Launch – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX aces first rocket landing in California after launching Argentine satellite

October 8, 2018

A Falcon 9 rocket launching an Argentine Earth-observing satellite streaked across the skies of Southern California on Sunday night, then its booster stage returned to Vandenberg Air Force Base for an on-target landing, the first by SpaceX on the West Coast.

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket, landing pad ready for action at Vandenberg

October 7, 2018

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical at Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sunday ahead of a planned liftoff with Argentina’s SAOCOM 1A radar observation satellite, and the first landing of a SpaceX booster on the U.S. West Coast.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Argentine satellite, lands rocket in California

October 7, 2018

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday at 7:21 p.m. PDT (10:21 p.m. EDT; 0221 GMT Monday) with SAOCOM 1A, a radar observation satellite for Argentina, then returned the booster to a landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, for the first time.

SpaceX completes hotfire test, preps for first California rocket landing

October 2, 2018

A Falcon 9 rocket powered by a recycled first stage lit its main engines for a hold-down firing on a launch pad Tuesday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in preparation for launch with an Argentine radar satellite on a mission that will feature the first SpaceX booster landing on the West Coast.

Chinese solid-fueled launcher puts smallsat in orbit

October 1, 2018

A Chinese Kuaizhou 1A rocket launched Saturday under the auspices of the commercial launch provider Exspace and successfully deployed a tech demo satellite into orbit, state media reported.

Bezos rocket engine selected for new Vulcan rocket

September 28, 2018

Ending months of speculation, Blue Origin, a company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has won a milestone contract to provide first-stage rocket engines for a powerful new booster being designed by United Launch Alliance to replace its current fleet of Atlas and Delta launchers, the companies announced Thursday.

Photos: Ariane 5 rolls to launch pad with two commercial comsats

September 25, 2018

An Ariane 5 rocket emerged from the final assembly building at the Guiana Space Center in South America on Monday for the journey across the tropical spaceport to the ELA-3 launch zone, where the 179-foot-tall (54.8-meter) booster will lift off Tuesday with a pair of commercial communications satellites.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches for 100th time

September 25, 2018

Two U.S.-built communications satellites rode the 100th European-made Ariane 5 rocket into orbit Tuesday from the jungle of French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 2238 GMT (6:38 p.m. EDT) after a 45-minute delay caused by a range technical problem.

Photos: Final Delta 2 launch shines before dawn in California

September 21, 2018

Flying for the 155th and final time, a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket took off from California on Sept. 15 with NASA’s ICESat 2 satellite.

Expansion of China’s Beidou satellite fleet continues with successful launch

September 20, 2018

Another successful launch Wednesday carried two more Beidou satellites into orbit, continuing a string of missions to push China’s independent navigation network closer to global coverage and adding international search-and-rescue support to the program’s portfolio.