Launch – Page 87 – Spaceflight Now

Video: Falcon 9 test-fired before space station cargo launch (members only)

November 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

Watch a replay of the static fire test of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad. SpaceX is preparing to launch the rocket Dec. 4 on a space station resupply mission.

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch space station resupply craft Wednesday

November 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

Weather conditions at the surface will likely be favorable for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, but upper level winds may pose a roadblock for the start of the company’s next space station resupply mission. SpaceX is targeting liftoff of the Falcon 9 from pad 40 at 12:51 p.m. EST (1751 GMT) Wednesday.

Russia launches space surveillance satellite

November 25, 2019 Stephen Clark

A modified Soyuz rocket delivered a top secret Russian military payload into orbit Monday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, according to the country’s defense ministry.

After quiet autumn, SpaceX preps for busy December launch schedule

November 25, 2019 Stephen Clark

After a lull in launch activity this fall, SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are preparing for up to four Falcon 9 missions in December to close out 2019 with a surge of launches.

China launches two more Beidou navigation satellites

November 23, 2019 Stephen Clark

Maintaining a rapid-fire launch cadence to close out the year, China added two more Beidou satellites to its independent positioning, navigation and timing fleet Saturday with a successful launch aboard a Long March 3B rocket.

Photos: Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft rolls out of factory

November 22, 2019 Stephen Clark

Boeing’s first Starliner spacecraft designed to fly to the International Space Station rolled out of a converted space shuttle hangar before dawn Thursday.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches with satellites for Egypt and Inmarsat

November 22, 2019 Stephen Clark

After a four-day delay due to a ground power supply anomaly and unfavorable weather, an Ariane 5 rocket lifted off at 4:23 p.m. EST (2123 GMT) Tuesday to send into orbit a hush-hush communications satellite for the Egyptian military and a spacecraft to expand the capacity of Inmarsat’s mobile Internet service.

Boeing’s first space-ready Starliner crew capsule meets its Atlas 5 launcher

November 21, 2019 Stephen Clark

Boeing’s first Starliner crew capsule to fly in space departed its factory Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a trip to a launch pad a few miles away, where teams raised the craft atop an Atlas 5 rocket for liftoff next month on an unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station.

SpaceX’s first Starship prototype ruptures during cryogenic test

November 20, 2019 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s first partially-assembled Starship vehicle, originally built for atmospheric test flights, ruptured in dramatic fashion Wednesday during a cryogenic loading test at the company’s launch facility in South Texas.

China’s Kuaizhou launcher flies for second time in four days

November 19, 2019 Stephen Clark

Demonstrating a quick turnaround launch capability, China launched a light-class, solid-fueled Kuaizhou 1A rocket Sunday, four days after the same type of satellite booster fired into orbit from the same launch pad.