News – Page 553 – Spaceflight Now

June 3, 2023

Breaking News

[ June 3, 2023 ] Live coverage: Three Chinese astronauts returning to Earth today Mission Reports
[ June 2, 2023 ] Webb spots vast plume of water vapor spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus News
[ June 2, 2023 ] Third set of upgraded solar arrays ready for ride to International Space Station Falcon 9
[ June 1, 2023 ] Technical snags force another delay for Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule Mission Reports
[ June 1, 2023 ] North Korean launch attempt fails, days after South Korea’s successful space shot Mission Reports

Launcher contracts signify shift in Europe’s rocket industry

August 18, 2015 Stephen Clark

Europe’s next-generation launcher family has moved a step closer to reality with the signature of nearly $3.8 billion in contracts for development of the Ariane 6 rocket and an upgraded version of the lightweight Vega booster.

Japanese rocket ready to launch supplies to space station

August 18, 2015 Stephen Clark

A Japanese HTV cargo craft is being prepped for liftoff Wednesday with a much-needed shipment of provisions for the International Space Station’s six-person crew after a spate of failures strained the orbiting lab’s supply chain with Earth.

Orbital ATK receives orders for two more ISS cargo flights

August 18, 2015 Stephen Clark

NASA has put off selecting the winners in a new competition for deals to resupply the International Space Station, prompting the agency to order two more commercial resupply missions from Orbital ATK to satisfy the orbiting lab’s cargo needs into early 2018, bringing the company’s total contract to 10 logistics flights.

NASA to rely on Mars program’s silent workhorse for years to come

August 17, 2015 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, aging and arthritic a decade after its launch, remains productive and is expected to be the primary pipeline for high-resolution maps of Mars for scientists and mission planners over the next decade.

Kelly urges funding for commercial crew program

August 17, 2015 William Harwood

Astronaut Scott Kelly, 143 days into a planned 341-day stay aboard the International Space Station, urged lawmakers Monday to restore full funding to NASA’s commercial crew program to avoid expected launch delays and continued sole reliance on Russia for transportation to and from the International Space Station.

Photos: Navy satellite wrapped up in Atlas rocket nose cone

August 17, 2015 Justin Ray

This photo gallery shows the U.S. Navy’s Mobile User Objective System communications satellite No. 4 being encapsulated in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket’s payload fairing for the planned Aug. 31 liftoff.

Stormy forecast prompts delay for Japanese resupply mission

August 17, 2015 Stephen Clark

The launch of a Japanese cargo ship with more than 4.5 tons of supplies bound for the International Space Station has been rescheduled for Wednesday due to a poor weather forecast at the mission’s island launch base.

Rocket engine fires up in latest test for behemoth booster

August 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

A hydrogen-fueled rocket engine ignited with a bone-rattling sonic wave Thursday at NASA’s test facility in Southern Mississippi, throttling up to more than a half-million pounds of thrust to verify upgrades to the space shuttle’s main engines can power a humongous new launcher off the planet.

Shuttle-era rocket engine primed for test firing

August 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

NASA plans to fire up a space shuttle-era rocket engine in Mississippi on Thursday for nearly nine minutes to validate upgrades to the powerplant for the Space Launch System, a new mega-rocket under development to boost astronauts on missions to deep space.

Attention social media users: See an Atlas 5 launch up close!

August 13, 2015 Justin Ray

United Launch Alliance is giving members of the public a behind-the-scenes look during one of its Atlas 5 rocket flights from Cape Canaveral.