Rocket Launch
S.S. Ellison Onizuka on way to ISS after successful launch
Northrop Grumman successfully launched its 16th resupply mission to the International Space Station from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in Wallops Island, Virginia on August 10, 2021, at 6:01:05 p.m. EDT. The NG16 mission will deliver approximately 8,200 pounds of cargo to the station including crew supplies, hardware, and scientific research once …
Northrop Grumman to launch its 16th resupply mission to the ISS
The 16th resupply mission by Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft is currently targeted to lift off on August 10th at 5:56 p.m. from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. On top of the Antares booster, the Cygnus spacecraft will carry more than 8,200 pounds of science and research, …
SpaceX launches record 143 satellites into polar orbit
A recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 soared to orbit Sunday morning with a record-setting number of small satellites in a single flight on their first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission dubbed Transporter-1, also flying on a rare southern trajectory from Florida’s Spaceport. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-1 rideshare mission carrying a total of 143 SmallSats …
10 Days in July: Trio of nations launch separate missions to Mars
Across a brief 10-day period covering mid to late July, the United Arab Emirates, China, and the United States each launched their own mission to explore Mars. For the UAE and China, it is their first solo attempt to reach the Red Planet, whereas the U.S. is continuing to build upon a legacy of success …
SpaceX launches astronauts into orbit on historic flight
NASA astronauts launched from American soil for the first time in nine years and accomplished the history-making event aboard a commercial SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft soaring from the Florida space coast and bound for the International Space Station (ISS) – to the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators gathered from around America and three …
Solar Orbiter on way to explore Sun’s polar regions
The Solar Orbiter collaborative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA to study the Sun, its poles, and space weather in unprecedented detail, streaked to space on a commercial United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket this past weekend from the a rocket range along the Florida coastline. The Solar Orbiter mission started with an …
Sounding rocket to send a dusty lab into the sky
Joe Nuth loves dust. Among astronomers, that puts him in a minority. “The traditional astronomers — the people looking at galaxies and stars — they hate dust,” said Nuth, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’s the stuff that’s in their way.” Like the Earthly dust that gathers under …
First night launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy lofts 24 science satellites into orbit
Twenty-four science satellites streaked to orbit during an absolutely spectacular middle-of-the-night liftoff Tuesday. It was the first night launch of the triple-stick SpaceX Falcon Heavy program. As an added bonus it also featured the first ever fairing catch by the Ms. Tree boat out at sea, as well as twin landings of the side boosters …
Delta IV Heavy launches with classified payload
The largest and most powerful American rocket currently flying, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy, lifted off from Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:51 p.m. on June 11, 2016 on the NROL-37 mission after a 48-hour delay due to weather. The payload for this launch was a classified satellite for …
When good rockets go bad
Behind the scenes of launch control Space flight is dangerous and not just for the astronauts. Over the hundred plus years of rocket technology and space flight growth, many have died just working on rockets or even testing them, from engineers to flight pad crew to even spectators. Progress comes with a price and with …