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Astra came tantalizingly close today (Feb. 7) to its first-ever launch of operational satellites. The California company’s Launch Vehicle 0008 (LV0008) was scheduled to launch the ELaNa 41 mission for NASA today from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. And it nearly happened: LV0008’s first-stage engines fired up at 1:50 p.m. EST (1850 GMT) … Read more
A new SpaceX video has captured a striking view of two critical moments in any rocket launch: stage separation for its booster and nose cone jettison. The video, which SpaceX released on YouTube Saturday (Feb. 5), shows the company’s Jan. 31 launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Italian Earth-observation satellite Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation … Read more
A stunning new video from SpaceX captures what it’s like to watch a rocket launch from mid-air and then witness the booster return to Earth. The video, captured by a flying SpaceX drone, shows the company’s launch of the classified NROL-87 satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The mission lifted off on a Falcon … Read more
Astra’s first launch of operational satellites will have to wait at least another day. The California company planned to launch the ELaNa 41 mission for NASA today (Feb. 5) from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station but was thwarted by an issue at the launch range. “Unfortunately, due to a range asset that has gone … Read more
Astra will launch its first-ever mission from the Lower 48 on Saturday (Feb. 5), and you can watch the action live. The California startup plans to launch the ELaNa 41 mission from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday during a three-hour window that opens at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT). Watch it live here … Read more
The parachute system on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule hasn’t behaved exactly as expected recently, and NASA and SpaceX want to know why. The Dragon named Endeavour returned to Earth with four astronauts on Nov. 8, 2021, wrapping up SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station for NASA. During its descent that day, one of Endeavour’s … Read more
NASA and SpaceX will hold press conference to provide an update on the agency’s next astronaut launch from Florida today (Feb. 4) and you can follow it live online. The teleconference, which NASA announced Thursday afternoon (Feb. 3) comes as NASA and SpaceX are investigating parachute inflation delays during recent Dragon capsule landings. It will … Read more
Astra will launch an orbital rocket from the Lower 48 for the first time this weekend, if all goes according to plan. Astra is preparing to launch the ELaNa 41 mission from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Saturday (Feb. 5), the California company announced via Twitter on Tuesday (Feb. 1). You’ll be able … Read more
The next Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite is set for launch, with improvements to avoid an instrument problem that caused issues in a predecessor mission. The powerful weather satellite from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is set to launch March 1 at 4:38 p.m. EST (2138 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida. … Read more
SpaceX’s launch of an Italian Earth-observation satellite was worth the wait. SpaceX originally aimed to launch the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite on Thursday (Jan. 27), but bad weather forced scrubs on three consecutive days. Mother Nature cooperated on Sunday (Jan. 30) but a rogue cruise liner didn’t, straying into the “no-go zone” downrange … Read more