Planet – Page 2 – Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with 53 small satellites

September 2, 2020 Stephen Clark

Arianespace launched a solid-fueled Vega rocket from French Guiana at 9:51 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0151 GMT Thursday) after delays of more than five months caused by the coronavirus pandemic and unfavorable upper level winds. The Italian-built launcher will deploy 53 small satellites into orbit.

Long-delayed Vega rocket launch could happen Wednesday night

September 1, 2020 Stephen Clark

Arianespace delayed the launch of a Vega rocket from French Guiana Tuesday night due to a typhoon threatening a ground station in South Korea needed to track the vehicle as it deploys a cluster of more than 50 small satellites.

Images: SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites, catches rocket’s payload fairing

August 20, 2020 Stephen Clark

Imagery from the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday show the launcher vaulting into space from Cape Canaveral with another batch of nearly 60 Starlink satellites, followed by the successful recovery of the rocket’s first stage booster and payload shroud offshore.

SpaceX adds more satellites to ever-growing Starlink network

August 18, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket loaded with 58 more broadband relay nodes for SpaceX’s Starlink Internet network took off Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, bringing the total number of Starlink craft launched since May 2019 to 653 satellites.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket

August 18, 2020 Stephen Clark

Another set of Starlink Internet satellites launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Powered by a reusable first stage booster making its sixth flight, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 10:31 a.m. EDT (1431 GMT). Three SkySat Earth-imaging satellites for Planet accompanied SpaceX’s 58 Starlink relay stations into orbit.

Rocket Lab identifies faulty electrical connector as cause of launch failure

July 31, 2020 Stephen Clark

A detached electrical connector on the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket caused a failure on a July 4 mission that destroyed seven small commercial satellites, but the company said Friday it is on track to resume launching before the end of August.

Rocket Lab satellite launch fails before reaching orbit

July 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

A failure during the second stage burn of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket caused seven small commercial satellites to crash back to Earth Saturday following liftoff from New Zealand.

Live coverage: Rocket Lab confirms launch failure after liftoff with seven satellites

July 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

Seven small satellites from Canon Electronics, Planet and In-Space Missions launched from New Zealand on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket Saturday at 5:19:36 p.m. EDT (2119:36 GMT), but the payloads and launch vehicle were lost after a problem during the second stage burn.

Rocket Lab plans next launch Saturday, closes in on first mission from Virginia

July 3, 2020 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab is readying for a launch from its New Zealand spaceport Saturday (U.S. time) with seven commercial satellites from Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, while teams at Wallops Island, Virginia, move closer to Rocket Lab’s first launch there as soon as August.