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Installation of ice-measuring satellite caps assembly of last Delta 2 rocket
NASA's ICESat 2 satellite has been bolted atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as ground teams prepare for the final liftoff of the workhorse launcher Sept. 15.
Pioneering European winds observatory launched aboard Vega rocket
A European satellite hosting a spaceborne laser crafted to measure winds in Earth's atmosphere rode a Vega launcher into orbit Wednesday from French Guiana, a thundering sendoff for a three-year mission that could improve global weather forecasts.
Engineers still hopeful Mars rover will wake up after dust storm
Flight controllers have not heard from NASA's Opportunity Mars rover since June 10 when an increasingly severe global dust storm blocked out the sun, preventing its solar arrays from recharging the robot's batteries. But the dust storm is finally abating and engineers are hopeful the long-lived rover will wake up and phone home in the next few weeks.
Live coverage: Vega rocket lifts off with European winds observatory
Europe's new Aeolus winds observatory blasted off at 2120 GMT (5:20 p.m. EDT) Wednesday aboard a solid-fueled Vega rocket from French Guiana, kicking off a three-year mission to chart the motion of Earth's atmosphere.
Vega launch timeline with Aeolus
The European Space Agency's Aeolus winds observatory is set for liftoff aboard a Vega rocket to kick off a three-year mission to measure global wind profiles from an orbit nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) above Earth.
First-of-its-kind satellite to measure global winds finally ready for liftoff
The European Space Agency's $550 million Aeolus science mission, the product of a drawn-out 16-year development effort that required engineers to master new technologies, is in the starting blocks on a launch pad in French Guiana awaiting liftoff Wednesday to monitor wind speeds from space for the first time on a global scale.
Vega launch delayed 24 hours
The liftoff of a European satellite to measure global wind fields has been delayed 24 hours to Wednesday in hopes of a better weather forecast at the Vega rocket's launch base in French Guiana, officials announced Monday.
Photos: Final Delta 2 rocket assembled for launch in California
The step-by-step stacking of United Launch Alliance's final Delta 2 rocket was completed in June at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for liftoff Sept. 15 with an Earth science satellite for NASA.
Tanking test marks resumption of Delta 2 rocket’s final launch campaign
A team of United Launch Alliance and NASA engineers worked through Delta 2 launch day fueling procedures during a simulated countdown Wednesday for what should be the second-to-last time before the venerable rocket's final liftoff next month from California's Central Coast.
Hayabusa 2 probe gets a closer look at asteroid amid landing preps
The Japanese Hayabusa 2 spacecraft dropped within a half-mile of asteroid Ryugu last week, probing its gravity field ahead of key decisions in the coming days to settle on a target site for the robotic mission's first sample collection attempt, and the best touchdown location for a European lander stowed on the mothership.