Falcon 9 – Page 80 – Spaceflight Now

Dragon soars on research and resupply flight to International Space Station

December 5, 2019 Stephen Clark

A commercial Dragon supply freighter built and owned by SpaceX rocketed into a clear blue sky over Florida’s Space Coast Thursday with a menagerie of research experiments and holiday surprises heading for the International Space Station.

Photos: Falcon 9 in the starting blocks for space station resupply run

December 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

Ready for a resupply run to the International Space Station, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday ahead of a planned liftoff with more than 5,700 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies.

Live coverage: Dragon cargo capsule arrives at space station

December 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Sunday with more than 5,700 pounds of supplies and experiments. The supply ship was captured by the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm at 5:05 a.m. EST (1005 GMT).

Long-duration coast experiment on tap after Falcon 9 launch Thursday

December 3, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX will perform a multi-hour experiment on the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket after the launcher deploys a Dragon supply ship on the way to the International Space Station Thursday, gathering thermal data and other information to verify the vehicle’s ability to perform long-duration missions and inject payloads into demanding, high-energy orbits.

SpaceX cargo mission combines mighty mice, fires and beer research

December 3, 2019 Stephen Clark

A nest of genetically-engineered mice, a research study to observe the behavior of fires in space, and an experiment that could lead to brewing beer in microgravity are among more than 5,700 pounds of cargo inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule awaiting launch from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station Thursday.

Two cargo freighters set for launch to space station this week

December 2, 2019 Stephen Clark

Fresh off a series of three complex spacewalks to repair a $2 billion cosmic ray detector, the International Space Station’s crew is set to receive two robotic resupply freighters in the next week after launches from Florida’s Space Coast and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

SpaceX test-fires Falcon 9 rocket for next space station cargo launch

November 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 booster fresh from SpaceX’s factory briefly fired its nine Merlin main engines Tuesday on a Cape Canaveral launch pad, passing a key test before liftoff Dec. 4 with a Dragon supply ship heading for the International Space Station.

Video: Falcon 9 test-fired before space station cargo launch (members only)

November 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

Watch a replay of the static fire test of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad. SpaceX is preparing to launch the rocket Dec. 4 on a space station resupply mission.

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch space station resupply craft Wednesday

November 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

Weather conditions at the surface will likely be favorable for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, but upper level winds may pose a roadblock for the start of the company’s next space station resupply mission. SpaceX is targeting liftoff of the Falcon 9 from pad 40 at 12:51 p.m. EST (1751 GMT) Wednesday.

After quiet autumn, SpaceX preps for busy December launch schedule

November 25, 2019 Stephen Clark

After a lull in launch activity this fall, SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are preparing for up to four Falcon 9 missions in December to close out 2019 with a surge of launches.