Smallsats – Spaceflight Now

Astra’s smallsat launcher reaches space on second test flight

December 16, 2020 Stephen Clark

On its second test flight Tuesday, Astra’s privately-developed small satellite launcher ran out of fuel seconds before reaching the velocity needed to enter orbit but exceeded the company’s expectations with an otherwise-successful climb into space from Kodiak Island, Alaska.

New-generation Dragon cargo freighter docks at International Space Station

December 7, 2020 Stephen Clark

A more spacious version of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule linked up with the International Space Station Monday, using a new approach corridor to deliver more than 6,000 pounds of provisions and experiments, a commercial airlock, and a holiday feast for the research lab’s seven-person crew.

Video: 4K video replay of SpaceX’s CRS-21 launch (members only)

December 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

Watch a 4K video replay of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft Dec. 6 on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

SpaceX launches first in new line of upgraded space station cargo ships

December 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

An upgraded version of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo freighter launched Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, loaded with 3.2 tons of supplies and experiments in the first of at least nine resupply flights to the International Space Station under a new NASA contract.

Photos: Upgraded Dragon cargo capsule rolls out to pad 39A

December 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

Ready for a flight to the International Space Station, SpaceX’s first upgraded Dragon cargo capsule rolled out to pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week in preparation for launch on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.

Space station to receive new commercial airlock from Nanoracks

December 4, 2020 Stephen Clark

A privately-funded airlock from Nanoracks will head for the International Space Station this weekend in the trunk of a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule, adding to the orbiting lab’s capacity for scientific experiments in another milestone for commercial space development.

NASA selects SpaceX to launch mission studying interstellar space

September 28, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA has awarded SpaceX a $109 million contract to launch the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, a NOAA space weather observatory, a robotic scout to map water on the moon, and two other ridealong payloads on a single Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in 2024.

Software fix could position Astra for another launch attempt by end of year

September 14, 2020 Stephen Clark

Astra officials said Saturday a software fix will likely resolve a guidance system problem that caused the company’s first orbital-class rocket to begin drifting off course soon after liftoff from Alaska Friday night, prompting a range safety officer to terminate the mission.

Astra launch falters during first stage burn

September 12, 2020 Stephen Clark

Astra’s privately-developed small satellite launcher crashed shortly after liftoff from Alaska Friday evening on the company’s first try at reaching orbit.

Vega rocket deploys 53 satellites on successful return to flight mission

September 3, 2020 Stephen Clark

Delayed a year by a launch failure, the coronavirus pandemic and a stretch of stiff upper level winds this summer, an Italian-made Vega rocket vaulted into orbit from French Guiana on Wednesday night and deployed 53 small satellites from 13 countries to punctuate a flawless return to flight mission.