European Space Agency – Page 18

After previous crew’s return, new space station residents set for launch Wednesday

June 5, 2018 William Harwood

With three space station fliers safely back on Earth after a pinpoint landing Sunday, three fresh crew members made final preparations for launch Wednesday from Kazakhstan to boost the lab’s crew back to six.

Soyuz rocket for next station crew transferred to launch pad in Kazakhstan

June 4, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz booster set for liftoff Wednesday with a Russian cosmonaut, a German flight engineer, and a former NASA flight surgeon heading for the International Space Station arrived at its launch pad in Kazakhstan Monday.

One station crew heads home, another preps for launch

June 2, 2018 William Harwood

With three space station fliers heading home Sunday after a 168-day mission, three fresh crew members made final preparations for launch three days later to boost the lab’s crew back to six in a rapid-fire rotation that will prevent any major interruption of research activity.

JWST beset by another problem as Northrop Grumman revamps training

May 8, 2018 Stephen Clark

Engineers working on the James Webb Space Telescope, which had its launch delayed to 2020 earlier this year, recently discovered another problem during testing at the observatory’s prime contractor Northrop Grumman in Southern California.

Photos: Modified Russian ballistic missile blasts off with European satellite

April 27, 2018 Stephen Clark

Check out photos of Wednesday’s launch of a Russian Rockot booster, derived from a decommissioned Soviet-era nuclear missile, with Europe’s Sentinel 3B Earth observation satellite.

European environmental observer launched by Russian rocket

April 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

A new European satellite carrying instruments to track changes in the world’s oceans, measure receding ice sheets and chart vegetation growth climbed into orbit Wednesday on top of a Russian Rockot launcher.

Photos: Sentinel 3B satellite prepared for launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome

April 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

Europe’s Sentinel 3B environmental satellite was shipped to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia’s far northern Arkhangelsk region in March for a month-long campaign to prepare the spacecraft for liftoff aboard a Rockot launcher.

Live coverage: Europe’s next environmental sentinel lifts off

April 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

A European environmental satellite designed to monitor Earth’s oceans, lakes and vegetation lifted off Wednesday aboard a modified Russian ballistic missile originally built to carry nuclear warheads. The mission launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome around 500 miles north of Moscow at 1757:51 GMT (1:57:51 p.m. EDT).

Spaceflight reserves two rideshare missions on Vega rocket

April 18, 2018 Stephen Clark

Spaceflight Industries has booked reservations for two commercial rideshare missions on Arianespace’s Vega rocket, officials announced Tuesday, beginning with a proof-of-concept flight in early 2019 of a new Italian-built multi-payload dispenser tailored to accommodate small satellites and CubeSats seeking a ride into orbit.

Potential contamination not a concern for space station’s new lightning instrument

April 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

Scientists working on a new lightning detection instrument mounted outside the International Space Station said Tuesday they expect little effect on the sensor’s performance from possible contamination from the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched it into orbit April 2.