Rideshare – Page 9 – Spaceflight Now

Timeline of Falcon 9’s launch on the SSO-A mission

December 3, 2018 Stephen Clark

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with 64 smallsats on Spaceflight’s SSO-A: SmallSat Express rideshare mission.

Spaceflight’s 64-satellite rideshare mission set to last five hours

December 3, 2018 Stephen Clark

When SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket takes off with 64 small satellites — a payload cache representing 34 customers in 17 nations — it will be just the first act in a nearly five-hour sequence to deftly deploy each of the spacecraft, which range in size from a Rubik’s cube to a refrigerator.

Photos: Twice-flown Falcon 9 rocket prepared for third mission

December 3, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX is readying a Falcon 9 rocket booster for launch Monday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on a record-setting mission with 64 smallsats on-board that will also mark the launch provider’s first use of the same first stage for a third flight.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches record-setting mission from California

December 2, 2018 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 10:34 a.m. PST (1:34 p.m. EST; 1834 GMT) Monday. The launch, under contract to Spaceflight, carried into orbit 64 small satellites from 17 countries, the largest multi-payload rideshare mission ever flown on a U.S. rocket. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster previously flew on two missions from Florida, and landed again on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean after Monday’s launch.

SpaceX launch Monday will signify a new advance in reusing rockets

December 1, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX teams at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are preparing to launch a Falcon 9 rocket into orbit Monday, powered by a reused first stage booster flying on its third mission, a first for the company as engineers continue chasing a long-term goal of re-flying the same rocket on back-to-back days.

SpaceX postpones California launch to wait for better weather

November 27, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has postponed Wednesday’s scheduled launch from California’s Central Coast with 64 smallsats, electing to keep the Falcon 9 rocket on the ground until at least Sunday to wait for improved weather conditions.

SpaceX postpones rideshare launch from California

November 17, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has ordered additional inspections on a Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a decision that is expected to keep the launcher grounded for several days until after the Thanksgiving holiday, officials said Saturday.

Spaceflight preps for first launch of unique orbiting satellite deployers

August 23, 2018 Stephen Clark

Engineers working for Spaceflight, a Seattle-based launch services company, are in the final steps of preparing for the first launch of new robotic free flyers carrying more than 70 small government and commercial satellites into polar orbit later this year aboard a dedicated flight of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

New target dates set for next two Falcon 9 launches

May 16, 2018 Stephen Clark

The launch of five commercial Iridium message relay satellites and a pair of U.S.-German orbiting geophysics probes on a Falcon 9 rocket from California has been delayed three days to May 22, and a week-long schedule slip to May 31 is expected for the next SpaceX flight from Cape Canaveral with an SES communications payload.

Spaceflight reserves two rideshare missions on Vega rocket

April 18, 2018 Stephen Clark

Spaceflight Industries has booked reservations for two commercial rideshare missions on Arianespace’s Vega rocket, officials announced Tuesday, beginning with a proof-of-concept flight in early 2019 of a new Italian-built multi-payload dispenser tailored to accommodate small satellites and CubeSats seeking a ride into orbit.