Lightning – Spaceflight Now

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Firefly to collaborate on propulsion

October 28, 2019 Stephen Clark

Firefly Aerospace and Aerojet Rocketdyne have announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on rocket propulsion, an agreement that could lead to Firefly’s use of Aerojet’s AR1 engine in a new medium-lift launcher.

Firefly’s commercial satellite launcher to use Delta 2 pad at Vandenberg

May 2, 2018 Stephen Clark

A commercial rocket under development by Firefly Aerospace will conduct its first orbital test flight in 2019 from a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that will become vacant with the retirement of the venerable Delta 2 booster later this year, the company announced Tuesday.

Potential contamination not a concern for space station’s new lightning instrument

April 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

Scientists working on a new lightning detection instrument mounted outside the International Space Station said Tuesday they expect little effect on the sensor’s performance from possible contamination from the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched it into orbit April 2.

Lightning mapper beams back first views from space

March 7, 2017 Stephen Clark

A sensitive infrared camera mounted on NOAA’s new GOES-16 weather satellite has captured its first astounding images of lightning flashes from a perch more than 22,000 miles out in space.