Commercial Space

Ariane 5 returns to service with dual-satellite launch

April 5, 2018

Boosted by two solid-fueled motors and a hydrogen-burning main engine, a European Ariane 5 rocket took off Thursday from French Guiana with a Japanese military communications payload and a U.S.-built, British-owned broadband satellite, returning to service after a January mission placed two spacecraft in the wrong orbit.

Video: Ariane 5 rocket lifts off with communications satellites

April 5, 2018

A European Ariane 5 rocket climbed off its launch pad in French Guiana with nearly 3 million pounds of thrust Thursday, carrying two communications satellites to orbit for the Japanese military and British-based Avanti Communications.

Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered test flight since 2014

April 5, 2018

Virgin Galactic’s second piloted suborbital spaceship made its first rocket-powered test flight Thursday, three-and-a-half years after the loss of an earlier model in an accident that killed one test pilot and injured another.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 lifts off on first flight since off-target launch

April 5, 2018

The first Ariane 5 launch since a mission flew off course Jan. 25, deploying two communications satellites into an off-target orbit, is underway. Liftoff with the DSN 1/Superbird 8 and Hylas 4 communications satellites occurred on time at 2134 GMT (5:34 p.m. EDT).

Dragon cargo capsule reaches space station for second time

April 4, 2018

A commercial Dragon spacecraft glacially approached the International Space Station on Wednesday, allowing a robotic arm controlled by Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai to reach out and grapple the supply ship as it soared 250 miles over Africa, completing SpaceX’s 14th mission to the research complex, and the second by the same capsule.

SpaceX supply ship departs Cape Canaveral for space station

April 2, 2018

Hauling nearly three tons of supplies, hardware and experiments, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shot into orbit Monday from Cape Canaveral, with a previously-flown Dragon cargo carrier riding a reused first stage booster to kick off a nearly two-day journey to the International Space Station.

Ariane 5 returns to service with dual-satellite launch

Video: Ariane 5 rocket lifts off with communications satellites

Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered test flight since 2014

Live coverage: Ariane 5 lifts off on first flight since off-target launch

Dragon cargo capsule reaches space station for second time

SpaceX supply ship departs Cape Canaveral for space station

Video: Multi-angle replays of Falcon 9’s liftoff from Cape Canaveral

Video: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on SpaceX’s 14th station cargo mission

Video: Press site view of SpaceX resupply launch (members only)

Timeline for SpaceX’s next station cargo launch