved back to next year

December 26, 2016 Stephen Clark

The first launch of a Russian Proton rocket since June has been delayed until at least January to conduct additional checks on the three-stage booster and its Breeze M upper stage, Russian space officials said.