SpaceX – Page 153 – Spaceflight Now

Photos: Falcon 9 awaits liftoff

February 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is awaiting liftoff from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad as soon as Tuesday after three scrubs caused by propellant loading problems and a boat that strayed into restricted waters in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9 grounded again after last-second abort

February 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

A commercial communications satellite stayed on Earth after a last-second launch abort Sunday, the third time in five days that SpaceX has scrubbed the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Falcon 9 abort seen from press site

February 29, 2016 Spaceflight Now

A Falcon 9 rocket aborts its lift off at the final moment on February 28, 2016, as seen from the press site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket was supposed to launch the SES 9 communication satellite and had already been delayed by fueling problems and a boat that strayed into the launch danger area off shore.

Telesat launch agreements awarded to SpaceX

February 26, 2016 Stephen Clark

The Canadian telecom satellite operator Telesat plans to launch two multipurpose communications spacecraft aboard SpaceX Falcon rockets in 2018, the company disclosed this week in a quarterly earnings announcement.

SpaceX launch aborted in final minutes

February 26, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX kept an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on the ground Thursday after running into a problem loading super-cold liquid propellants into the launcher’s fuel tanks, postponing blastoff of a commercial communications satellite for the second day in a row.

Commercial Falcon 9 launch delayed to Thursday

February 25, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX called off the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday to make sure the booster’s supply of super-chilled cryogenic liquid oxygen is cold enough to support the delivery of the 5.8-ton SES 9 commercial communications satellite to an orbit nearly 25,000 miles above Earth.

Live coverage: SpaceX finally launches Falcon 9 rocket

February 24, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX successfully launched an oft-delayed Falcon 9 rocket mission at 6:35 p.m. EST (2335 GMT) Friday after more than a week of delays caused by issues with super-chilled liquid oxygen propellant, a boat the strayed into restricted waters offshore Cape Canaveral, and extreme upper level winds. The experimental recovery of the first stage on an ocean-going barge was not a success.

Falcon 9 rocket to give SES 9 telecom satellite an extra boost

February 24, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX and SES, owner of a 5.8-ton commercial telecom satellite poised for launch from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, struck a deal to tweak the Falcon 9 rocket’s launch profile to give the SES 9 spacecraft a stronger push toward its operating post more than 22,000 miles above Earth.

SES eager to fly satellite aboard used Falcon 9 rocket

February 23, 2016 Stephen Clark

In one of the strongest public endorsements of SpaceX’s initiative to put a reusable launcher on the commercial market, a top official from satellite communications giant SES said Tuesday that the company wants to fly one of its pricey payloads on a used Falcon 9 rocket, perhaps even without a test flight.

Q&A with Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer at SES

February 23, 2016 Stephen Clark

The chief technology officer of SES, operator of the world’s largest commercial geostationary satellite fleet, spoke with reporters on the eve of the launch of the company’s SES 9 communications craft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.