NASA completes engine test firing of moon rocket on 2nd try
With this critical test finally finished, NASA now will send the rocket segment to Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ NASA completed an engine test firing of its moon rocket Thursday, after the first attempt in January ended prematurely. This time, the four main engines of the rocketโs core stage remained ignited for the full eight minutes. John Honeycutt, NASA's program manager for the Space Launch System or SLS rocket, said everything seemed to go well in Thursday's test firing. The SLS rocket will send an empty Orion capsule to the moon and back.
WATCH: NASA launches SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SXM 7 satellite for SiriusXM on Sunday morning. It will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff has now been pushed back to 11:30 a.m. You can see the liftoff in a livestream below. According to the SpaceX website, the Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting the launch previously supported the Crew Dragonโs first flight to the International Space Station, as well as four of the Starlink launches this year. Related Content:
First woman, next man on moon will come from these NASA 18
The first woman and next man on the moon will come from this elite group. Vice President Mike Pence introduced the astronauts Wednesday at the close of his final meeting as chairman of the National Space Council. The space agency is aiming for a moon landing by 2024, although the chances of that happening are growing increasingly dim. Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. โThe history is awesome, but weโre here to look toward the future,โ Acaba told reporters after the announcement.
WATCH: NASA launches CRS-21 Dragon cargo spacecraft to International Space Station
The Dragon โ packed with Christmas treats and presents โ should reach the space station on Monday, joining the Dragon that delivered four astronauts last month. โDragons everywhere you look,โ said Kenny Todd, NASAโs deputy space station program manager. With NASAโs commercial crew program officially under way, SpaceX expects to always have at least one Dragon capsule at the space station. The station crew watched a live broadcast of the launch, from 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. This updated cargo-carrying model โ as large as the SpaceX crew capsule โ will dock to the orbiting lab by itself.
NASA launches CRS-21 Dragon cargo spacecraft to International Space Station
NASA is launching a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and cargo Dragon spacecraft stand for a resupply mission at the International Space Station. The spacecraft is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:17 a.m., Sunday, and will deliver supplies to the ISS. According to NASA, some of the supplies that will be delivered will help further the ongoing research projects at the space station. You can watch the livestream of the event in the video player above. To learn more about the launch, click here.
SpaceX capsule with 4 astronauts reaches space station
In this frame grab from NASA TV, the SpaceX Dragon is seen after docking at the International Space Station, late Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. (NASA TV via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ SpaceXโs newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring. The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. โOh, what a good voice to hear,โ space station astronaut Kate Rubins called out when the Dragon's commander, Mike Hopkins, first made radio contact. And so it will go, with SpaceX โ and eventually Boeing โ transporting astronauts to and from the station for NASA.
SpaceX flying ex-football players, flight controller, Scout
The three Americans and one Japanese should reach the International Space Station late Monday for a five- to six-month stay, following Sunday's liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A brief look at each:โCrew commander Mike Hopkins, 51, is an Air Force colonel and former space station resident who grew up on a hog and cattle farm in Missouri. He played football for the University of Illinois and, before becoming an astronaut in 2009, worked at the Pentagon. โShannon Walker, 55, a Houston-born-and-raised physicist, also has lived before on the space station. She worked as a flight controller at NASAโs Johnson Space Center and then behind the scenes in the space station program, before becoming an astronaut in 2004.
NASA launches SpaceX to International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday on the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA by a private company. It is due to reach the space station late Monday and remain there until spring. NASA policy at Kennedy Space Center requires anyone testing positive for coronavirus to quarantine and remain isolated. Even the two astronauts on the first SpaceX crew flight stayed behind at Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA turned to private companies to haul cargo and crew to the space station, after the shuttle fleet retired in 2011.
SpaceX crew flight delayed until Sunday; Musk gets mixed COVID-19 results
Fridayโs postponement news came after SpaceX chief Elon Musk disclosed he had gotten mixed test results for COVID-19 and was awaiting the outcome of a more definitive test. โI can assure everyone that weโre looking good for the (crew) launch and all of the critical personnel involved,โ said SpaceXโs Benji Reed, senior director for human spaceflight. โSo โElon Musk Tests Negative for Covidโ is an equally correct title,โ he tweeted. The upcoming crew flight comes just three months after the end of the test flight with Hurley and Bob Behnken, both NASA astronauts. NASA and SpaceX are especially eager to retrieve this first-stage booster; it will be used for the next crew launch.
