NanoRacks – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX smashes record with launch of 143 small satellites

January 24, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday from Cape Canaveral with 143 small satellites, a record number of spacecraft on a single mission, giving a boost to startup space companies and stressing the U.S. military’s tracking network charged with sorting out the locations of all objects in orbit.

Falcon 9 launch timeline on the Transporter-1 mission

January 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, heading due south over the Atlantic Ocean on a trajectory hugging the east coast of Florida to deliver 143 small satellites into polar orbit.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches rideshare mission on Falcon 9 rocket

January 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched the first in a series of small satellite rideshare missions Sunday from Cape Canaveral, providing transportation for 143 U.S. and international spacecraft to low Earth orbit, a record number of satellites on a single flight. Liftoff occurred at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) Sunday after bad weather forced SpaceX to scrub a launch attempt Saturday morning.

New-generation Dragon cargo freighter docks at International Space Station

December 7, 2020 Stephen Clark

A more spacious version of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule linked up with the International Space Station Monday, using a new approach corridor to deliver more than 6,000 pounds of provisions and experiments, a commercial airlock, and a holiday feast for the research lab’s seven-person crew.

Video: 4K video replay of SpaceX’s CRS-21 launch (members only)

December 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

Watch a 4K video replay of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft Dec. 6 on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

SpaceX launches first in new line of upgraded space station cargo ships

December 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

An upgraded version of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo freighter launched Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, loaded with 3.2 tons of supplies and experiments in the first of at least nine resupply flights to the International Space Station under a new NASA contract.

Photos: Upgraded Dragon cargo capsule rolls out to pad 39A

December 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

Ready for a flight to the International Space Station, SpaceX’s first upgraded Dragon cargo capsule rolled out to pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week in preparation for launch on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.

Space station to receive new commercial airlock from Nanoracks

December 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

A privately-funded airlock from Nanoracks will head for the International Space Station this weekend in the trunk of a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule, adding to the orbiting lab’s capacity for scientific experiments in another milestone for commercial space development.

Live coverage: Cargo Dragon arrives at space station

December 3, 2020 Stephen Clark

Loaded with more than 6,000 pounds of supplies, experiments, and hardware, a SpaceX Cargo Dragon freighter docked with the International Space Station at 1:40 p.m. EST (1840 GMT) Monday, one day after taking off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the first Dragon cargo mission to automatically dock with the space station.

NASA chief warns of gap after retirement of International Space Station

November 11, 2020 Stephen Clark

The International Space Station is likely to continue operating for another decade, but without more government support, a privately-owned outpost may not be ready in time to replace it, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.