Static Fire – Page 10 – Spaceflight Now

Atlas 5 launch on track for Thursday, SpaceX mission expected to slip

February 27, 2018 Stephen Clark

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is set to roll to its launch pad Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, a day before liftoff with a new-generation NOAA weather satellite. The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Spanish communications satellite is expected to be shuffled after the Atlas 5 flight in a rapid-fire launch sequence at the Florida spaceport this week.

SpaceX postpones Falcon 9 launch over payload fairing concerns

February 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX officials have postponed the launch of a Spanish-owned telecommunications satellite from Cape Canaveral planned for this weekend to conduct additional testing on the Falcon 9’s payload fairing pressurization system, the company announced Saturday.

SpaceX fires up Falcon 9 rocket for weekend launch from Florida

February 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Falcon 9 rocket booked to launch a commercial communications satellite for Hispasat, a Madrid-based telecom company, fired its nine main engines late Tuesday night at Cape Canaveral for a pre-flight hold-down test.

Test-firing at repaired launch pad clears way for SpaceX cargo flight next week

December 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX ignited a reused Falcon 9 first stage booster at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday ahead of a planned space station resupply launch Dec. 12, a major step in restoring the repaired facility to service after a catastrophic explosion interrupted operations there last year.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket test-fired at pad 40

December 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX fired up a Falcon 9 booster at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad Wednesday in advance of a space station resupply launch Dec. 12, returning the pad to service after a rocket explosion there last year.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket fires engines in hold-down test at Cape Canaveral

December 5, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX rolled out a reused Falcon 9 booster for a hold-down engine firing Wednesday at pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, making the first use of the launch complex since a rocket exploded there in September 2016. The static fire test accomplished Wednesday was a key step in preparations for launch of a space station cargo ship Dec. 12.

Rocket test-fired for launch of secretive U.S. government payload

November 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX moved closer to its next launch with a successful hold-down engine firing Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sailing through a readiness check for a planned liftoff Wednesday with a clandestine U.S. government payload named Zuma.

Video: Engines ignited for hold-down test on SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket

November 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

Nine Merlin main engines at the base of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired at launch pad 39A Saturday, passing a major test before the company’s next launch, a secretive mission slated for liftoff Wednesday night.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket conducts static fire test

November 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX test-fired its next Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday in preparation for the company’s 17th launch of the year, a mission tentatively set for liftoff Wednesday with a secretive payload named Zuma for the U.S. government.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket conducts static fire test

November 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX test-fired its next Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday in preparation for the company’s 17th launch of the year, a mission tentatively set for liftoff Wednesday with a secretive payload named Zuma for the U.S. government.