Falcon 9 – Page 149 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Falcon 9 vertical on the launch pad

January 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was lifted upright on Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Monday after workers loaded time-sensitive supplies and research specimens into the Dragon cargo craft’s pressurized cabin.

Cargo flight first of many SpaceX launches planned for 2015

January 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX will kick off a busy 2015 calendar playing catch-up, with liftoff of a Dragon supply ship for the International Space Station set for Tuesday after a delay from December.

Ships deployed into the Atlantic for experimental rocket landing

January 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

A barge and command ship chartered by SpaceX are stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s East Coast in a bid to recover a used-up Falcon 9 rocket stage Tuesday in a long-theorized — but never tried — maneuver that could lay the groundwork for a big advance in space technology.

Live coverage: Dragon completes space station resupply flight

January 5, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship wrapped up a 29-day stay at the International Space Station on Tuesday, departing the complex with with nearly 3,700 pounds of research specimens and return cargo before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

2014’s launch tally highest in two decades

January 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

There were more successful space launches in 2014 than in any year since 1992, with Russia, the United States and China responsible for more than 80 percent of global launch activity.

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.