NASA – Page 108 – Spaceflight Now

Atlas/MMS launch timeline

March 10, 2015 Justin Ray

This is the ascent timeline to be followed by the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in launching NASA’s MMS mission on March 12 at 10:44 p.m. EDT.

Preview: Atlas 5 rocket to launch NASA magnetic field study

March 8, 2015 Justin Ray

A $1.1 billion science investigation involving four formation-flying satellites circling the Earth will share a single Atlas 5 rocket launch Thursday night from Cape Canaveral to probe explosions in the magnetic field with millisecond speed.

Flight Readiness Review passed for next week’s Atlas 5 launch

March 6, 2015 Justin Ray

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket and NASA’s four MMS satellite probes passed their Flight Readiness Review on Friday that assessed the progress of work and affirmed plans to launch next Thursday night.

Photos: Shroud installed around satellite quartet, connected to Atlas 5

March 4, 2015 Justin Ray

NASA’s four Magnetospheric Multiscale mission spacecraft were encapsulated Feb. 23 in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket’s nose cone at the commercial Astrotech processing campus in Titusville. Delivery of the payload to the Atlas 5 assembly building for mating occurred on Friday, Feb. 27.

Four satellites mated to Atlas 5 rocket

February 27, 2015 Justin Ray

Four NASA satellites that will create a constellation of formation-flying spacecraft were placed aboard their shared United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket Friday.

SMAP observatory unfurls large science antenna structure

February 25, 2015 Justin Ray

Deploying its marquee element in space Tuesday, NASA’s new Soil Moisture Active Passive spacecraft took a major step towards realizing its science potential.

Video: Groundbreaking for commercial crew access tower

February 22, 2015 Justin Ray

There was a groundbreaking Friday at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 to start building the astronaut access tower to board Boeing’s CST-100 capsules atop United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets.

Launch America getting new access gantry for astronauts

February 20, 2015 Justin Ray

A groundbreaking Friday ceremonially commenced construction of an astronaut access tower at United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 launch pad in Florida, a 200-foot-tall gantry that will add to the future of U.S. human spaceflight.

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket assembled for NASA satellite launch

February 17, 2015 Justin Ray

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that will hurl the four MMS satellites into a highly elliptical Earth orbit on March 12 has completed its basic build up at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 Vertical Integration Facility.

Photos: Final batch of SMAP launch shots aboard Delta 2 rocket

February 5, 2015 Justin Ray

“We had a terrific ride into space aboard the United Launch Alliance’s Delta 2 vehicle. They deposited us exactly where we wanted to be with with accuracy and precision,” said Kent Kellogg, NASA’s SMAP project manager.