A RUSSIAN SOYUZ ROCKET TO LAUNCH THE EXPEDITION 24 CREW TO SPACE STATION ON JUNE 15.

Falcon 9 Successfully Launches on Inaugural Flight

 (Cape Canaveral, FL) -- The inaugural flight of a rocket destined to carry cargo and supplies to the International Space Station successfully arrived in earth orbit on Friday afternoon following a launch delay.

 The 180-foot tall Falcon's nine Merlin 1C main engines came alive as it rose from launch complex 40 here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 2:45 pm EDT, on June 4 and began to arc out over the Atlantic waters.

 Each Merlin 1C is fueled by a mixture of liquid oxygen and kerosene, and burned for nearly the first three minutes of ascent.

 The first stage then separate and the second stage's single engine began it's five minute burn.

 NASA was watching over the shoulder of SpaceX as the space agency looks at using private companies in launching their astronauts and supplies to the Space Station.   (Story)

 Follow our Live Twitter updates via @spacelaunchnews.

Publisher Mary Myers Views & News

 ILS PROTON-M LAUNCHES ARABSAT SATELLITE: A Russian rocket lifted-off with an advanced direct to home broadcast satellite for Arab Satellite Communications as the company increases support for Saudi Arabia and Africa.

Arabsat's BADR-5 satellite will operate in an orbital plane close to the BADR-4 and 6 satellites, broadcasting direct to home network channels, and expand Arabsat's high def channels lineup.

Liftoff of the International Launch Services Proton-M from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in western Kazakhstan occurred on time this evening at 6:00 pm EDT (2200 GMT) from launch pad 39.

This was ILS's 60th Proton launch, and the sixth Proton launch of the year.

 (Read Story)

NASATV

 SOYUZ CRAFT MAKES SOFT LANDING: A trio of crew members who spent six months living in space returned back to earth on June 1 just hours after undocking from the International Space Station.

 Beautiful blue skies and 65 degrees greeted the returning crew at it's landing site in the isolated region in northern Kazakhstan.

 Expedition 23 commander Oleg Kotov and Flight ... (Landing Story)  (Watch post-Landing)

 ULA DELTA 4 LAUNCHES ADVANCED GPS SATELLITE: An advanced Global Positioning System satellite was carried into orbit on May 27 which will provide the United States military aviation and land vehicles with a greater signal accuracy.

 The United Launch Alliance Delta IV lifted-off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's launch complex 37 at 11:00:01 pm EDT, on Thursday, on a 105.28...  (Watch the Launch)   (Launch Story)

 ATLANTIS RETURNS HOME TO AMERICA'S SPACEPORT: Streaking out of the blue Florida sky, shuttle Atlantis returned home to the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday concluding twelve days and 186 orbits of the earth.

 Atlantis commander Kenneth Ham and pilot Tony Antonelli fired the shuttle's breaking engines to slow the orbiter down by 220 miles to allow the craft to begin her fall out of an orbit 220 miles high.  (Flight Journal)   - Read our Launch Story    - STS-132 Launch/Mission Videos

 ARIANE 5 LAUNCHES ON GOLDEN FLIGHT: The European Space Agency's Ariane 5 rocket marked her fiftieth flight on May 21 successfully delivering two satellites into earth orbit.

 Carrying dual satellites -- ASTRA 3B and COMSATBw-2 -- this first Ariane flight of 2010 was delayed nearly two months due to technical issues at the pad during it's first launch attempt in March.

 A quality review board investigated the Ariane 5 launch campaign for this flight to learn why the issues... (Read Complete Story)

 JAPAN LAUNCHES VENUS SPACE OBSERVATORY: A Japanese space observatory departed Earth on May 20 bound for Venus as it begins a multi-year mission to study the planet's mysterious atmosphere.

 The Venusian atmosphere as a whole is one of the great mysteries in our solar system -- from it's make up and fast rotating upper atmosphere to why it differs so much from it's twin planet, Earth.  (Read Complete Story)

 NASA TESTS FUTURE LAUNCH ESCAPE SYSTEM: A new version of a launch escape system for the upcoming Orion manned spacecraft was successfully tested on May 6 at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility.

 The new escape system is designed to pull the Orion craft away from a troubled or exploding core rocket from prelaunch or up thru the initial launch phase. The Pad Abort 1 test launched at 9:00:01 am EDT, on Thursday, May 6 in New Mexico. (Watch the NASA Video)  (Read Complete Story)

 RESUPPLY CRAFT DOCKS WITH STATION: A Russian cargo craft filled to the top with supplies was docked successfully Saturday by the commander of the International Space Station after an automatic system failed on it's approach. 

