Commercial Space – Page 148

Sierra Nevada to resume Dream Chaser flight tests

March 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

An atmospheric test model of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser space plane is being readied for tow and landing tests at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California this spring.

OneWeb to break ground on Florida factory, merge with Intelsat

March 1, 2017 Stephen Clark

Days before breaking ground on a new spacecraft assembly line near Cape Canaveral, OneWeb and Intelsat announced a proposed merger Tuesday that would couple a planned fleet of 900 broadband Internet satellites with a high-power communications network in geostationary orbit.

Q&A with Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO

February 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Elon Musk spoke with reporters Monday about his company’s plan to launch two space tourists on a loop around the moon in 2018.

Canada’s MDA buys DigitalGlobe, reveals next-generation WorldView satellite fleet

February 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

The acquisition of DigitalGlobe, the owner of several commercial Earth-viewing spacecraft in orbit, by Canada’s MDA Corp. will combine two of the world’s leading radar and optical observation imaging systems into one globe-spanning network and give Space Systems/Loral a firmer foothold in the market for manufacturing Earth observation satellites, officials said Friday.

SpaceX to send two private citizens around the moon and back

February 27, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk announced Monday plans to send two paying “private individuals” on a week-long flight around the moon and back to Earth by the end of next year.

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from pad 39A, then lands nearby

February 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from launch pad 39A, a historic facility under lease from NASA, and delivered to orbit an uncrewed supply ship heading for the International Space Station. The first stage booster returned to a landing at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first such recovery on land in daylight.

Historic launch pad back in service with thundering blastoff by SpaceX

February 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX sent a cargo capsule with nearly 5,500 pounds of experiments and supplies on a three-day trip to the International Space Station on Sunday, firing the automated spaceship through low-hanging clouds and into orbit from the same launch pad where Apollo astronauts began voyages to the moon.

Final experiments added to SpaceX spaceship for station resupply flight

February 17, 2017 Stephen Clark

Engineers clad in clean suits finished stowing last-minute cargo into SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship Friday, including 40 mice and bacterial research specimens, a day before it is scheduled to blast off to the International Space Station in the first flight from the Kennedy Space Center’s historic Apollo-era launch pad 39A since 2011.

Live coverage: Dragon cargo carrier reaches space station

February 17, 2017 Stephen Clark

A day after aborting a rendezvous to resolve a navigation glitch, SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft made a smooth final approach to the International Space Station on Thursday, floating in range of the research lab’s robot arm for capture at 5:44 a.m. EST (1044 GMT).

Don’t miss this spectacular video of 104 satellites deployed in space

February 16, 2017 Stephen Clark

India’s space agency has released stunning video captured by cameras mounted on-board a rocket that launched this week with 104 satellites. Watch the spectacular replay of the launcher’s upper stage deploying a record number of payloads 300 miles above Earth.