Boeing – Page 36 – Spaceflight Now

Long-awaited station spacewalk on tap Friday

August 18, 2016 William Harwood

Astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins ventured outside the lab complex Friday for a long-awaited spacewalk to attach a new docking mechanism, the first of two that will be used by U.S. crew ferry ships being built by Boeing and SpaceX to carry astronauts to and from the outpost, ending NASA’s sole reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Video: Gantry swing arm arrives at Atlas 5 pad for astronauts to board Starliners

August 13, 2016 Justin Ray

Constructing the launch pad infrastructure for astronauts to board Boeing’s Starliner crew capsules atop United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets, workers delivered the Crew Access Arm with its White Room to Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 on Thursday, Aug. 11.

NASA picks 6 companies to develop prototype space habitats

August 12, 2016 William Harwood

NASA has selected six companies to work on designs for deep space habitat modules that could be used by astronauts living and working near the moon as technology is developed for eventual flights to Mars, the agency announced Tuesday.

Boeing nears fix for CST-100 Starliner design hitch

August 2, 2016 Stephen Clark

Boeing engineers are close to resolving concerns with the mass and aerodynamic shape of the company’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew carrier, and officials are optimistic the spaceship will be ready to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station in early 2018.

Intelsat confident in Ariane 5 to launch two critical satellites

July 31, 2016 Stephen Clark

Two Intelsat communications craft are in French Guiana getting configured for a dual-launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket Aug. 24, the first time the global satellite operator has put two of its payloads on the same booster.

SpaceX sends supplies to space station, lands another Falcon rocket

July 18, 2016 Stephen Clark

Rising into a midnight sky lit by the full moon, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral early Monday with a commercial cargo craft on the way to the International Space Station, then returned to Florida’s Space Coast for a dramatic nighttime landing.

Last shuttle commander ‘back in the fight’ with Boeing

July 11, 2016 Stephen Clark

When Chris Ferguson climbed into the commander’s seat of the shuttle Atlantis five years ago for the spaceship’s final flight, he didn’t know what turn his career would take when he returned to Earth. Now the former F-14 fighter pilot helps lead Boeing’s development of the CST-100 Starliner space taxi, one of two U.S.-built commercial spacecraft selected by NASA to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket lofts satellites for Eutelsat and ABS

June 16, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off into a brilliant morning sky over the Sunshine State on Wednesday, and these photos show the kerosene-fueled launcher climbing away from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on dual-satellite delivery mission

June 15, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Wednesday at 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT), launching with two Boeing-built communications satellites for Eutelsat and Asia Broadcast Satellite.

SpaceX successfully fires satellites into orbit, but loses booster on landing

June 15, 2016 Stephen Clark

Two pioneering communications satellites purely powered by plasma rocket thrusters lifted off from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 launcher Wednesday, starting missions to broadcast video across Asia and Latin America, and improve navigation for airplanes crossing the United States.