Atlas 5 – Page 51 – Spaceflight Now

InSight Mars lander escapes cancellation, aims for 2018 launch

March 9, 2016 Stephen Clark

The InSight Mars lander has won a reprieve from NASA’s top managers after persistent problems with one of the probe’s science instruments caused the mission to miss a narrow launch window planned for this month.

New GPS satellite begins transmitting to users around the globe

March 9, 2016 Justin Ray

Air Force ground controllers have activated service aboard the newest Global Positioning System satellite, achieving that milestone for the final spacecraft in a dozen built in a manufacturing batch to update the constellation.

Photos: Cygnus packed up and fueled for trip to the space station

March 8, 2016 Justin Ray

The International Space Station cargo ship launching from Cape Canaveral on March 22 has been given a name — the SS Rick Husband.

ULA’s candidates to replace RD-180 engine win Air Force funding

March 7, 2016 Stephen Clark

The Pentagon has awarded at least $162 million in contracts to Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance for development of the AR1 and BE-4 rocket engines, candidates to power the first stage of a next-generation rocket and replace the Russian-made engine currently flying on the Atlas 5 launcher.

Fate of NASA’s InSight Mars mission to be decided soon

March 5, 2016 Stephen Clark

NASA is close to deciding whether to spend an extra $150 million to send the InSight lander to Mars in 2018 or cancel the mission after an instrument problem made the spacecraft miss a launch opportunity this year, with a verdict on the project’s future expected within weeks, officials said.

U.S. resupply ship headed for space station to launch March 22

February 22, 2016 Justin Ray

Signs that a launch to the International Space Station is approaching are obvious this week at Cape Canaveral, with the Atlas 5 booster rocket beginning to take shape and the commercial resupply ship heading to its propellant depot.

Recap story: Last GPS satellite of its generation arrives in space

February 7, 2016 Justin Ray

The main engine rumbling to life. Ice shards breaking free. The rocket lumbering off the pad. The battle against gravity being won once again. That was the scene as the Atlas 5 took flight to cap a generation of Global Positioning System satellites.

Photos: Atlas 5 launches navigation craft from Cape Canaveral

February 7, 2016 Justin Ray

A collection of pad photos from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight to deploy the GPS 2F-12 satellite for use by the U.S. military and billions of civilians around the world.

Videos: Atlas 5 caps a generation of GPS launches

February 7, 2016 Justin Ray

A replay of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launching the Global Positioning System 2F-12 satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, completing 27 years and 61 flights of the GPS 2 generation.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 countdown and launch journal

February 4, 2016 Justin Ray

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral at 8:38 a.m. EST (1338 GMT) Friday to place the Global Positioning System 2F-12 navigation satellite into space. Follow the mission in our live journal.