Falcon 9 – Page 62 – Spaceflight Now

Crew training continues for SpaceX’s first launch with astronauts

April 3, 2020 Stephen Clark

During a visit to Cape Canaveral this week, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken strapped in to the SpaceX crew capsule they will ride into orbit as soon as mid-to-late May. Next week, the astronauts will be in Houston to continue training for an extended stay on the International Space Station that could last two-to-three months.

Video: Slidewire basket crew egress system tested at pad 39A

April 3, 2020 Stephen Clark

SpaceX tested astronaut slidewire escape baskets and fire suppression capabilities Friday at launch pad 39A in Florida, demonstrating systems that would be activated in the event of an emergency before liftoff of a crewed mission.

NASA, JAXA assign two more astronauts to second piloted Crew Dragon flight

March 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

Veteran astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Shannon Walker have been assigned to fly to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s second piloted Crew Dragon mission later this year, joining commander Mike Hopkins and astronaut Victor Glover on a planned six-month expedition in orbit.

NASA, U.S. military reviewing SpaceX engine malfunction

March 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA and U.S. military officials are reviewing a malfunction that triggered a premature engine shutdown during a flight of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket earlier this month, a cautionary step before upcoming launches with a GPS navigation satellite and astronauts on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Coronavirus concerns force postponement of SpaceX launch with Argentine satellite

March 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

Concerns about the coronavirus pandemic have prompted officials to postpone the planned March 30 launch of Argentina’s SAOCOM 1B radar observation satellite from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, officials said Tuesday.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A (members only)

March 18, 2020 Stephen Clark

With nine engines firing, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Wednesday morning from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 60 Starlink satellites on-board.

Falcon 9 rocket overcomes engine failure to deploy Starlink satellites

March 18, 2020 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket overcame a rare in-flight engine failure soon after launch from Florida’s Space Coast Wednesday to place 60 satellites in orbit for the company’s Starlink Internet network. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, promised a “thorough investigation” of the engine failure before the next Falcon 9 launch.

SpaceX selected to launch Intelsat telecom satellite, NASA pollution monitor

March 17, 2020 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch an Intelsat communications satellite with a NASA-funded air pollution monitor to be positioned over the Americas in 2022, officials announced Tuesday.

SpaceX launch aborted in final second before liftoff

March 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

The countdown for a planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida automatically aborted in the last second before liftoff Sunday after an on-board computer detected unexpected data during an engine power check.

Timeline for Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites

March 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network.