Exploring The Frontier Of Space
Commercial Space
A loud whoosh, faint smoke trail and billowing parachutes marked a successful demonstration Wednesday by SpaceX of its Crew Dragon spacecraft abort system – an important step in NASA’s endeavor to rebuild America’s ability to launch crews to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. The successful test of the spacecraft’s launch escape capabilities proved […]
Crew Dragon’s first critical flight test, known as a Pad Abort Test, is expected to take place this Wednesday, May 6, from SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. While the test is originating from the same launch pad we use for operational missions, this is not an operational flight. This will […]
Secretive space startup Blue Origin achieved a significant milestone on April 29 with the first development flight of the company’s New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle and spacecraft from its west Texas test site. The first all-up flight test was mostly successful and the rocket carried the uncrewed capsule to an altitude of over 58 miles. […]
Two tons of supplies and research cargo are headed to the International Space Station today following the successful launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. After a one-day delay due to strong high-altitude winds, the rocket lifted off on time at 4:10:11 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 carrying Dragon on […]
ULA is offering the public the opportunity to select the name of the company’s Next Generation Launch System (NGLS) rocket. Out of more than 300 names suggested by ULA employees, three finalists will be announced today at 9:30 am. The public will get to vote on their favorite until April 6. (UPDATE: The three name […]
Over the weekend, SpaceX filled in some of the specifics regarding the recent decision to delay the launch of TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT, manufactured by Thales, due to what has been reported as a problem with helium pressurizing bottles on the Falcon 9 first stage for the mission. According to Space News‘ Jeff Foust, SpaceX spokesman John Taylor […]
On May 10, 1869, Leland Stanford raised a hammer and drove a golden spike into railroad tracks in Promontory, Utah. It marked the symbolic completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. For the first time in American history, the East and West were connected. The Transcontinental Railroad would transform the United States by establishing a national economy […]
Additive Manufacturing, also known as 3d printing, has been something of a hot topic in the aerospace industry lately. There is even a 3D printer from Made In Space, Inc. (http://www.madeinspace.us) onboard the International Space Station, recently installed to investigate the possiblities for in-space manufacturing of tools and components. Well, things just heated up even […]
United Launch Alliance (ULA) President and CEO Tory Bruno testified today to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, regarding the future of space launch and how his company is innovating and transforming to provide more affordable space launch services. Hearing Replay – Assuring Assured Access to Space – […]
Technical problems with the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage have forced SpaceX to delay launch of of TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT until no earlier than March 28, according to officials with spacecraft manufacturer Thales Alenia Space. SpaceX’s fourth mission of 2015 had been scheduled to blast off from SLc-40 at Cape Canaveral AFS on Saturday, March 21 at […]