[ad_1] Virgin Orbit’s first launch demonstration flight has ended in a very unceremonious fashion. The spaceflight firm reported a “clean release” of LauncherOne from the Cosmic Girl host aircraft, but the rocket’s journey “terminated shortly into the flight.” In other words, LauncherOne didn’t have a realistic chance of reaching orbit. The company had warned that […]
Category: spaceflight
Virgin Orbit’s first launch demo takes place this weekend
[ad_1] Virgin Orbit is finally ready to try a proper launch demo. The spaceflight outfit now expects the launch demo mission to take place on either May 24th or May 25th between 1PM and 5PM Eastern each day. If there’s enough of a launch window, the Cosmic Girl carrier aircraft will release LauncherOne over the […]
NASA’s human spaceflight lead resigns days before Crew Dragon launch
[ad_1] Former astronaut Ken Bowersox will serve as the acting associate administrator, a role he took when Gerstenmaier was ousted from his position. This shouldn’t affect NASA’s plans in the short term. Bowersox is a leadership veteran, including as commander on the International Space Station. However, this tumult is coming at what might be the […]
X-37B space plane launches on its most ambitious mission to date
[ad_1] A day later than planned, the X-37B space plane has gone back into low Earth orbit for its sixth mission. The vehicle launched aboard a United Launch Alliance rocket on the morning of May 17th. It’s the first X-37B mission under the Space Force’s oversight (though the Air Force still owns the spacecraft) and […]
SpaceX Crew Dragon simulator shows what it’s like to dock with the ISS
[ad_1] You don’t have to train as an astronaut to know what it’s like to pilot Crew Dragon — you just need a web browser and some patience. TechCrunch notes that SpaceX has launched a web simulator that lets you dock the capsule with the International Space Station using the “actual interface” the crew relies […]
Virgin Galactic’s spaceship flies from its new home base for the first time
[ad_1] The pieces are finally starting to come together for Virgin Galactic’s space tourism — the company has flown SpaceShipTwo from Spaceport America for the first time. It was just a glide test from 50,000 feet up, but the flight let the spaceport fulfill its intended purpose and gave pilots familiarity with the New Mexico […]
NASA and SpaceX’s first crewed flight is set for May 27th
[ad_1] Today, NASA announced that its crewed SpaceX flight will launch on May 27th, The Washington Post reports. The flight will mark the first astronaut launch from US soil since 2011, and it will be the first SpaceX flight carrying passengers, not just cargo. If successful, this Crew Dragon Demo-2 test will clear the way […]
Follow Apollo 13 in real-time on its 50th anniversary
[ad_1] Now’s your chance to relive another important part of space history. Apollo in Real Time is streaming audio and video from Apollo 13 on the 50th anniversary of the “successful failure’s” launch on April 11th, 1970. The mission dialogue will let you experience the incident (which happened on April 13th) and the mix of […]
SpaceX parachute test failure could further delay crewed flight
[ad_1] It’s not clear what led to the problem, although SpaceX said the parachutes weren’t responsible. The crewed demo mission is still officially expected in May. However, Parabolic Arc sources said that the failure along with separate preparation issues made it “likely” that the flight would wait until June. It wouldn’t be surprising if the […]
NASA warns Moon base plans might slip by a year
[ad_1] Loverro stressed that NASA wasn’t ditching the Gateway. Rather, he saw the administration pursuing a slower spending increase that would help attract foreign partners. The statements (along with delays in Boeing’s Space Launch System) suggest that NASA’s schedule for the Artemis program might be too aggressive. Critics have argued that the White House’s timetable, […]