Falcon 9 – Page 147 – Spaceflight Now

Rain and clouds in the forecast for Tuesday’s SpaceX launch

January 3, 2015 Stephen Clark

Forecasters predict mostly cloudy conditions and a chance of light rain for Tuesday morning’s scheduled takeoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a space station-bound supply ship, with a 40 percent chance weather could prevent liftoff during an instantaneous predawn launch opportunity.

SpaceX selected for launch of Qatari satellite

December 29, 2014 Stephen Clark

A communications satellite owned by the Qatari government will launch from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late 2016, according to Qatar’s state-owned satellite company.

Planet-hunting telescope to launch on Falcon 9 rocket

December 21, 2014 Stephen Clark

NASA’s decision to launch a satellite to search for planets around other stars on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2017 will allow officials to cancel plans to order a solid-fueled kick motor to send the telescope into a unique high-altitude orbit, the mission’s top scientist said.

Falcon 9 completes full-duration static fire

December 20, 2014 Stephen Clark

SpaceX fueled up a Falcon 9 rocket, ran through a mock countdown and fired the booster’s nine Merlin main engines Friday in a successful preflight static fire test officials hope will clear the way for liftoff Jan. 6 on a space station resupply mission.

Launch of SpaceX supply ship delayed to January

December 18, 2014 Stephen Clark

Blaming a technical glitch encountered during a preflight test, officials said Thursday the launch of SpaceX’s next Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station has been delayed to early January.

SpaceX expected to set new Falcon 9 launch date

December 17, 2014 Stephen Clark

Officials will likely set a new launch date Thursday for a SpaceX-owned commercial cargo craft that was expected to take off Friday heading for the International Space Station, according to sources familiar with launch preparations.

Rocket landing experiment on tap after SpaceX cargo launch

December 17, 2014 Stephen Clark

SpaceX hopes to take a giant leap forward in rocket technology a few minutes after Friday’s scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 booster taking up 2.5 tons of critical supplies and experiments to the International Space Station.

Photos: SpaceX’s autonomous spaceport drone ship

December 16, 2014 Stephen Clark

An ocean-going cargo barge modified to serve as a landing pad for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster is set to depart the Port of Jacksonville for a journey into the Atlantic Ocean ahead of Friday’s launch of a space station cargo mission from Cape Canaveral.

Launch of SpaceX cargo mission slips to Dec. 19

December 11, 2014 Stephen Clark

The launch of SpaceX’s next resupply mission to the International Space Station has been rescheduled for no earlier than Dec. 19 to make sure the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon supply ship are ready for flight.

SpaceX hopes to recover rocket intact after next launch

November 26, 2014 Stephen Clark

SpaceX will test out new stabilizing fins that could help land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating barge in the Atlantic Ocean after liftoff on a space station resupply mission in mid-December, according to Elon Musk, the company’s billionaire leader.