Launch – Page 30 – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX scrubs Falcon 9 launch attempt with SiriusXM satellite

December 11, 2020 Stephen Clark

SpaceX called off the planned launch of a Falcon 9 rocket Friday at Cape Canaveral, halting the countdown less than a minute before liftoff to allow time to perform additional ground system checkouts before the mission’s next launch opportunity no earlier than Sunday.

Live coverage: SpaceX’s launches SiriusXM satellite

December 11, 2020 Stephen Clark

After calling a hold less than a minute before liftoff Friday, SpaceX launched the Maxar-built SXM 7 radio broadcasting satellite for SiriusXM Sunday. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral at 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT).

SpaceX plans to cap busy week with launch of satellite for SiriusXM

December 11, 2020 Stephen Clark

A massive radio broadcasting satellite for SiriusXM is set for liftoff Friday on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, punctuating a busy week for SpaceX that included the debut of a new-generation cargo ship for the International Space Station and a spectacular atmospheric test flight of a prototype rocket over South Texas.

Delta 4-Heavy launches U.S. spy satellite after months of delays

December 11, 2020 Stephen Clark

Running more than three months late, a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket took off Thursday and carried a U.S. government spy satellite into an orbit thousands of miles above Earth in the first mission from the newly-renamed Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

China launches two small satellites for gravitational wave research

December 10, 2020 Stephen Clark

Two small Chinese satellites designed to detect gamma-ray bursts associated with gravitational waves launched Wednesday on a Long March 11 rocket, beginning an astrophysics research mission to study black holes and neutron stars.

Live coverage: Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches from Cape Canaveral

December 10, 2020 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 8:09 p.m. EST Thursday (0109 GMT Friday). The long-delayed mission is carrying a classified spy satellite into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Full video of Starship’s seven-minute high-altitude test flight

December 10, 2020 Stephen Clark

This video replay shot from South Padre Island shows SpaceX’s Starship SN8 prototype rocket taking off from Boca Chica, Texas, climbing high into the atmosphere, then gliding back to a fiery crash landing after an otherwise successful test flight.

Spectators watch the final fiery moments of the Starship test flight

December 10, 2020 Spaceflight Now

Spectators on South Padre Island watch the Starship prototype end its test flight in a fiery crash landing.

SpaceX’s Starship achieves most objectives in mesmerizing test flight

December 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

A full-size prototype of SpaceX’s heavy-lift Starship launch vehicle soared high into the atmosphere Wednesday in a spectacular test flight over South Texas, and successfully guided itself to a beachside landing site before exploding at touchdown. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, hailed the nearly seven-minute test flight as a success.

ULA’s Delta 4-Heavy ready for another launch attempt after pad repairs

December 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance is set to try again to launch a Delta 4-Heavy rocket and a classified U.S. government spy satellite Thursday after delays of more than three months caused by persistent issues with the mission’s launch pad.