 As the Progress M-05M spacecraft begin it's rendezvous sequence, the Kurs automated rendezvous system failed at a range of 3,280 feet from it's docking port.

 The system failure forced the station's commander Oleg Kotov...  (Read Story)

 RECENT SATELLITES OBSERVE GULF OIL SPILL: Two NASA satellites and one from the European Space Agency are keeping the American government informed of the environmental damaged caused by a looming oil spill in the northern Gulf Of Mexico.

 Explosions rocked an oil drilling platform located 55 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River on April 20, sending a crude oil slick onto the waters of the Gulf.

 The Deepwater Horizon platform then sunk on April 22 causing...  (Read Story)

 PROTON ROCKET LOFTS AMERICAN SATELLITE : An American satellite design to provide high definition television and high speed data to North America was launched from Kazakhstan on Saturday.

 Lift-off of an International Launch Services Russian Proton-M occurred at 7:19:01 am EDT (1119 GMT) on April 24, darting it's way into a warm blue sky.

 The satellite will operate for SES World Skies from a geostationary altitude located at 101 degrees west.  (Read Story)

 AIR FORCES's SPACE PLANE ORBITS EARTH : An Atlas rocket placed a winged spacecraft into orbit for the Air Force April 22 which will test new technologies and pave the way for a smaller military space shuttle.

 The delta winged X37-B space plane is a test vehicle and will orbit earth for an unknown time -- likely several days to several weeks.   (Read Story)

 SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ARRIVES AT LAUNCH PAD : Under the darkness of the Kennedy Space Center, the space shuttle Atlantis was moved out to her ocean side launch pad Thursday in preparation for her final flight.

 First motion of Atlantis' mobile launcher platform crawler began at 11:31 pm EDT, on Wednesday night. Moving at just under 1 mph, the nearly four mile journey out to launch pad 39-A took just six hours and thirty-two minutes, arriving at 6:03 am.  (Read Story)

 DISCOVERY LANDS AT AMERICA'S SPACEPORT : The crew of the space shuttle Discovery steered their ship home landing on Tuesday morning at the Kennedy Space Center.

 Low clouds and some moisture near the runway forced Discovery to retarget the landing at KSC runway 33 one orbit late at 9:08 am EDT.

 NASA's oldest active shuttle flew across America's heartland as commander... (Read Story)

 INDIA'S ROCKET LAUNCH FAILS TO REACH ORBIT : India's upgraded GSLV rocket with a new cryogenic upper stage lifted-off on April 15 on a satellite delivery mission, only to begin tumbling when the upper stage's vernier engines did not light.

 The GSLV-D3 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket launched on April 15th from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, located on India's southeastern coastline, on time at 6:57 am EDT (10:57 GMT). 

 As the rocket lept upward it passed through cloudy skies as it began flying out over the eastern Indian Ocean.   (Read Story)

 THE WORLD CELEBRATES YURI'S NIGHT 2010: Forty-seven cities around the globe held multiple parties this evening in celebration of the first human space flight forty-nine years ago.

 Known as Yuri's Night, thousands of average citizens up to astronauts themselves attended parties with live bands, food, and in some places aerospace artifacts and rides in celebration of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's launch into the vast then unknown on April 12, 1961.

 In America, the parties also celebrated the first space shuttle launch...  (Read Story)

 DISCOVERY SOARS ON RESUPPLY FLIGHT TO SPACE STATION : The predawn launch of space shuttle Discovery today created a beautiful light show on America's Space Coast as it began a chase with her port-of-call, the International Space Station.

 NASA's MARSHALL CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY:  Springtime vacations in the southeastern United States are always a fun and exciting time for families.

 Whether it's taking in some sun on the beach; visiting scenic attractions and national parks; or the NASA space centers spread across four states -- there is always something cool to do.

 AMMONIA: KEEPING SPACE FLIGHT COOL: The gases used in the Space Shuttle Program are for things the general public does not associate with everyday use. Some of the gases are no longer used in the United States because of EPA regulations which have become so strict.

 For example, Ammonia is no longer used in the United States as a Refrigerant Gas, but it is the Gas used as the Refrigerant Gas for the Air Conditioning System on the International Space Station.  (Read Story)

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