Astrotech – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Parker Solar Probe closed up inside Delta 4 fairing for launch

August 9, 2018

Ready for a journey into the sun’s enigmatic, scorching corona, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has been encapsulated inside the nose cone of its Delta 4-Heavy rocket for liftoff Saturday.

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket and GOES-S weather satellite assembled for launch

February 26, 2018

Technicians around Cape Canaveral spent the last four weeks assembling a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket and preparing a Lockheed Martin-built NOAA weather satellite for liftoff March 1.

GOES-S weather observatory hoisted atop Atlas 5 rocket

February 16, 2018

NOAA’s next geostationary weather satellite, GOES-S, was raised on top of an Atlas 5 launcher Friday at Cape Canaveral in preparation for liftoff March 1 to keep watch over the Pacific Ocean and the Western United States.

GOES-S weather satellite arrives in Florida for launch preparations

December 5, 2017

NOAA’s latest weather satellite, a new-generation geostationary observatory named GOES-S, landed at the Kennedy Space Center’s former space shuttle runway Monday aboard a U.S. Air Force transport jet, ready to begin final preparations for launch March 1 on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.

Photos: NASA’s TDRS-M satellite being readied for upcoming launch

July 13, 2017

With the Atlas 5 rocket that will boost it into space now assembled and waiting, a $408 million NASA communications satellite is in final preparations for its science data relay mission.

Photos: EchoStar 19 encapsulated for launch atop Atlas 5

December 12, 2016

In preparation for liftoff Dec. 18 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, the powerful Internet-from-space broadcasting satellite called EchoStar 19 was encapsulated in the nose cone.

Photos: New U.S. weather observatory buttoned up for launch

October 28, 2016

United Launch Alliance encapsulated the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R, GOES-R, on Oct. 21 at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida.

Photos: Navy satellite encapsulated, mated to Atlas 5

June 15, 2016

The U.S. Navy’s Mobile User Objective System communications satellite No. 5 was encapsulated in the payload fairing at Astrotech on June 4 and then hoisted atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at Complex 41 on June 13.

Photos: Morelos 3 satellite wrapped up in Atlas nose cone

September 26, 2015

This photo gallery shows the Mexican Morelos 3 communications satellite being encapsulated in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket’s payload fairing for the planned Oct. 2 liftoff.

Photos: Navy satellite wrapped up in Atlas rocket nose cone

August 17, 2015

This photo gallery shows the U.S. Navy’s Mobile User Objective System communications satellite No. 4 being encapsulated in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket’s payload fairing for the planned Aug. 31 liftoff.