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Ariane 5 goes on test run after launching two satellites

October 5, 2016 Stephen Clark

An Ariane 5 rocket lifted two communications satellites to space Wednesday to connect rural Australians with the rest of the world through high-speed Internet and extend television and data services over India, then completed experiments in orbit aimed at helping designers craft Europe’s next-generation launcher.

Photos: Ariane 5 rocket arrives on the launch pad

October 4, 2016 Stephen Clark

Riding on a mobile launch platform, an Ariane 5 rocket made the 1.7-mile trip from its final assembly building to the ELA-3 launch zone in Kourou, French Guiana, on Monday morning, one day before its blastoff on a commercial mission with Australian and Indian communications satellites.

Timeline for Ariane 5’s launch of Sky Muster 2 and GSAT 18

October 4, 2016 Stephen Clark

A communications satellite to broadcast high-speed Internet to remote parts of Australia and a new platform to beam television and multimedia programming across India are fastened to the top of an Ariane 5 rocket for launch Wednesday.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket deploys satellites for Australia, India

October 4, 2016 Stephen Clark

Topped with Australian and Indian communications satellites, an Ariane 5 rocket successfully flew into orbit from the jungle of French Guiana on Wednesday. Liftoff occurred at 2030 GMT (4:30 p.m. EDT).

ULA moves to fill openings in Atlas 5 launch manifest

September 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

With U.S. military demand waning in coming years, United Launch Alliance has multiple openings in its Atlas 5 launch manifest in 2017 and 2018 available to commercial customers with as little as three months’ notice, according to company officials.

Falcon 9 could launch again in November, Falcon Heavy debut slips to 2017

September 14, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX hopes to resume launches in November as the company continues its investigation into a Sept. 1 launch pad explosion to determine whether the accident originated on the Falcon 9 rocket or ground systems, officials said Tuesday.

SES stands by SpaceX after getting ‘good discount’ on reused rocket

September 13, 2016 Stephen Clark

One of SpaceX’s most loyal commercial customers, the European-based telecom satellite operator SES, remains committed to flying a spacecraft aboard a “refurbished” Falcon 9 booster as soon as the company resumes rocket flights, officials said.

Musk: No answers so far in ‘difficult’ failure investigation

September 9, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX is more than a week into a company-led probe of a launch pad explosion Sept. 1 that destroyed a Falcon 9 booster and an Israeli communications satellite, but the investigation so far has turned up no smoking gun on the cause of the mishap, Elon Musk said Friday.

Spacecom to recoup value of lost satellite, could ask SpaceX for compensation

September 5, 2016 Stephen Clark

The Israeli company which owned a commercial communications satellite destroyed in an explosion last week at SpaceX’s launch pad in Florida will receive more than $200 million in payouts stemming from the incident, and hopes to purchase a replacement, officials said Monday.

Video: Falcon 9 rocket explodes on the launch pad

September 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

Watch as a 23-story Falcon 9 rocket explodes Thursday morning during a countdown before a pre-launch engine hotfire test at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad.