Commercial Space – Page 34

Live coverage: SpaceX crew capsule splashes down in Gulf of Mexico

August 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken returned to Earth Sunday with an on-target splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at 2:48 p.m. EDT (1848 GMT) Sunday. The astronauts completed a two-month stay on the International Space Station on a test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Crew Dragon astronauts pack up for return to Earth

August 1, 2020 William Harwood

Crew Dragon astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken thanked their space station crewmates for a productive two-month visit, readied their SpaceX capsule for departure and stood by for a final “go” from flight controllers to undock Saturday night, setting up a Gulf of Mexico splashdown Sunday afternoon.

Ariane 5 rocket returning to hangar for sensor swap

August 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

Arianespace is returning an Ariane 5 rocket — loaded with three U.S.-built satellites — back to its final assembly building in French Guiana to replace a suspect sensor on the vehicle that prompted officials to cancel a launch attempt Friday. Arianespace said Monday that the swap will delay the launch until around Aug. 14.

Crew Dragon astronauts ready for re-entry, splashdown

July 31, 2020 William Harwood

With Hurricane Isaias threatening Florida’s East Coast, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are awaiting a go-ahead on plans to undock from the International Space Station Saturday, setting up a fiery plunge to splashdown Sunday, presumably in the Gulf of Mexico, to close out a 64-day flight.

Rocket Lab identifies faulty electrical connector as cause of launch failure

July 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

A detached electrical connector on the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket caused a failure on a July 4 mission that destroyed seven small commercial satellites, but the company said Friday it is on track to resume launching before the end of August.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 launch scrubbed by sensor problem

July 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

Arianespace’s third Ariane 5 launch of the year was set liftoff Friday from Kourou, French Guiana, but an issue with a sensor on the rocket’s first stage liquid hydrogen tank caused officials to scrub the launch attempt. The Ariane 5 is poised to carry three U.S.-built commercial satellites into orbit, while testing a few rocket upgrades, including a modified fairing needed for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope next year.

Ariane 5 to test modified fairing for JWST, hardware for new range safety system

July 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

Engineers plan to test small modifications to a payload shroud on a European Ariane 5 rocket launch Friday from French Guiana, gathering data on changes introduced to meet stringent criteria for the launch of the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope in late 2021.

Safety panel concerned about quality control on Boeing crew capsule

July 27, 2020 Stephen Clark

Members of NASA’s independent panel of aerospace safety advisors raised concerns last week about quality control problems that “seemingly have plagued” Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule program, while urging NASA to closely monitor SpaceX’s plans to reuse Crew Dragon spaceships on astronaut flights to the International Space Station.

Virgin Orbit traces cause of LauncherOne engine failure to propellant line

July 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

An engine failure that cut short the first test flight of Virgin Orbit’s air-dropped LauncherOne rocket in May was caused by a faulty propellant feed line, the company’s CEO said this week.

Astra ships next small satellite launcher to Alaska spaceport

July 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

Astra’s next small satellite launcher has shipped to Kodiak Island in Alaska for final preparations ahead of a test flight planned in early August, five months after the company’s first orbital rocket faltered before getting off the ground.