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SpaceLaunch News Archive |
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POPE
BENEDICT ADDRESSES SPACE STATION CREWS: His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, placed a special call to the crews aboard the earth orbiting International Space Station today, a first in Papal history. |
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RUSSIAN
PROTON M LAUNCHES SATELLITE FOR AMERICAS: A Russian rocket carried a new communications satellite into earth orbit on
Friday. |
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ENDEAVOUR DOCKS
WITH SPACE STATION ONE LAST TIME: Shuttle Endeavour arrived at her port-of-call this morning to begin twelve days filled with spacewalks and the delivery of supplies including a particle physics detector which will study the dark matter in space. |
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SHUTTLE
ENDEAVOUR LIFTS-OFF TO BEGIN HER FINAL MISSION: The space shuttle Endeavour lifted-off on
May 16 from America's Space Coast riding above a 700-foot golden flame toward earth orbit to begin her twenty-fifth and final mission. |
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SUMMER
CAMP TAKES-OFF WITH AVIATION CHALLENGE:
Integrity. Strength. Parent and child bonding. Excitement. |
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EUROPE'S
ARIANE 5 LAUNCH PAIR OF SATELLITES: Europe's heavy lift work horse delivered two communications satellites into earth orbit on
April 22 as the Sun set over the South American launch site. |
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VANDENBERG
ROCKET LOFTS MILITARY PAYLOAD: An unmanned rocket successfully launched on a classified military payload delivery flight on
Thursday evening from the California coastline. |
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NASA
ANOUNCES RETIREMENT LOCATIONS FOR SHUTTLES: NASA announced Tuesday the locations in which the three surviving space shuttle orbiters will be housed following their retirement this year. |
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SOYUZ
SPACECRAFT DOCKS WITH NEW CREW TO SPACE STATION: Three new crew members arrived at the International Space Station on
April 7 aboard their spacecraft Yuri Gagarin to begin a five month stay and join three current residents in earth orbit. |
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NASA
ENGINEER SAVES AMERICA'S MOON PROGRAM: If there was one person who pushed NASA to ensure America could reach the moon before 1970, and save both billions of dollars and two years of time involved, it was one engineer. |
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RUSSIAN
SPACECRAFT LAUNCHES NEW CREW TO SPACE STATION: A
Soyuz rocket with two Russians and one American lifted-off April
5 for the International Space Station from the same launch pad which sent the first human into space fifty years ago this week. |
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NASA
delays Endeavour's mission ten days: The coming and going of two Russian unmanned supply ships for the International Space Station has forced NASA to delay the final mission of space shuttle Endeavour by ten days. |
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SPRING
BREAK AT U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER : Spring break in the Peach State is nine days of excitement spent on the beaches of Georgia's scenic coastline or attending golf's number one tournament in Augusta, the Masters. |
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RUSSIA
LAUNCH TO MARK 50 YEARS OF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT: Russia and the world will begin celebrations April
5 of the golden anniversary of humankind's first steps into space with the launch of two Russians and one American aboard a Soyuz bound for the International Space Station. |
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THUNDERSTORMS
MOVE ENDEAVOUR'S CREW'S LAUNCH TRAINING: Severe storms hammering the Florida Space Coast on
March 31 moved the traditional media event with the crew of the next space shuttle flight from the launch pad to an indoor auditorium. |
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EUROPEAN
ROCKET ABORTS SECONDS FROM LAUNCH: Europe's workhorse in launching satellites suffered an on-the-pad launch abort seconds before it's boosters were to ignite
on Wednesday. |
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JAPANESE
CARGO CRAFT LEAVES SPACE STATION: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station on
March 28 released a trash-filled Japanese supply craft out into space on course for it's fiery reentry on Tuesday. |
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SPACE
SHUTTLE VETERAN EYES FUTURE SPACE STATION TRIP: Astronaut Stephanie Wilson is no stranger to working in space, and after three space shuttle flights she looks forward to the day when she will make a fourth visit as a resident aboard the International Space Station. |
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AMERICAN
KELLY, TWO COSMONAUTS LAND SAFELY: One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts completed their day stay aboard the International Space Station on
March 16, departing and landing on the snowy region in Kazakhstan. |
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SHUTTLE
ENDEAVOUR ARRIVES AT LAUNCH PAD: One day after space shuttle Discovery returned home from her final voyage, sister ship Endeavour was moved out to her ocean side launch pad to prepare for her final flight in April. |
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DELTA
IV LOFTS MILITARY SATELLITE: A
powerful Delta IV rocket carried a classified reconnaissance satellite for the U.S. military into earth orbit on Friday from America's Space Coast. |
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AIR
FORCE MINI SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCHES: A second space shuttle is soaring today upon the ocean of space, this one unmanned and half the size of NASA's orbiters, following it's lift-off March
