The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee held a sub-committee hearing this morning to examine changes taking place in the Department of Defense Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program (EELV.) Prior to today’s hearing, the GAO released a report regarding cost accounting in the EELV program, and like a number of prior reports it leaves the clear impression […]
A ULA Delta IV lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex-37 Thursday evening at 8:59 p.m. Carried to orbit at 11,000 nautical miles and an inclination of 55 degrees was a 3,534 lb. Global Positioning System 2F satellite. The Boeing built spacecraft will take its place in the 31 satellite fleet, […]
Update: As the original version of this story suggested, SES did not book a Falcon Heavy. Leading satellite Comsat operator SES announced today that it has awarded a construction contract for its SES-10 satellite to Airbus Defense and Space, previously known as Astrium. Of greater interest however, is the fact that the 5,300 kg […]
After the various trials of the ultimately successful SES-8 mission on December 3rd, SpaceX’s New Year’s resolutions almost certainly included a trouble free flight for its second GTO launch in 34 days, and the first of a busy 2014. And that is exactly what they got. This evening’s liftoff took place on time at the […]
According to a report in aerospace industry magazine Space News, a US district judge has denied a request by United Launch Alliance to dismiss the lawsuit levied against the monopoly launch provider by Orbital Sciences Corporation over access to the Russian built RD-180 first stage engine which powers the Atlas V rocket. Unless the case […]
Lifting off on time at 5:41 pm ET from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40, the first SpaceX Falcon 9 booster carrying a commercial communications satellite has successfully placed its payload, the SES-8 comsat into geostationary transfer orbit. Tonight’s launch was the culmination of a long and at times trying campaign which saw two previous attempts over […]
Update: Following this evening’s abort, SpaceX released this statement “We observed unexpected readings with the first stage liquid oxygen system so we decided to investigate. The launch vehicle and satellite are in great shape and we are looking forward to the next launch opportunity on Thursday at 5:38 p.m. Eastern time.” Original story SpaceX Prepares […]
It is after all, just a test launch. But what a test launch it is. Whenever the Falcon 9 v1.1 finally lifts off from Vandenberg, Ca. it will carry much more than a 700 lb. satellite, (as well as a couple of cubesats) which got a bargain basement price for accepting an elevated level of […]
Shortly before a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy booster lifted off from Vandenberg AFB yesterday, spacepolicyonline relayed a report from the Russian newspaper Izvestia suggesting that Vladimir Putin’s government is considering terminating the agreement which allows the United States to import the RD-180 main engine which powers the ULA Atlas V booster. Although critics […]
What was already likely to not be a very happy week at United Launch Alliance just got a whole lot worse. Only a day after SpaceX entered into an agreement with the Air Force to begin the process of qualifying its boosters for EELV business, Reuters is reporting that the Federal Trade Commission is opening an […]
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