SpaceX postpones Starlink satellite mission again, this time due to tech issues
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. โ Update (8:24 a.m.): SpaceX called off its Falcon 9 launch of 60 Starlink satellites on Thursday morning due to technical issues. SpaceX cited โan out of family ground system sensor readingโ as the reasoning to halt the launch. Original: SpaceX will hold its next Falcon 9 launch of 60 Starlink satellites on Thursday morning. Liftoff is slated for 8:17 a.m. from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. According to SpaceX, the satellites will deploy a little more than an hour after liftoff.
SpaceX cancels 13th Starlink launch at Kennedy Space Center due to weather
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. โ Update (9:22 a.m.): The SpaceX launch of the 13th Starlink Mission on Monday morning has been canceled due to weather. The mission, which will launch 60 Starlink satellites into orbit, will still take place at a later time. Standing down from launch of Starlink due to weather; will announce a new target launch date once confirmed โ SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 28, 2020Original: SpaceX will launch its 13th Starlink Mission, which will put 60 Starlink satellites to orbit, on Monday morning. Liftoff is slated for 9:22 a.m. from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. According to SpaceX, the satellites will deploy a little more than an hour after liftoff.
Arizona Senate race could impact confirmation of new justice
FILE - In this May 16, 2011, file photo, former NASA astronaut STS-134 commander Mark Kelly, front, waves a he leaves the Operations and Checkout Building with fellow crew members, including Mike Fincke, for a trip to Launch Pad 39-A, and a planned liftoff on the space shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. A Kelly victory would shrink the GOP's Senate majority at a crucial moment and complicate the path to confirmation for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Space Curious: The origin story of the International Space Station
That means most college students today have never known a day without an astronaut orbiting above them on the International Space Station. The International Space Station, or ISS, is just shy of the same length as an American football field and the largest spacecraft ever built. โI felt as an International Space Station, we needed to enter as an international crew.โAdCabana and Krikalev went into the ISS at the same time. โSergei and I enter side by side, so there was no first person to enter the International Space Station,โ Cabana said. Hosted by space reporter Emilee Speck, each episode is designed to inspire everyone, from the space curious to the space fanatics.
KSAT Kids: Watch SpaceXs Starlink satellite launch from Kennedy Space Center at 10:59 a.m.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. SpaceX is scheduled to launch Starlink satellites from a Falcon 9 at 10:59 a.m. Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center. If there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time. SpaceX launches Air Forces newest GPS satelliteThe launch reportedly will be the 10th mission in support of the constellation of networked satellites known as Starlink. The goal of Starlink is to create a network that will help provide internet services to those who are not yet connected, and to provide reliable and affordable internet across the globe. Additional KSAT Kids Content:
On a space high? Tune in to this outer space playlist
Letโs be serious, weโre all in a space mood after watching NASA astronauts launch from Kennedy Space Center last month. Whether youโre taking your shuttle out for a Sunday drive, taking a road trip, or blasting off to the stars -- a playlist is absolutely necessary to make the trip memorable. NASA Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley made a playlist for their 3-mile ride to Launch Complex 39A before liftoff. Youโll hear melodies like โSpace Oddityโ, โRocket Manโ as well as โA Sky Full of Starsโ made famous by Coldplay. Buckle up and don your space suit -- or whatever NASA apparel you have close by, as we dive into our space jams.
How to watch the historic astronaut launch with your children: Thereโs an invaluable lesson here
If it goes off as planned, this will mark the first mission involving astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011. Still, NASA astronaut Bob Behnken has said he and Doug Hurley are โreally comfortableโ with the risks. So youโre making educated guesses, at best.โIt seems thereโs just more uncharted territory when it comes to space travel. โThe first astronauts really started out as test pilots,โ Garfinkle said. But assuming this launch goes well, โIt would be great for kids to see a successful, triumphant moment of science,โ Fink said.