Second stage engine malfunction blamed for UK space launch failure

The mystery of why the first orbital mission launched from the UK fell into the sea on January 9 had some light shed on it today as Virgin Orbital announced that telemetry indicated that the second stage engine shut down prematurely.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Second stage engine malfunction blamed for UK space launch failure

First space mission launched from British soil fails to reach orbit

Britain’s attempt to launch its first orbital rocket in over half a century and the first from UK soil failed today as the second stage of the mission’s Virgin Orbit rocket malfunctioned due to an undisclosed problem.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, Sc… Continue reading First space mission launched from British soil fails to reach orbit

SpaceX’s all-powerful Falcon Heavy flies for the first time since 2019

SpaceX has today fired up its mighty Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful currently in operation, for the first time since 2019 to successfully lift a set of satellites into orbit for the US Space Force. The company also landed two of the rocket’s si… Continue reading SpaceX’s all-powerful Falcon Heavy flies for the first time since 2019

Satellite-flinging SpinLaunch puts NASA payload through the wringer

Startup SpinLaunch is working on an alternative way of firing things into space that doesn’t involve first-stage rockets, but instead a launch system that spins payloads around in a centrifuge and hurls them into the sky. Those payloads will need to be… Continue reading Satellite-flinging SpinLaunch puts NASA payload through the wringer

Firefly Aerospace rockets into orbit with successful Alpha launch

Texan startup Firefly Aerospace has joined the growing group of orbit-capable space startups, with the successful launch of its Alpha rocket over the weekend. The mission saw a set of satellites deployed into low-Earth orbit and marks a long-awaited st… Continue reading Firefly Aerospace rockets into orbit with successful Alpha launch

Virgin Orbit carries out its first night mission for the US Space Force

Virgin Orbit has ticked off another milestone for its fledgling launch business, successfully carrying out its first night-time mission over the weekend and deploying satellites into low-Earth orbit. The flight is the first of three the company will ca… Continue reading Virgin Orbit carries out its first night mission for the US Space Force

NASA’s CAPSTONE CubeSat lifts off to test orbit of future space station

NASA took its first step today in establishing its Gateway orbital lunar outpost with the launch at 5:55 am EDT of its Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) CubeSat atop a Rocket Lab Electron … Continue reading NASA’s CAPSTONE CubeSat lifts off to test orbit of future space station

New video gives first-person view of what it’s like to be SpinLaunched

SpinLaunch has released on-board footage from its eighth suborbital flight test, giving us a unique opportunity to imagine what it’d be like to be hurled skyward out of a centrifugal accelerator at more than a thousand miles per hour.Continue ReadingCa… Continue reading New video gives first-person view of what it’s like to be SpinLaunched

NASA will test SpinLaunch’s ability to fling satellites into orbit

NASA has signed up to test SpinLaunch’s extraordinary whirl ‘n’ hurl space launch technology, which accelerates a launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using an electric centrifuge instead of a rocket, hurling it skyward like a space discus.Continue Read… Continue reading NASA will test SpinLaunch’s ability to fling satellites into orbit

SpaceX to launch Northrop Grumman’s robotic satellite repair spacecraft

Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics subsidiary has signed an agreement with SpaceX and Australian telecommunications company Optus to put its Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft and Mission Extension Pod (MEP) into regular commercial service.Continu… Continue reading SpaceX to launch Northrop Grumman’s robotic satellite repair spacecraft