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Second-Use Falcon 9 Smoothly Delivers Radarsat Trio to Near-Polar Orbit
For the fifteenth time in under six years, the roar of Merlin rocket engines rolled across a fog-enshrouded Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., earlier this morning (Wednesday, 12 June), as SpaceX smoothly delivered Canada’s three-satellite Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) into near-polar orbit, some 370 miles (600 km) above Earth. The Upgraded Falcon 9—tailnumbered “B1051” and […] More
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Canada’s Three-Satellite Radarsat Constellation Stands Ready for Wednesday SpaceX Launch
A trio of identical satellites, each bearing the maple leaf of Canada, will rise to orbit on Wednesday, 12 June, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on a mission to provide comprehensive maritime surveillance, disaster management and the assessment of various ecosystems across the Arctic region. The Radarsat Constellation Mission […] More
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Long-Delayed Delta IV Heavy Lofts Heavyweight NROL-71 Spy Satellite
Although relegated last February to second place on the list of the world’s most powerful operational rockets—sitting behind SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy—the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy roared to space earlier today (Saturday, 19 January), more than a month later than planned, due to hydrogen leaks and other technical woes. Already flown on ten occasions, […] More
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SpaceX Successfully Lands First Falcon in California, Following Spectacular Launch of SAOCOM-1A
SpaceX has triumphantly wrapped up the first Return to Launch Site (RTLS) of a Falcon 9 first stage at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., following the early-evening flight of Argentina’s long-awaited SAOCOM-1A radar-imaging satellite on Sunday, 7 October. Liftoff of the reused booster—which previously saw service to deliver ten Iridium NEXT global mobile communications satellites […] More
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SpaceX Aims for First Falcon Landing at Vandenberg With Sunday Night SAOCOM-1A Launch
Following a smooth Static Fire Test of its nine Merlin 1D+ first-stage engines on Tuesday, 2 October, SpaceX stands ready to launch—and land—its first Falcon 9 booster on solid ground this weekend, as it undertakes an ambitious mission to deliver Argentina’s SAOCOM-1A radar-imaging satellite into orbit. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 7:21 p.m. PDT (10:21 […] More
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SpaceX Turns Focus to Vandenberg for Twilight Launch with Iridium-7 NET July 20
Up next on the U.S. space launch manifest is another SpaceX mission, and another twilight one at that, scheduled to fly atop a ‘Block 5’ Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California as soon as July 20 with the seventh batch of Iridium NEXT satellites. Liftoff of Iridium-7 is currently scheduled for […] More
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SpaceX to Launch 7 Satellites into Different Orbits Tuesday, Attempt Fairing Recovery
SpaceX is the final stages of preparing for a launch attempt on Tuesday, May 22, to deliver the next five Iridium NEXT global mobile communications satellites to orbit, along with a pair of formation-flying, gravity-measuring NASA spacecraft. Liftoff atop an already flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket, used previously to launch the classified ZUMA mission earlier this year, […] More
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in NASA, Mars, Space, Science, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Atlas V, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Technology, Exploration, Solar System, InSight, CubeSatsInSight GO For May 5 Launch to Mars from California, But Fog May Prevent Anyone Seeing It
This weekend NASA will launch its next mission to Mars, but this one will be a little different than the previous ones. Unlike the rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, both still actively examining rocks and sand on the surface, the new InSight lander won’t go anywhere. It will stay in one spot and focus on “peering […] More
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in News, NASA, Air Force, Mars, JPL, Atlas V, ULA, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Launch, InSight, InSightInSight Mars Lander Arrives at Vandenberg for First Planetary Launch from West Coast in May
NASA’s next Mars mission is another step closer to taking flight – the InSight spacecraft has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California, ahead of a launch this coming May. The InSight lander will measure the “pulse” of Mars, probing the deep interior to providing more clues as to how the planet originated and […] More
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SpaceX Launches Fourth Iridium NEXT Batch, Completes Half of Satellite Constellation
SpaceX has closed out 2017 with a personal-best-beating 18th launch, more than twice as many as it has ever previously achieved in a single calendar year. Its 230-foot-tall (70-meter) Upgraded Falcon 9 booster rose majestically from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., during an “instantaneous” window at 5:27:23 p.m. PST on […] More
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Second-to-Last Delta II Launch with JPSS-1 Satellite Rescheduled for Saturday
UPDATED Nov 17: Statement from ULA, “confirmed on the Western Range for Saturday, Nov. 18. The launch time is 1:47 a.m. PT.” UPDATED Nov 15: Statement from ULA, “scrubbed due to a range safety hold and high upper level winds. The team is working to establish a new launch opportunity.” More
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SpaceX Launches Third Batch of Iridium NEXT Satellites from Vandenberg, Returns First Stage to Drone Ship
After a year of records and “personal bests”, SpaceX aims to launch a pair of Upgraded Falcon 9 boosters within two days of each other this week, delivering a ten-strong batch of Iridium NEXT communications satellites to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on Monday, 9 October, followed by the heavyweight SES-11 payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) […] More
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