NASA – Page 51 – Spaceflight Now

Video: Slidewire basket crew egress system tested at pad 39A

April 3, 2020 Stephen Clark

SpaceX tested astronaut slidewire escape baskets and fire suppression capabilities Friday at launch pad 39A in Florida, demonstrating systems that would be activated in the event of an emergency before liftoff of a crewed mission.

Pandemic prompts few changes to busy month on space station

April 2, 2020 Stephen Clark

U.S. and Russian vehicles ferrying crews and cargo will continue traveling to and from the International Space Station this month, sustaining the orbiting lab in its 20th year of continuous human occupation amid an escalating pandemic on Earth.

In parallel with rocket development, Firefly launches lunar lander initiative

April 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

A souped-up version of the Israeli Beresheet moon lander built in Texas could be ready to carry NASA science and technology payloads to the lunar surface before the end of 2022, according to officials from Firefly Aerospace.

NASA, JAXA assign two more astronauts to second piloted Crew Dragon flight

March 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

Veteran astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Shannon Walker have been assigned to fly to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s second piloted Crew Dragon mission later this year, joining commander Mike Hopkins and astronaut Victor Glover on a planned six-month expedition in orbit.

Back in Florida, Orion capsule nears readiness for Artemis test flight

March 30, 2020 Stephen Clark

The Orion spacecraft slated to fly around the moon on an unpiloted mission next year has arrived back at the Kennedy Space Center following an environmental test campaign in Ohio, ready for a series of final checkouts before officials pause launch preparations this summer to await readiness of NASA’s Space Launch System.

NASA picks SpaceX to deliver cargo to Gateway station in lunar orbit

March 27, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA has selected SpaceX to deliver supplies to the planned Gateway mini-space station in lunar orbit using a new version of the Dragon cargo vehicle launched atop Falcon Heavy rockets.

Citing coronavirus concerns, Rocket Lab pauses launch operations

March 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab says it has paused launch operations after the government of New Zealand this week ordered most businesses closed and urged people to stay at home in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

NASA, U.S. military reviewing SpaceX engine malfunction

March 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA and U.S. military officials are reviewing a malfunction that triggered a premature engine shutdown during a flight of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket earlier this month, a cautionary step before upcoming launches with a GPS navigation satellite and astronauts on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Military officials committed to keeping Cape Canaveral open for launches

March 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

The military-run Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral remains ready to support upcoming launches — including an Atlas 5 flight Thursday — amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday.

NASA confirms work stoppage on James Webb Space Telescope

March 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA and Northrop Grumman are “suspending integration and testing operations” on the James Webb Space Telescope in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision that officials said is likely to delay the mission’s scheduled launch date in March 2021.