Launch
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Chinese startup OneSpace fails in first orbital launch attempt
A solid-fueled rocket launched Wednesday by the Chinese startup OneSpace flew off course shortly after liftoff, the second time in five months one of China's new space companies failed in a bid to become the country's first private firm to place a spacecraft into orbit.
Pence calls for NASA to land astronauts on the moon within five years
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that NASA should land astronauts near the south pole of the moon within five years "by any means necessary," calling for "new urgency" in the U.S. space program and sounding a warning for entrenched aerospace contractors to better meet schedule and cost commitments, or else lose work to other companies.
Chinese startup plans first orbital launch attempt this week
A Chinese startup named OneSpace could test its first full-scale launcher as soon as Wednesday in a bid to become China's first privately-funded rocket company to place a satellite in orbit around the Earth.
Rocket Lab launch with DARPA’s R3D2 satellite rescheduled for Thursday
Rocket Lab's launch team canceled a launch attempt Sunday in New Zealand after discovering a misbehaving video transmitter on the Electron booster set to loft a small U.S. military satellite into orbit to test an innovative antenna design. After replacing the transmitter, Rocket Lab announced the launch is set for Thursday (U.S. time) to wait for better weather.
Timeline for Rocket Lab’s launch of DARPA’s R3D2 tech demo satellite
Rocket Lab's light-class Electron launcher is set to take off on its fifth flight from New Zealand, aiming for a 264-mile-high (425-kilometer) orbit with DARPA's R3D2 technology demonstration satellite.
VideoLive coverage: Rocket Lab launches experimental satellite for DARPA
Rocket Lab's first launch of the year lifted off Thursday at 7:27 p.m. EDT (2327 GMT) after a four-day delay to replace a video transmitter and wait for improved weather. The company's Electron rocket launched from Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island with a technology demonstration satellite for DARPA, the U.S. military research and development agency.
Rocket Lab readies for launch with U.S. military satellite
Rocket Lab teams in New Zealand are preparing for the company’s first launch of the year Sunday (U.S. time) with a small experimental satellite for DARPA, the U.S. military’s research and development agency.
All-Italian launch from French Guiana lofts innovative environmental satellite
A Vega rocket fired into orbit Thursday night from French Guiana with Italy's PRISMA hyperspectral Earth-imaging satellite, commencing a busy period for the Vega launcher program as engineers prepare for the debut of the more powerful Vega-C booster in early 2020 and study a lighter variant to better compete in the growing smallsat launch market.
Vega launch timeline with PRISMA
The Italian PRISMA Earth observation satellite is set to ride a Vega launcher into a 382-mile-high (615-kilometer) orbit Thursday night from French Guiana on a mission that will take less than one hour from liftoff until spacecraft separation.
Two Minotaur launches planned this year from Virginia
Northrop Grumman is gearing up for up to four launches this year at Wallops Island, Virginia, including two launches with Cygnus cargo ships heading to the International Space Station, and a pair of Minotaur rocket flights carrying classified payloads into orbit for the U.S. government's spy satellite agency.