Northrop Grumman – Page 9 – Spaceflight Now

Atlas 5 launch caps deployment of ultra-secure military communications network

March 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

The sixth and final satellite in the U.S. military’s most secure satellite communications fleet lifted off from Cape Canaveral Thursday aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, extending the network’s expected lifetime beyond 2030.

Atlas 5 launch timeline for the AEHF 6 mission

March 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Atlas 5 rocket is set to launch the U.S. Air Force’s sixth and final Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite from Cape Canaveral. This timeline shows the major mission events planned over a nearly six-hour flight to an optimized geostationary transfer orbit.

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket rolls out to launch pad at Cape Canaveral

March 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance’s next Atlas 5 rocket moved to its launch pad Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, taking position for liftoff with the U.S. military’s sixth and final Advanced Extremely High Frequency secure communications satellite.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral

March 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:18 p.m. EDT (2018 GMT), following a delay of more than an hour to troubleshoot a ground hydraulics controller. The Atlas 5 launched with the U.S. military’s sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency strategic communications satellite.

Space Force’s first launch scheduled for Thursday

March 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

The first launch of a U.S. Space Force mission since the establishment of the new military service is planned Thursday, when a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral with a billion-dollar jam-resistant communications satellite designed to ensure national leaders remain connected with the armed forces.

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.

Final AEHF satellite mated to Atlas 5 launcher at Cape Canaveral

March 12, 2020 Stephen Clark

The sixth and final satellite in the U.S. Space Force’s network of secure, jam-resistant AEHF communications satellites has been installed on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral for liftoff March 26.

Photos: Servicing spacecraft approaches Intelsat satellite high above Earth

February 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

Northrop Grumman’s first Mission Extension Vehicle captured spectacular views of the commercial Intelsat 901 communications satellite as it approached for docking this week, providing the first-ever up-close public views of a spacecraft flying near geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth.

Two commercial satellites link up in space for first time

February 26, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Northrop Grumman robotic servicing spacecraft has hooked up with an aging Intelsat communications satellite more than 22,000 miles over the Pacific Ocean, accomplishing the first link-up between two commercial satellites in space, and the first docking with a satellite that was never designed to receive a visitor.

Photos: Antares rocket lifts off with station-bound Cygnus supply ship

February 19, 2020 Stephen Clark

Powered by two Russian-made RD-181 main engines, a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket fired into a mostly sunny sky Saturday afternoon over Virginia’s Eastern Shore carrying nearly 7,500 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station.