News – Page 693 – Spaceflight Now

September 4, 2025

Breaking News

[ September 2, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Wednesday sunrise Falcon 9 flight Falcon 9
[ September 2, 2025 ] SpaceX’s Tuesday night Starlink features rare debut of a Falcon booster Falcon 9
[ August 30, 2025 ] SpaceX’s Sunday morning Falcon 9 launch sends 1,900th Starlink to orbit in 2025 Falcon 9
[ August 29, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit Falcon 9
[ August 29, 2025 ] NASA, NOAA prep spacecraft trio to study the Sun and its impacts Mission Reports

SpaceShipTwo crash inquiry could take a year

November 2, 2014 Stephen Clark

Investigators have plenty of evidence to sift through as they look into the cause of the fatal crash of a Virgin Galactic rocket plane, but the acting chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said the inquiry may take up to a year to complete.

Branson vows to press ahead, NTSB investigation begins

November 2, 2014 William Harwood

Richard Branson, the charismatic leader of Virgin Galactic and a driving force in the push to commercialize space travel, vowed to find out what caused the fatal crash of his company’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, to learn from the tragedy and to press ahead with plans to carry paying customers into space.

VIDEO: NTSB news conference on start of SpaceShipTwo investigation

November 2, 2014 Spaceflight Now

The NTSB’s Acting Chairman Christopher Hart holds a news conference to discuss the start of the investigation into the loss of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane over the Mojave Desert.

Military communications satellite launched from Russia

November 1, 2014 Stephen Clark

A Russian military communications relay platform blasted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, riding a Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage into an egg-shaped orbit reaching nearly 25,000 miles above Earth.

Chinese probe returns from flight around the moon

November 1, 2014 Stephen Clark

Completing an eight-day test flight around the moon to verify technologies for a planned lunar sample return mission, an unpiloted Chinese space capsule re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at blazing speed and parachuted to a successful landing.

VIDEO: First NTSB briefing on Virgin Galactic accident

November 1, 2014 Spaceflight Now

Acting NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart briefs the news media on Saturday, soon after arriving at the Mojave Air & Space Port to begin an investigation into the loss of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

First stage propulsion system is early focus of Antares investigation

October 31, 2014 Stephen Clark

The first sign of failure during the doomed launch of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket from Virginia came from the rocket’s first stage about 15 seconds after liftoff.

Pilot dies in crash of Virgin Galactic rocket plane

October 31, 2014 Stephen Clark

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashed during a powered test flight over California’s Mojave Desert on Friday, leaving one pilot dead and another seriously injured.

Initial damage assessment shows Antares pad intact

October 31, 2014 Stephen Clark

Initial inspections of the Antares rocket’s launch pad in Virginia revealed the facility escape major damage after sustaining nearly a direct hit from the booster as it fell to the ground in flames seconds after liftoff.

Orbital Sciences hopes to quickly find cause of rocket failure

October 30, 2014 William Harwood

A day after an explosion that destroyed an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket carrying a space station cargo ship, officials said Wednesday they hope to zero in on the likely cause of the mishap within a week or so, based on a detailed review of telemetry, analysis of video and inspection of debris.