Launch – Page 169 – Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab test launch halted by ship traffic, deteriorating weather

January 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

An attempt to place three small satellites in orbit on an experimental test flight was halted Friday after two ships strayed into a keep-out zone offshore Rocket Lab’s privately-owned launch base in New Zealand, delaying the Electron booster’s second demonstration mission at least 24 hours.

U.S. military satellite launched to fortify against missile attacks

January 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

A billion-dollar U.S. military satellite rode a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket into orbit Friday night from Cape Canaveral, joining a network of space sentinels warning of threatening missile launches from North Korea, or any other place on the globe.

Replay: Atlas 5 launches missile warning satellite

January 20, 2018 Spaceflight Now

Watch a replay of the launch of an Atlas 5 rocket carrying the $1.2 billion SBIRS GEO Flight 4 satellite into orbit.

Atlas 5 launch as seen from the KSC Press Site (members only)

January 20, 2018 Spaceflight Now

An Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from launch complex 41 at Cape Canaveral carrying the SBIRS GEO-4 missile early warning satellite in this video shot from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site.

Live coverage: Rocket Lab’s commercial launcher reaches orbit for the first time

January 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s second Electron booster lifted off from New Zealand’s North Island on Saturday, U.S. time, and reached orbit after an eight-minute climb over the Pacific Ocean. Liftoff with three commercial CubeSats occurred at 8:43 p.m. EST Saturday (0143 GMT; 2:43 p.m. New Zealand time Sunday).

Atlas 5 team scrubs launch to study troublesome valve

January 19, 2018 Stephen Clark

Launch of an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral with a U.S. Air Force infrared surveillance satellite was scrubbed Thursday evening after engineers encountered a balky valve associated with the first stage’s liquid oxygen system.

Atlas 5/SBIRS GEO Flight 4 launch timeline

January 18, 2018 Spaceflight Now

This is the launch timeline to be followed by the Atlas 5 rocket’s ascent into orbit from Cape Canaveral with the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 satellite for U.S. military infrared reconnaissance.

Photos: Ground crews roll 75th Atlas 5 rocket to its launch pad

January 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

The 75th Atlas 5 rocket rolled to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, a day before it was scheduled to lift off with a U.S. Air Force satellite to provide warnings of missile launches that might threaten U.S. territories and allies.

Japanese radar satellite launched aboard third Epsilon booster

January 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

Japan’s Epsilon rocket delivered a civilian-operated radar imaging satellite to orbit Wednesday on a mission to demonstrate the performance of a new commercial spacecraft design and collect all-weather imagery for use in emergencies, mapping and global surveillance.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 launches from Cape Canaveral with missile warning satellite

January 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Air Force’s fourth new-generation SBIRS missile warning satellite is headed for geosynchronous orbit after lifting off from Cape Canaveral at 7:48 p.m. EST Friday (0048 GMT Saturday), after a one-day delay caused by a troublesome fill-and-drain valve.