Category: Launches
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When will Falcon 9 Return to Flight
It has been 9 weeks since the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch failure, and with the exception of one update from Elon Musk on 20th July we have not heard anything further on the return to flight of the Falcon 9. The initial investigation found that a strut in the second stage oxygen tank failed at…
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ULA launches WGS 7 satellite
This evening United Launch Alliance launched the seventh Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) military communications satellite aboard its Delta IV rocket. The launch, which was delayed yesterday due to stormy weather, proceeded with a smooth countdown this afternoon resulting in the Delta IV lifting off at 8:07 pm EDT. Once in orbit the 2nd stage will…
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TMA-17M Docks with ISS
Following the successful launch earlier the Soyuz TMA-17M carrying Oleg Kononenko, Kimiya Yui and Kjell Lindgren arrived at the international Space Station following a four orbit journey. After the launch it became clear that as with TMA-14M one of the solar panels had not deployed correctly, this didn’t impact the docking and as before the…
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Soyuz TMA-17M launches to ISS
Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren launched this evening from Baikonur Cosmodrome towards the International Space Station. Once in orbit the spacecraft deployed its solar panels and KURS docking antenna’s before beginning the six hours, four orbit chase of the ISS. We will follow up with an article…
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SpaceX releases preliminary data on 6/28 Falcon 9 failure
More than three weeks ago during the launch of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station the Falcon 9 second stage suffered an anomaly that resulted in the lost of the spacecraft and its payloads. Today Elon Musk announced that the preliminary investigation into the accident indicates that a strut inside the Liquid Oxygen…
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Is No News Good News for the #SpaceX accident
On the 5th July Elon Tweeted the following Expect to reach preliminary conclusions regarding last flight by end of week. Will brief key customers & FAA, then post on our website. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2015 However it is now 11 days later and we still haven’t heard any news on what caused…
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Ariane 5 launches two satellites
In the second launch of the day an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana carrying the Star One C4 and MSG-4 satellites. The flight was delayed from the original launch date due to oil contamination which has since been resolved, the countdown today ran smoothly allowed the rocket to lift…
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ISS Resupply Vehicle Launches successfully
Following on from two recent failures the Progress 60P (M-28M) spacecraft lifted off successfully this morning, Lifted to orbit aboard a Soyuz-U rocket the automated spacecraft successfully deployed its Solar Arrays and Kurs docking antennas before firing its thrusters to begin the journey to the ISS, for this flight the spacecraft will use the two…
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Leading theories for SpaceX CRS-7 mishap
It has been two days since the Falcon 9 carrying the CRS-7 Dragon exploded and there are currently two leading THEORIES on what happened. As we have yet to hear an official reason from SpaceX these are just PURE SPECULATION at this point. 1) The International Docking Adapter or a part of it came lose…
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SpaceX loses CRS-7 mission to ISS
This morning SpaceX launched their latest mission to the International Space Station, unfortunately during the first stage flight the rocket exploded causing lost of Falcon, Dragon and the cargo it was carrying Among the cargo that Dragon was carrying was the first of two International Docking Adapters for the station which will be used…