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VideoStoried space weather observatory finally ready for launch
The world's most distant weather outpost is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launching to a point a million miles from Earth to warn forecasters of solar storms that could disrupt global air traffic, satellite navigation and power grids.
Photos: DSCOVR buttoned up for Falcon 9 launch
Engineers worked inside a climate-controlled clean room for two months to ready NOAA's new space weather observatory for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Japanese craft to get second chance after missing Venus in 2010
Five years after a balky valve kept it from entering orbit around Venus, Japan's Akatsuki space probe is again approaching the sweltering planet for another shot at completing its science mission in December, officials said Friday.
Near-ideal weather expected for Sunday’s Falcon 9 launch
Forecasters predict mostly clear skies, light winds and comfortable temperatures for Sunday's launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with a NOAA satellite designed to warn of solar storms that could disrupt navigation and communication technology on Earth.
NOAA space weather sentinel joined with Falcon 9 rocket
A new space weather observatory to be stationed a million miles from Earth has been enclosed inside the nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff Sunday from Cape Canaveral.
NASA presses Congress for more commercial crew funding
The Obama administration has requested more than $1.2 billion from congressional appropriators next year to meet NASA's funding commitments for Boeing and SpaceX's commercial crew ferry spacecraft, and anything less could delay flights of the capsules past 2017.
VideoFull story: Delta 2 rises to occasion with SMAP observatory
The ever-dependable Delta 2 rocket continued its flawless service to NASA and Earth sciences Saturday with the launch of a $916 million environmental probe focused on producing global maps of soil moisture from space.
SpaceX nears pad abort test for human-rated Dragon capsule
SpaceX is finishing up preparations for a major test of a rocket-powered abort system for the company's new Dragon crew ferry spacecraft, targeting launch from Cape Canaveral in March after a pair of Falcon 9 missions in February.
SpaceX confirms first Crew Dragon flights will return to ocean landings
The human-rated Crew Dragon spacecraft being developed by SpaceX will return to Earth under parachutes for splashdowns in ocean, and not execute helicopter-like propulsive touchdowns on land, a SpaceX official confirmed Monday.
Boeing, SpaceX on track for commercial crew flights to station in 2017
NASA expects to spend some $5 billion underwriting development of commercial spacecraft built by Boeing and SpaceX to carry astronauts to and from the space station, ending reliance on the Russians for crew flights and lowering the average cost per seat to around $58 million.