SpaceX – Page 121 – Spaceflight Now

U.S. Air Force certifies Falcon Heavy rocket, awards launch contract

June 26, 2018 Stephen Clark

The successful maiden flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket in February was enough for the U.S. Air Force to certify the huge booster to carry the military’s most precious cargo into orbit, beginning with the mid-2020 launch of a classified payload under a $130 million contract awarded last week.

Space junk clean-up demonstrator deployed from space station

June 26, 2018 Stephen Clark

A small satellite assembled in Britain has been released from the International Space Station, commencing a standalone mission to test technology and techniques that could be used to capture and de-orbit space junk in low Earth orbit.

SpaceX test-fires reused rocket in preparation for space station cargo mission

June 23, 2018 Stephen Clark

A rocket booster SpaceX used to launch a planet-hunting NASA observatory two months ago fired again Saturday at Cape Canaveral, clearing a major pre-flight checkout before blastoff June 29 with a space station supply ship.

SpaceX plans new facilities at KSC to support more launches, landings

June 11, 2018 Stephen Clark

An airport-like viewing tower standing up to 30 stories tall is the centerpiece of SpaceX’s planned rocket refurbishment and operations base proposed for vacant land at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Photos: SpaceX successful in nighttime blastoff from Cape Canaveral

June 5, 2018 Stephen Clark

Photos from the liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early Monday from Cape Canaveral show the 20-story launcher climbing into a starry sky with the SES 12 communications satellite.

Video: Falcon 9 soars into space with SES 12

June 4, 2018 Stephen Clark

Watch a replay of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral shortly after midnight Monday with the SES 12 communications satellite.

Multi-mission telecom craft launched by SpaceX for SES

June 4, 2018 Stephen Clark

A powerful commercial communications satellite driven by plasma thrusters rode a reused SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster away from Cape Canaveral early Monday, climbing into orbit to connect companies, homes, airplanes and ships across much of the Eastern Hemisphere.

Video: Falcon 9 joins rising moon in the sky during middle-of-the-night launch

June 4, 2018 Stephen Clark

Flying with a reused first stage booster, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket climbed into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast early Monday with a commercial communications satellite for the Luxembourg-based operator SES.

Falcon 9 launch timeline with SES 12

June 3, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Monday, heading due east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the SES 12 communications satellite into orbit around 32 minutes later.

Live coverage: SpaceX rocket launches with SES 12 communications satellite

June 3, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket with a previously-flown first stage booster carrying the SES 12 communications satellite, an all-electric, multi-band video and data relay platform to serve the Asia-Pacific region. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral occurred at 12:45 a.m. EDT (0445 GMT), and SpaceX did not plan to recover the first stage.