5 from Cape Canaveral for the Air Force. |
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NASA
GLORY LAUNCHES, FAILS TO REACH SPACE: A NASA satellite
poised to begin a mission of understanding as it studies the earth's atmosphere and it's reaction to the Sun's output
was lost during it's launch on Friday. Launch occurred at 5:09:43 am EST, from Vandenberg, AFB in California. (Launch Story) |
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DISCOVERY DOCKS
WITH SPACE STATION FOR FINAL TIME: The International Space Station welcomed six astronauts and a new storage module Saturday as shuttle Discovery docked to the outpost this afternoon. |
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SPACECRAFT
TO LAUNCH IN MARCH TO STUDY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE: A NASA satellite is poised to begin a mission of understanding in
early March as it studies the earth's atmosphere and it's reaction to the Sun's output. |
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SHUTTLE
DISCOVERY LAUNCHES ON HER FINAL FLIGHT: The space shuttle Discovery lifted-off on
Thursday on one last voyage upon the ocean of space. |
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ARIANE
5 LAUNCHES EUROPEAN CARGO CRAFT TO SPACE STATION: The workhorse of the European Space Agency lifted off on
Feb. 16 with a cargo craft loaded with fresh supplies bound for the International Space Station. |
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NASA'S
VALENTINE ENCOUNTER IN DEEP SPACE: A NASA spacecraft made
a Valentine's night pass by a fast moving comet in the hopes of learning more about the icy rock. |
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VANDENBERG,
AFB LAUNCHES SMALL MILITARY SATELLITE: An Orbital Sciences rocket lifted off on
Sunday
morning from it's California launch site on a military satellite delivery
flight. |
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CHALLENGER'S
ENDURING MISSION: 25 YEARS STRONG: The loss of the space shuttle Challenger and her crew of seven a quarter century ago on
January 28 marked not just a significant place in American history, but helped capture the imagination of the country and it's youth. |
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JAPAN'S
WHITE STORK CARGO CRAFT DOCKED TO STATION: A Japanese cargo craft loaded with tons of fresh food and equipment was plucked out of orbit by the crew of the International Space Station today and docked following it's five day orbital journey. |
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THE
PRIDE OF JAPAN'S SPACE FUTURE LAUNCHES: Japan's largest rocket successfully carried into earth orbit Saturday their second supply ship loaded with supplies bound for the International Space Station. |
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MASSIVE
ROCKET LAUNCHES FROM CALIFORNIA: A secret military defense satellite for the United States headed into space on
Jan. 20 aboard the most massive rocket ever launched from the California coast. |
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SHUTTLE
DISCOVERY LAUNCH TARGETED FOR FEB. 24: Technicians have begun work
repairing and strengthening newly discovered cracks on the support beams on the fuel tank of the space shuttle Discovery. |
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ARIANE
5 LAUNCHES TWO SATELLITES: Europe's mighty Ariane rocket carried two telecommunications satellites into earth orbit on
Wednesday on the final space shot of the year. |
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INDIA's GSLV ROCKET LAUNCHES, EXPLODES: India received a jolt on Christmas Day moments after the launch of their GSLV-F06 rocket with the GSAT-5P satellite bound for geostationary orbit. The
rocket lifted-off at 5:34 am EST (4:04 pm local time). |
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SHUTTLE
DISCOVERY RETURNS TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING: In the hopes of performing new x-ray scans on the back side of the external tank, technicians moved space shuttle Discovery from her launch pad on
December 22 to the vehicle assembly building. |
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LUNAR
ECLIPSE VIEWED BY NORTH AMERICA: Overcast skies across the Unites States forced many amateur astronomers inside to watch Tuesday morning's lunar eclipse by way of live video on the Internet. |
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SPACE
TAXI DELIVERS NEW SPACE STATION RESIDENTS: A manned Russian spacecraft docked to the International Space Station December
17 following it's two day chase in earth orbit. |
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NASA FUEL DISCOVERY'S TANK IN LEAK TEST: NASA loaded cryogenic fuels into the external tank of space shuttle Discovery on December 17 in hopes of learning more on a leak repair job performed. Fueling of the tank's two inner tanks of 535,000 gallons of super cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen began just after 7AM EST. The launch team hopes to confirm that a gaseous hydrogen leak which scrubbed Discovery's November 5th launch attempt has been repaired. (Read STS-133 Stories) |
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DISCOVERY:
AMERICA'S SPACECRAFT OF THE AGES: The space shuttle Discovery -- a beautiful white dove and NASA's work horse for a quarter century -- is just weeks away from the start of her thirty-ninth and final voyage upon the ocean of space. |
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SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY ORBITS DRAGON CRAFT: A private rocket company launched an unmanned spacecraft and returned it safely to earth on Dec. 8 in a test flight for NASA to demonstrate future ferry flights to the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies or Space X is a private company founded by PayPal founder Elon Musk. The company developed their Falcon 9 rocket in support of lofting an unmanned cargo craft to the space station in 2011, and attempt human space flights over the next decade. (Read Story) |
