Telecom – Page 58 – Spaceflight Now

Investigators say erroneous navigation input led Ariane 5 rocket off course

February 23, 2018 Stephen Clark

A bad input to the Ariane 5 rocket’s guidance system that was missed during pre-launch quality control checks caused the launcher to deviate from its expected flight path and place two commercial communications satellites in the wrong orbit Jan. 25, Arianespace announced Friday.

Recycled SpaceX rocket boosts Paz radar satellite, first Starlink testbeds into orbit

February 22, 2018 Stephen Clark

Launching with a Spanish radar observation craft and the first two experimental satellites for SpaceX’s planned global broadband network, a Falcon 9 rocket fired away from California’s Central Coast shortly before sunrise Thursday after several days of delays.

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.

Photos: Falcon 9 on the eve of launch from Vandenberg

February 21, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX crews at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California rolled out a Falcon 9 rocket and lifted it vertical atop its launch pad ahead of a planned blastoff Wednesday with a Spanish radar observation satellite and two test probes for a planned global broadband Internet network.

Test satellites for SpaceX’s broadband ‘megaconstellation’ set for launch

February 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX is set to launch two prototype probes Wednesday to begin testing spacecraft and antenna technology the company hopes will eventually power a network of thousands of satellites blanketing planet Earth with broadband Internet coverage.

Falcon 9 launch timeline with Paz

February 20, 2018 Stephen Clark

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with the Paz Earth observation payload for Hisdesat, operator of Spain’s governmental satellites.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with three satellites

February 16, 2018 Stephen Clark

Running several days late after a series of technical and weather delays, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 6:17 a.m. PST (9:17 a.m. EST; 1417 GMT) with the Spanish-owned Paz radar observation satellite and two prototype payloads for SpaceX’s planned Starlink broadband satellite network.

Photos: Falcon 9 soars into space with GovSat 1

February 4, 2018 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s second Falcon 9 flight of the year lifted off Jan. 31 from Cape Canaveral with GovSat 1, a U.S.-built satellite funded by SES and the government of Luxembourg to provide secure communications for military and civil defense authorities.

SpaceX rocket flies on 60th anniversary of first U.S. satellite launch

January 31, 2018 Stephen Clark

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher boosted a 4.7-ton military-grade communications satellite for SES and the Luxembourg government toward a perch 22,300 miles over the equator following a spectacular late afternoon liftoff Tuesday from Florida’s Space Coast, clearing the last mission off the launch company’s manifest before the long-awaited debut of the massive Falcon Heavy rocket.

Video: Replay of the launch of GovSat 1 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket

January 31, 2018 Stephen Clark

The GovSat 1 communications satellite for SES and the government of Luxembourg lifted off from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) Wednesday.