Exploring The Frontier Of Space
The second mission of 2015 for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket finally thundered into space today from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral after three days of delays due to weather and technical issues. Described as the most beautiful Falcon launch to date, the vehicle lifted off a few minutes before sunset at 6:03:32 pm […]
The Planetary Society today announced the first of its LightSail spacecraft will embark on a May 2015 test flight. Funded entirely by private citizens, the solar sail satellite will hitch a ride to space aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission will test LightSail’s critical functions, a […]
A Falcon 9 rocket blasted into space early this morning carrying the fifth mission to resupply the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Topped by the company’s Dragon spacecraft, Falcon lifted off on time at 4:47 am EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral AFS […]
(Source: SpaceX) During our next flight, SpaceX will attempt the precision landing of a Falcon 9 first stage for the first time, on a custom-built ocean platform known as the autonomous spaceport drone ship. While SpaceX has already demonstrated two successful soft water landings, executing a precision landing on an unanchored ocean platform is significantly […]
Dodging persistent thunderstorms that have beseiged Florida most of the summer, a Falcon 9 rocket soared into space overnight and sucessfully delivered a cargo-laden Dragon spacecraft in low Earth orbit to begin SpaceX’s fourth resupply mission to the International Space Station. Delayed a day by bad weather, the 208 foot tall pencil-like rocket blasted off […]
On the heels of awarding groundbreaking contracts to U.S. commercial space companies to ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station, NASA has released a request for proposals (RFP) for the next round of contracts for private-sector companies to deliver experiments and supplies to the orbiting laboratory. Under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 RFP, NASA […]
U.S. astronauts once again will travel to and from the International Space Station from the United States on American spacecraft under groundbreaking contracts NASA announced Tuesday. The agency unveiled its selection of Boeing and SpaceX to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station using their CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft, respectively, with a […]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into orbit during the overnight hours on September 7 on a successful mission to deliver the commercial AsiaSat 6 communication satellite to orbit for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Ltd. Launch occurred right on time at 1 a.m. EDT Sunday morning from SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral […]
SpaceX experienced a rare but disappointing failure today when one of the company’s Falcon 9R (reusable) rockets exploded during a test flight at the SpaceX facility near McGregor, TX. It is unknown if the problem today will affect the scheduled August 27 launch from Cape Canaveral of a Falcon 9 carrying the commercial Asiasat 6 […]
When SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket from Cape Canaveral carrying the first OG-2 mission for Orbcomm, a P3 Orion aircraft was waiting downrange over the Atlantic Ocean to capture the powered descent and attempted soft-landing of the rocket’s first stage in the water. After the booster separated from the second stage, it re-lit […]