I’m a little late on this one, but here we have the launch highlights video for the AEHF-4 launch from earlier this week. It was all in all another wonderful Atlas V launch. Yep. This video has the usual clips of the assembly and rollout of the Atlas V followed by some nice shots of …
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Atlas V AEHF-4 Mission Profile
We’ve got another awesome Atlas V launch tonight; this time an Atlas 551 configuration, one of the most powerful variations available of the Atlas V with 5 solid rocket boosters, will be launching the fourth satellite in the Advanced Extremely High Frequency series for the U.S. Air Force. This is a slightly different launch, in that …
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50 Years Ago: The Launch Of Apollo 7
This is it. 50 years ago today on October 11th, 1968 the manned portion of the Apollo Program began with the launch of Apollo 7, a mission designed to test the newly redesigned Apollo Command / Service Module in Earth orbit with an actual crew for up to 2 weeks – the estimated length of …
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60 Years Ago: The Launch Of Vanguard 1
On March 17th, 1958 the United States Navy successfully launched a satellite in its Vanguard program, Vanguard 1. This was the same type of rocket and payload as in the failed Vanguard TV-3 incident that embarrassed the United States back in December of 1957, and another test in February 1958 which also ended in failure. …
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SBIRS Geo-4 Successfully Launches On An Atlas V Rocket
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V lifted off yesterday from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the 4th Geostationary Satellite in the Space-Based Infrared System, a collection of specialty satellites operated by the United States Air Force designed to assist the United States military in situational awareness in the battlefield, especially …
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SpaceX Successfully Static-Fires A Falcon 9 At Launch Complex 40
I wouldn’t normally cover a test firing of a Falcon 9 stage, but this one is kind of important – it marks the first use of Launch Complex 40 since the September 2016 explosion of a Falcon 9 booster destroyed the launch facility. Going back to that explosion, it happened during the same kind of …
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SpaceX Scheduling Madness
This is going to be interesting – a two-fold article. On one half, I have a bit more to say about what upcoming SpaceX content I have coming, and on the other half, I feel it worth discussing the actual current scheduling that SpaceX is launching on in the upcoming months. On my end, as …
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20 Years Ago, The Launch Of Cassini
On October 15th, 1997, a Titan IV/B lifted off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft into space for its eventual amazing mission to study the planet Saturn. This was one of the first launches of the Titan IV/B and the first flight of that particular Titan variation …
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TDRS-M Successfully Launches On An Atlas V
I’m almost a week late on this one, but it’s still worth covering: The third, and final of the 3 Third-Generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, known as TDRS, was successfully launched on Friday, August 18th, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 41. The TDRS satellite system is used for high-bandwith data and …
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SpaceX’s 3rd Launch In 12 Days, And The Heaviest Payload Yet: Intelsat 35e
I’m covering this one quickly, since I missed the launch live, but on Wednesday the 6th of July, SpaceX, after 2 previous failed attempts to launch, finally got Intelsat 35e off the ground and into one of the highest orbits possible for the booster with such a payload. This high initial orbit was to preserve …
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SpaceX Successfully Launches BulgariaSat-1 And Re-flies Another Falcon 9 1st Stage
Same stuff, different day at SpaceX today with yet another launch from Pad 39A, this time of Bulgaria’s 1st satellite, BulgariaSat 1, to geosynchronous orbit. Yep, another communications satellite, but as mentioned, this is the 1st satellite made by Bulgaria, so that’s special: I hope it works out well for them and their needs! The …
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What I Failed To Notice About Yesterday’s SpaceX Launch
I’ve made a pretty big mistake in my article yesterday about the Falcon 9 launch of NROL-76. This is the fact that they used high-end cameras and telescope systems to track the booster for it’s entire flight and return to land. http://www.xadara.com/nrol-76-successfully-flies-on-a-falcon-9-rocket/ Seriously, re-watch the footage: aside from a few sections to show the on-booster …
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EchoStar XIX Atlas V Launch Highlights
Another day, another launch it seems. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster (431 configuration) launched the Echostar 19 communications satellite today, marking the 68th Atlas V launch. Normally I would go on waxing poetically about the payload, the booster, and what have you, but this time, there isn’t anything to say that hasn’t been …
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Project Mercury And You – 1961 Convair Training Film
Ah, project Mercury – the United States “Man In Space” program. Sure, it wasn’t the first to put a man in space, or in orbit (The Soviets would do that with Vostok 1 in 1961) but it was still a necessary step towards what we eventually would accomplish. Of course, anything going into space needs …
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NROL-37 Delta IV Heavy Launch 360 Degree View
This video, released a few weeks ago, is an amazing way to experience Junes NROL-37 launch, via use of full 360 degree cameras placed around the launch complex. It’s exactly as it sounds, no more, no less: multiple views of the launch, with you being able to look around much like you were there. 360 …
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