Commercial Crew – Page 22 – Spaceflight Now

Boeing delays first Starliner test flight to August, NASA extends duration of first crew mission

April 2, 2019 Stephen Clark

Boeing said Tuesday the first orbital test flight of its commercial crew capsule, named the Starliner, will be delayed until August “in order to avoid unnecessary schedule pressure” and give priority on the Atlas 5 rocket’s manifest to a U.S. Air Force communications satellite. NASA confirmed Wednesday that officials have approved an extension of the Starliner’s first crewed mission to last up to several months.

NASA unveils $21 billion Trump administration fiscal year 2020 budget request

March 11, 2019 William Harwood

President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget request includes $21.02 billion for NASA, funding the agency’s ongoing efforts to develop commercial spacecraft and infrastructure in low-Earth orbit and to press ahead with construction and launch of the world’s most powerful rocket and the Orion crew ships that will carry astronauts back to the moon.

SpaceX crew capsule returns to Earth, paving the way for human launches

March 8, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft closed out a six-day test flight in low Earth orbit Friday with an on-target splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, and officials hailed the ship’s performance before it flies with astronauts for the first time later this year.

SpaceX crew ship set for Friday re-entry, splashdown

March 7, 2019 William Harwood

Space station astronauts closed hatches to the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Thursday, setting the stage for undocking early Friday and a fiery unpiloted plunge to splashdown off the coast of Florida. A successful return to Earth will help clear the way for launch of the first piloted test flight of the new ferry ship in the mid-summer timeframe.

Photos: Crew Dragon moves in for first docking

March 7, 2019 Stephen Clark

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took these pictures of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft as it approached for docking Sunday, a day after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Photos: SpaceX launches crew capsule demonstration flight

March 6, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, designed to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, fired into orbit on top of a Falcon 9 rocket Saturday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX crew capsule welcomed aboard space station

March 3, 2019 Stephen Clark

Closing out a 27-hour pursuit after a predawn launch from Florida’s Space Coast, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule glided to an automated docking early Sunday at the International Space Station, accomplishing one of the ship’s key test objectives before astronauts take a ride later this year.

SpaceX launches first Crew Dragon ferry ship

March 2, 2019 William Harwood

Opening a new era in American spaceflight, a Falcon 9 rocket streaked into space early Saturday, boosting the company’s first Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit on an unpiloted test flight, the first launch of a commercially developed capsule intended to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Astronauts eager to see results of Crew Dragon test flight

March 1, 2019 Stephen Clark

The astronauts assigned to fly SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft beginning later this year said Friday they are excited for the capsule’s first orbital mission set for launch Saturday, but significant work remains before the ship is cleared to carry people.

Photos: Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon stand tall at pad 39A

March 1, 2019 Stephen Clark

These photos show the 215-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft at launch pad 39A, ready for liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast on a critical test flight to the International Space Station.