Earth Observation – Page 43

Weather could stand in way of Falcon 9 launch Saturday

February 15, 2017 Stephen Clark

Rainy weather expected across Central Florida this weekend has a 50-50 chance of preventing the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday on a resupply mission to the International Space Station, U.S. Air Force forecasters said Wednesday.

India lofts a record 104 spacecraft on a single rocket

February 15, 2017 Stephen Clark

An Indian rocket deployed 104 spacecraft into orbit 300 miles above Earth on Tuesday, the largest pack of satellites ever launched on a single booster.

Indian rocket set to place 104 satellites in orbit

February 14, 2017 Stephen Clark

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is scheduled to fire into orbit late Tuesday, U.S. time, with 104 satellites on-board, setting a record for the largest flock of spacecraft ever launched on a single rocket.

Iridium to share Falcon 9 launch with NASA-German gravity satellites

February 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

Iridium has secured a launch for five more of its next-generation communications craft in a rideshare arrangement with two U.S.-German research satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket by early 2018.

Planet acquires rival satellite company from Google

February 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

San Francisco-based Planet, a company with a fleet of miniature satellites in orbit looking down on Earth, has acquired Terra Bella from Google to add high-resolution imaging to its business portfolio.

Commercial Earth-observing craft recover from off-target launch

January 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

Two Chinese satellites launched into the wrong orbit Dec. 28 have reached their planned perch at an altitude of around 300 miles and sent back their first high-resolution views of Earth for their Beijing-based commercial owner.

Kuaizhou rocket lifts off on first commercial mission

January 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

A solid-fueled Chinese Kuaizhou launcher positioned to compete for worldwide business took off Monday on its first commercial mission with three small satellites to collect high-definition video and test communications technologies.

Chinese Earth observation satellites launched into lower-than-planned orbit

December 28, 2016 Stephen Clark

Two commercial Earth-imaging satellites launched by a Chinese Long March 2D booster Wednesday are flying in lower-than-planned orbits after an apparent rocket mishap, according to tracking data published by the U.S. military.

Piers Sellers, shuttle astronaut and renowned climate researcher, dies at 61

December 26, 2016 Stephen Clark

Former astronaut Piers Sellers, a British-born climate scientist who flew on three space shuttle missions to help construct the International Space Station, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61.

China sends carbon-monitoring satellite into orbit

December 22, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Chinese satellite designed to track greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere rode into orbit Wednesday aboard a Long March 2D rocket, joining an international fleet of orbiting carbon dioxide monitors aimed at combating climate change.