Launch – Page 193 – Spaceflight Now

Japanese rocket scheduled for launch with navigation satellite

May 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket is set for launch Thursday with the country’s second navigation satellite, growing a network of beacons in the sky to give emergency responders, security forces and the public more accurate positioning and timing signals in Japan and neighboring regions.

Rocket Lab chief says maiden launch result maintains pace for commercial service

May 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

The result of last week’s inaugural test flight of Rocket Lab’s Electron satellite launcher from New Zealand, which reached space but was unable to enter orbit, positions the company for two more demonstration missions in the coming months before the privately-operated booster enters commercial service by the end of the year, Rocket Lab’s chief executive said.

Videos: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifts off for first time

May 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s Electron commercial satellite launcher lifted off from New Zealand on its debut test flight Thursday and soared into space on its maiden mission.

Maiden flight of Rocket Lab’s small satellite launcher reaches space

May 25, 2017 Stephen Clark

The debut launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from a privately-operated base in New Zealand made it to space Thursday, proving the performance of major parts of the booster before faltering short of the velocity it needed to enter orbit, the company said in a statement.

Rocket Lab waits for improved weather for test flight of new commercial launcher

May 24, 2017 Stephen Clark

Worsening weather at Rocket Lab’s New Zealand launch facility forced officials to call off the liftoff of a new commercial satellite booster for the third straight day Tuesday.

Rocket Lab delays debut of new launcher to dodge bad weather

May 23, 2017 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab, a company eyeing a market to launch small satellites, said Monday that bad weather at its privately-operated launch base on New Zealand’s North Island kept a commercial Electron booster from lifting off on its maiden test flight for the second day in a row.

Small satellite launcher set for first orbital test flight this week

May 20, 2017 Stephen Clark

The first test flight of Rocket Lab’s commercially-developed Electron launcher was held up by weather Sunday, but conditions could improve for a launch attempt Monday from New Zealand to place an instrumented rocket stage into Earth orbit in a demonstration of the company’s low-cost delivery system for lightweight satellites.

AR1 engine clears milestone in step toward ending U.S. reliance on Russian propulsion

May 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

A rocket engine that could power United Launch Alliance’s next-generation rocket has passed a major design review, clearing the way for full-scale hotfire testing starting next year and certification for test flights in 2019, according to Aerojet Rocketdyne, the powerplant’s developer.

Soyuz rocket orbits satellite for airborne navigation and connectivity

May 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A commercial SES communications satellite on the way to an operating post over the Americas rode into orbit from French Guiana aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket Thursday, embarking on a mission to help airline travelers stay connected and improve air navigation over the United States.

Video: Soyuz blasts off from South America

May 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A 151-foot-tall Soyuz launcher climbed into space from French Guiana on Thursday with the Boeing-built SES 15 communications satellite bound for an operating position over the Americas in geostationary orbit.