SES

SpaceX test-fires previously-flown rocket for May 31 launch

May 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

The nine Merlin main engines at the base of a recycled Falcon 9 rocket booster ignited Thursday night for several seconds during a pre-flight test-firing on a Cape Canaveral launch pad, clearing a major hurdle ahead of a scheduled May 31 liftoff with a high-power communications satellite for SES.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket ignites for hold-down test at Cape Canaveral

May 25, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket ignited its main engines at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Thursday night, clearing a major hurdle before liftoff May 31 with the SES 12 communications satellite.

Watch a live view of SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral launch pad (members only)

May 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

Spaceflight Now members can watch a live view of Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad, where a Falcon 9 rocket is set to undergo a static fire test Thursday in advance of a commercial satellite launch May 31.

Live coverage: SpaceX prepares for next Falcon 9 launch

May 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX has delayed the launch of the SES 12 communications satellite until shortly after midnight Friday at Cape Canaveral, allowing teams additional time to complete pre-launch vehicle checks and wait for improved weather conditions. The launch, which was previously set for Thursday, is expected around 12:29 a.m. EDT (0429 GMT) Friday.

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.

Photos: Soyuz rocket soars into space from French Guiana

March 12, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket launched Friday with four commercial satellites to expand broadband Internet coverage in remote parts of the world, climbing into orbit from the Guiana Space Center positioned on the northeastern shore of South America.

Four O3b satellites launched to beam Internet to developing world

March 9, 2018 Stephen Clark

Four satellites set to join O3b’s expanding broadband network successfully launched Friday on top of a Russian-built Soyuz booster from French Guiana, joining 12 other craft linking developing nations, far-flung islands, cruise ships and other hard-to-reach locales with the Internet.