The European Space Agency (ESA) has delayed the maiden launch of their upcoming heavy-medium rocket: the Ariane 6. Arianespace – the prime contractor for Ariane 6 – and ESA now expect it to launch NET (no earlier than) the second half of 2021, with at least six months of delay. […]
NASA Space Flight
78 posts
China’s new solid rocket motor Kuaizhou-11 launch vehicle has failed on its first mission. China conducted the inaugural launch of the long-delayed Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) rocket at 04:17 UTC from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Friday, carrying two satellites, before confirming the failure of the mission in the latter stages […]
For the first time in its 10-year flight history, the Minotaur IV rocket is preparing to make its inaugural launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, MARS, on Wallops Island, Virginia. The classified mission from the National Reconnaissance Office, known as NROL-129, will launch sometime within a launch window that opens […]
China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) launched the APStar-6D communications satellite on Thursday using the Long March-3B/G2 – Chang Zheng-3B/G2 (Y64) rocket. The launch took place at 12:10 UTC from the LC3 pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. To be operated by APT Satellite Company Ltd., the APStar-6D satellite […]
SpaceX is set for their ninth launch of operational Starlink satellites, along with two satellites for BlackSky’s Earth observation constellation, on Wednesday, July 8 (11:59am EDT / 15:59 UTC). The weather forecast issued by the 45th Space Wing the day before launch shows a 60% chance of acceptable weather, increasing […]
A joint NASA and Boeing team has completed their “high visibility close call” review into anomalies experienced during the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission. Boeing is now in the process of implementing fixes and upgrades for the Starliner spacecraft in preparation for a second OFT, a crewed flight test (CFT), […]
The Israeli government and Israel Aerospace Industries conducted a previously-unannounced launch of a reconnaissance satellite Monday, using a Shavit-2 rocket to deploy the Ofek 16 satellite into low Earth orbit. Ofek 16 is a small electro-optical imaging satellite, which will capture high-resolution images of the Earth for Israel’s Ministry of […]
A second Mobile Launcher (ML-2) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is heading into its construction phase as Ground Support Equipment begins to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). NASA called for a second ML to be constructed to cater for the slightly taller Block 1B SLS that is […]
Nearly three weeks after the last flight of Rocket Lab’s workhorse Electron rocket, the California-based company is aiming to perform the most rapid turnaround between launches to date with the launch of Electron Flight 13, which features seven small satellites as the payload. The mission is currently scheduled to launch […]
The government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the U.K.) announced today they are acquiring the U.S. and U.K.-based company OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy in March 2020 after failing to attract enough capital and customers for its planned internet satellite constellation and operating in a […]
China launched a new remote sensing satellite on Friday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Launch of the Gaofen multi-mode integrated imaging satellite took place at 03:10 UTC from the LC9 launch Complex using the Long March-4B (Y43) rocket. The new remote sensing satellite was accompanied by the small Xibaipo […]
NASA Exploration Ground Systems and prime test and operations contractor Jacobs mated the first of two Space Launch System (SLS) aft motor segments for the Artemis 1 launch with its aft skirt on June 24. The connection of two of the major elements of the right-hand aft booster assembly continues […]
NASA has initialized plans via a letter contract with Northrop Grumman for 12 additional Solid Rocket Boosters, or SRBs, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — a pending contract with a potential value of $49.5 million USD. In the letter contract, the agency will “provide initial funding and […]
Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken have completed the second in a series of four spacewalks, or EVAs, that will complete replacement of the last set of Station batteries, which were delivered to the outpost in May on the Japan HTV-9 cargo vehicle. Three years ago, NASA began the effort to […]
SpaceX’s Starship SN5 prototype is expected to perform a cryogenic proof test at the launch provider’s Boca Chica, Texas facility as early as Tuesday evening. The test will mark a rapid recovery for SpaceX – managing to return to testing a month after the previous vehicle exploded on the pad. […]
SpaceX is readying their Falcon 9 rocket to launch the third Block III Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, named SV03. Block III is the next generation of GPS satellites, replacing the aging Block II series. This will be SpaceX’s second GPS launch, out of the five they have been awarded […]
Boeing powered up the Core Stage for the first Space Launch System on the B-2 Test Stand at the NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi last week following a long stand down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first Core Stage is at the outdoor facility for a Green Run […]
Canada is marching forward with its international partners to establish a permanent research installation near the Moon, the Lunar Gateway. As it did for the Shuttle and Station programs before, the Canadian Space Agency, via a partnership with MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates, Inc., will build the next-generation robotic system: Canadarm3. […]
A replacement Air Quality Monitor will be launched on the next Progress resupply mission to aid the investigation into increased levels of benzene in the International Space Station’s atmosphere. The first detection of off-nominal levels occurred on April 13, when Air Quality Monitor-1 – or AQM-1 – detected benzene in […]
After a lengthy grounding following a failed launch in July 2019, the closure of the Guiana Space Centre due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and a further postponement because of high-altitude winds, Arianespace’s small-lift Vega rocket was set to launch its Return To Flight (RTF) mission. However, a scrub was […]
The Sierra Nevada Corporation has announced its Louisville, Colorado production center has received the Thermal Protection System tiles for Tenacity, the first space-worthy Dream Chaser, and has started bonding them to the vehicle. This is another major milestone Tenacity has reached as she walks down the path to her first […]
SpaceX is set for another launch of Starlink satellites on Friday (16:18 EDT/20:18 UTC) after performing a successful static fire test of the launch vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center’s 39A. Riding along with the SpaceX payload will be two satellites for the BlackSky Earth observation constellation. (Lead photo via […]
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting the first in a series of four spacewalks to begin the process of replacing the final set of the station’s batteries – an effort which first began over three years ago. EV-1 Chris Cassidy and EV-2 Bob Behnken kicked off EVA-65 […]
NASA is studying the addition of an Orion rendezvous demonstration to the Artemis 2 test flight to reduce overall mission risks to the subsequent Artemis 3 lunar landing from first-time operations. The Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) is working with its Artemis Programs to evaluate some of the […]