Launch – Page 32 – Spaceflight Now

Soyuz rocket launches Emirati military satellite after lengthy delay

December 2, 2020 Stephen Clark

After months of delays caused by launch vehicle issues and the coronavirus pandemic, a Russian Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage took off from South America and delivered the French-built Falcon Eye 2 military observation satellite to an on-target orbit Tuesday night for the United Arab Emirates.

Live coverage: Soyuz launches Falcon Eye 2 satellite on third attempt

November 30, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket carrying a military spy satellite for the United Arab Emirates lifted off from French Guiana at 8:33 p.m. EST Tuesday (0133 GMT Wednesday). A launch attempt Sunday night was scrubbed due to the risk of lightning, and a countdown Monday was called off due to a telemetry issue associated with the range safety system at the Guiana Space Center.

Soyuz rocket ready to launch with UAE’s Falcon Eye 2 military satellite

November 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz booster is set for launch from French Guiana Sunday night with a European-built military reconnaissance satellite for the United Arab Emirates, the twin of a UAE surveillance craft lost in a rocket failure last year.

Japanese data relay satellite launches on H-2A rocket

November 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Japanese satellite designed to relay data and imagery from civilian and military Earth observation spacecraft launched Sunday aboard an H-2A rocket.

SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink satellites on 100th Falcon 9 flight

November 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

The 100th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket delivered 60 satellites to orbit for SpaceX’s Starlink network Tuesday night, adding another building block to a planned fleet of thousands of solar-powered space-based relay stations to beam broadband connectivity around the world.

China launches ambitious mission to return lunar material to Earth

November 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket hurled a 9-ton Chinese spacecraft toward the moon Monday on a 23-day mission attempting to return lunar samples to Earth for the first time in 44 years.

Live coverage: Chinese sample return spacecraft completes docking in lunar orbit

November 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

After launching Nov. 23 and arriving in lunar orbit over the weekend, China’s Chang’e 5 sample return mission landed on the moon Tuesday, targeting a volcanic region in the Oceanus Procellarum region. On Thursday, the craft’s ascender vehicle took off to begin the trip back to Earth, followed by a successful docking with the mission’s return vehicle in lunar orbit Saturday.

China set to attempt first lunar sample return mission in four decades

November 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

Chinese scientists and engineers are counting down to launch of a heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket Monday with the Chang’e 5 mission, an ambitious attempt to land on the moon, drill samples from beneath the lunar surface, and return the material to Earth.

SpaceX going for new rocket reuse record on 100th Falcon 9 launch

November 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

Sixty more Starlink internet satellites are ready to rocket into orbit Sunday night from Cape Canaveral on the 100th flight of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher, and the seventh flight of SpaceX’s reusable “fleet leader” booster.

Crew-rated SpaceX booster returns to Cape Canaveral with a lean

November 20, 2020 Stephen Clark

The Falcon 9 booster that launched four astronauts toward orbit last weekend arrived back on Florida’s Space Coast Thursday aboard a SpaceX drone ship, sailing into Port Canaveral with a lean but otherwise in seemingly good shape after it apparently slid across the ship’s deck in high winds and rough seas. Assuming post-flight inspections reveal no major issues, SpaceX aims to reuse the booster to launch the next Crew Dragon mission in 2021.