Astro Digital – Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab delivers on dedicated launch for Astro Digital

October 17, 2019 Stephen Clark

A technology demonstration microsatellite for Astro Digital rode a Rocket Lab Electron launcher into orbit Wednesday (U.S. time) from New Zealand, setting the stage for the debut of new systems on the next Electron flight as engineers move closer to retrieving and reusing the rocket’s first stage.

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches for fifth time this year

October 16, 2019 Stephen Clark

An experimental microsatellite built and owned by Astro Digital, a California-based company, rode Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket into orbit at 9:22 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0122 GMT Thursday) from New Zealand.

Rocket Lab preps for commercial satellite launch this week

October 15, 2019 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s fifth flight of the year is set for liftoff as soon as Wednesday (U.S. time) carrying a small experimental satellite to orbit for Astro Digital, a Silicon Valley company aiming to demonstrate technologies in space after an earlier focus on Earth observation.

Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage deliver 33 satellites to three different orbits

July 5, 2019 Stephen Clark

A new Russian weather satellite, a CubeSat to test a Silicon Valley startup’s water-based propulsion system, and eight more members of Spire’s commercial fleet of multipurpose nanosatellites were among 33 spacecraft that rode a Soyuz rocket into orbit Friday from Russia’s Far East.

Live coverage: Soyuz rideshare mission lifts off from Vostochny Cosmodrome

July 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off at 0541 GMT (1:41 a.m. EDT) Thursday from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East, carrying a new Russian weather satellite and 32 secondary payloads into polar orbit.

Russian Soyuz launcher set to carry 33 satellites into orbit

July 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket is scheduled for liftoff Friday from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s newest launch site, with 33 satellites from 12 countries on-board to collect weather data and test new space technology.

Guidance error reportedly led to Russian launch failure

November 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

Russian officials could complete their investigation of a rocket failure Tuesday by mid-December, and multiple Russian news reports suggest the probe has narrowed to focus on the guidance computer on the Soyuz launcher’s Fregat upper stage.

Russian weather satellite and 18 secondary payloads lost after rocket failure

November 28, 2017 Stephen Clark

A new Russian weather observatory and the first prototype for Telesat’s planned network of 100-plus broadband communications satellites in low Earth orbit were among 19 spacecraft feared lost after a Fregat rocket stage ran into trouble soon after liftoff aboard a Soyuz booster Tuesday.

Soyuz rocket set for launch from Russia’s new cosmodrome

November 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket is scheduled to lift off Tuesday from a launch pad in Russia’s Far East with a new Russian weather satellite and 18 secondary payloads from companies and institutions in the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Germany.

Soyuz liftoff glimpsed by orbiting observer and launch pad cameras

July 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket July 14 with more than 70 satellites was captured in multiple views from a sharp-eyed orbiting nanosatellite and cameras positioned around the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.