Falcon 9 – Page 108 – Spaceflight Now

GRACE satellites to end research mission in November, before replacements launch

September 26, 2017 Stephen Clark

Two U.S.-German satellites launched more than 15 years ago to measure Earth’s changing gravity field will stop collecting data in November, a few months before a pair of replacement craft will launch to resume gravity measurements, NASA officials said.

Launch operators expect minimal delays from Hurricane Irma

September 13, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX and United Launch Alliance expect to resume launches with little or no delay after Hurricane Irma veered west of Cape Canaveral last weekend, sparing the launch base from the storm’s most extreme damage.

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off and lands at Cape Canaveral

September 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A on Thursday, then its first stage booster touched down on a nearby landing target after sending a U.S. Air Force X-37B spaceplane toward orbit.

SpaceX beats hurricane with smooth launch of military’s X-37B spaceplane

September 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

Succeeding on a one-shot launch attempt before Hurricane Irma shuts down the Cape Canaveral spaceport, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into orbit Thursday with the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane, a reusable robotic mini-shuttle that could stay aloft for years with clandestine on-board experiments.

4K video: Wide-angle view of Falcon 9 launch

September 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

Watch a 4K video replay of Thursday’s Falcon 9 launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Video: Falcon 9 fires away from pad 39A

September 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

This zoomed-in shot shows SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket firing off launch pad 39A Thursday with the U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane.

Video: Press site view of Falcon 9’s liftoff with X-37B spaceplane

September 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

Watch a replay of Thursday morning’s Falcon 9 launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this view recorded from the press site around 3 miles from pad 39A.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 blasts off with X-37B mini-shuttle

September 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B mini-shuttle, an unpiloted orbiting military laboratory. Liftoff occurred at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), and the Falcon 9’s first stage booster successfully landed at Cape Canaveral a few minutes later.

SpaceX readies rocket to launch military spaceplane into orbit

September 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

With an eye on dangerous Hurricane Irma’s forecast path toward Florida, SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force are proceeding with preparations to launch an unpiloted reusable military spaceship Thursday on a mission to conduct experiments in orbit, deploy multiple small satellites and glide back to Earth for a runway landing after months or years in space.

Photos: Military mini-shuttle transferred to SpaceX launch pad

September 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

Cocooned inside the nose cone of its Falcon 9 rocket booster, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane journeyed from a former space shuttle hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, past the Vehicle Assembly Building and toward launch pad 39A last week ahead of liftoff Thursday.