SPACEX SPLASHES DOWN TO COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL DEMO FLIGHT - SpaceX's Dragon capsule fell to a soft landing in the Pacific Ocean just after 2 p.m. to complete a hugely successful first demonstration flight. The spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral at 10:43 a.m. EST atop a Falcon 9 rocket and was deployed in orbit a little over nine minutes later. The capsule completed nearly two trips around the planet flying 186 miles high. From a mission control center in southern California, SpaceX teams tested guidance, propulsion and communications systems. More (Source: USA Today - Dec 8)
SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET, CAPSULE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED - SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon test capsule launched successfully from Florida's Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning. It's the first successful launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program and another step for the future of commercial space flight. More (Source: PC Magazine - Dec 8)
SPACEX CRAFT MISSES INITIAL LAUNCH TIME - The launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Florida was delayed Wednesday morning. The first commercial spacecraft slated to orbit Earth and re-enter successfully was originally scheduled to lift off shortly after 9 a.m. No reason was given for the delay. Launch coordinators will try again at 10:43 a.m. Officials hope the demonstration flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule will still make the 9 a.m. to 12:22 p.m. ET launch window. More (Source: CNN - Dec 8)
NASA'S NANOSAIL-D RELEASED INTO THE WINDS OF SPACE - Despite being an idea rattling around inside the head of engineers and space enthusiasts for over 40 years, solar sails have never really gained much traction in the way of actual deployment. Today, NASA has taken an important step towards testing solar sail technology for use in future spacecraft. The Nanosail-D spacecraft was launched Friday, Nov. 19 at 8:25 p.m. EST from Kodiak Island, Alaska, and was piggybacking on another satellite, both aboard a Minotaur IV rocket. It has successfully been ejected from the launch vehicle as of today, and is on its own. Though the sails have yet to deploy, this is already an achievement that bodes well for the future of both solar sail and small satellite technology. More (Source: Discovery News - Dec 8)
SPACEX ON THE VERGE OF UNLEASHING DRAGON IN THE SKY - SpaceX plans to launch a robotic space capsule, fly it around the world two times, then order the craft back home Wednesday in a whirlwind test flight to demonstrate the ship's readiness to NASA. The mission is scheduled to last three-and-a-half hours after originating from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft will occur in the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles off the west coast of northern Mexico and California. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Dec 8)
RUSSIAN SATELLITE LAUNCH FAILS - Russia's space agency is investigating the failed launch of three navigational satellites, the agency reported Sunday. The satellites were meant to complete the Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system. But they went into a "non-targeted orbit" following their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday afternoon, the Federal Space Agency reported. "A special Board has been established to find out the cause of the contingency and to define next steps," the agency said in a public statement. More (Source: CNN - Dec 6)
NASA DELAYS FINAL FLIGHT OF DISCOVERY UNTIL FEBRUARY - NASA is not taking any chances with the 26-year-old Space Shuttle Discovery, which has been in orbit 38 times and is the senior citizen of the U.S. space program. The agency on Dec. 3 postponed for the third time what was to be the final launch of Discovery until after the holidays. It originally was supposed to go Nov. 5 but was delayed until Nov. 30, again until Dec. 17, and now until next year. The craft is now scheduled to fly no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011, to enable more testing on repairs that were made to cracked supports on the shuttle's fuel tank and to other mechanical problems that included a hydrogen leak. More (Source: eWeek - Dec 6)
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY'S FINAL LAUNCH DATE STILL UNCLEAR - NASA has yet to set a firm launch date for the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery, after managers met for hours on Thursday to review technical issues that have grounded the orbiter for more than a month. The top shuttle program managers met to evaluate the repairs that were made to Discovery's massive external fuel tank. Engineering teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have been compiling data in order to determine the root cause of cracks that were found on the metal ribs of the shuttle's external tank. After Thursday's discussion, officials held off on assigning a firm launch date for Discovery's final mission to the International Space Station. More (Source: MSNBC - Dec 4)
X-37B ORBITAL TEST VEHICLE LANDS AT VANDENBERG AFB - The U.S. Air Force's first unmanned re-entry spacecraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:16 a.m. today. The X-37B, named Orbital Test Vehicle 1 (OTV-1), conducted on-orbit experiments for more than 220 days during its maiden voyage. It fired its orbital maneuver engine in low-earth orbit to perform an autonomous reentry before landing. The X-37B is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft. Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO), the X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies. More (Source: Vandenberg Air Force Base - Dec 3)
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