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SPACEX
TEST FIRES FALCON 9 ENGINES AHEAD OF LAUNCH: A private rocket destined for trips to resupply the International Space Station performed a successful engine test on
Dec. 4 just days before it's launch. |
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NASA DELAYS DISCOVERY MISSION UNTIL FEBRUARY: NASA mission managers have delayed the next space shuttle flight to February in connection with tests needed on cracks discovered on the spacecraft's fuel tank. Launch of Discovery now is planned for no earlier than February 3 at 1:34 am EST. Discovery will spend 11 days in space bringing fresh supplies to the International Space Station. It will also be her last space flight. The delay has also pushed the launch of the follow up mission by Endeavour to the morning of April 1. |
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AIR
FORCE X-37B SPACE PLANE RETURNS TO EARTH: The Air Force's first unmanned space shuttle glided home to a night time landing in California on
Friday morning following a historic mission. |
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NASA MANAGERS DELAY DISCOVERY FLIGHT: Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are performing imaging checks and performing tests for cracks which scrubbed space shuttle Discovery's launch earlier this month. Launch is targeted as no earlier than December 17 at 8:51 pm EST. A review of the status on the repairs will come in early December to determine the readiness of the repaired tank. |
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ULA
DELTA II LAUNCHES ITALIAN SURVEILLANCE SATELLITE: After several delays this week, a Delta rocket lifted-off on
Nov. 5 from southern California on a satellite deployment mission for Italy. |
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GASESOUS FUEL LEAK, FOAM CRACK DELAYS DISCOVERY LAUNCH: NASA managers scrubbed a Nov. 5 launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery until NET Dec. 3 due to a fuel leak and crack on the external tank. Fueling of her tank with super cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen began at 6:09 am EDT. But at 7:50 am, the launch team detected a small LH2 leak from the carrier plate on the rust colored external fuel tank. (Read Mission Updates) |
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ARIANE
5 DELIVERS TWO SATELLITES TO ORBIT THURSDAY: An Arianespace heavy lift rocket lifted
dual satellites into orbit on Thursday which will offer direct to home television service for Europe over to Asia and Japan. |
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PROGRESS
CRAFT LAUNCHES TO STATION: A Russian rocket on
Wednesday sent aloft a spacecraft full of food and supplies bound for the six person crew of the International Space Station. |
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NASA SETS NOVEMBER 1 LAUNCH DATE FOR SHUTTLE: NASA managers met Monday to select a formal launch date for America's space shuttle Discovery. Liftoff of Discovery on her final flight is targeted for this Monday, November 1 at 4:40:26 pm EDT. The mission to supply the International Space Station is set to last twelve days. Engineers discussed... (Read Mission Story) |
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EDITORIAL: SO WHAT'S UP, AMERICA?: Did You Know that the space shuttle program was and still is responsible for more than entertaining the idea of handing the opportunity for other countries to get ahead of us in the space race? (Read Story)
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SOYUZ
CAPSULE RETURNS STATION CREW HOME: Two Russians and one American returned back to earth on
September 25 after spending 177 days in earth orbit, living and working aboard the International Space Station. |
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ULA
ATLAS 5 LAUNCH FROM CALIFORNIA: A
powerful Atlas rocket lifted off on Monday night carring an undisclosed
payload for the U.S. military from it's California launch site. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. Discovery lifted-off from the Kennedy Space Center at 6:21:24 am EDT, this morning to begin a two week long mission to deliver supplies, cargo and a new ammonia tank to the orbital complex.
The predawn launch occurred fourteen minutes after the space station... (Read Story) |
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NASA's
MARSHALL CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY: Springtime vacations in the southeastern
United States are always a fun and exciting time for
families. One great destination is the site where the
first rocket engine tests were performed and the space shuttle began to take
shape -- The Redstone Arsenal and the George... (Read
Story) |
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RUSSIAN
ROCKET LAUNCHES EUROPEAN ICE MISSION : A new earth observation satellite built to
collect data on the earth's polar ice caps lifted-off from a
Russian launch site on Thursday beginning a multi-year mission. |
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THE
AMERICAN WEATHER SATELLITE MARKS GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY: America's first weather satellite soared into
space and recorded the historic first images of planet earth fifty years ago
this week. |
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ARIANE
5 LAUNCH DELAYED: A European Space Agency Ariane launcher remains
poised to blast-off from South America to deliver two communications
satellites, however a technical issue continues to keep it grounded. |
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RUSSIAN
PROTON LAUNCHES ECHOSTAR XIV : A Russian rocket launched a new satellite
for the DISH-TV cable system on March 20 as the company expands it's North
America broadcast services in high definition. |
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RUSSIAN
DNEPR ROCKET TO LAUNCH ICE MISSION : A new earth observation satellite built to
collect data on the earth's polar ice caps is scheduled to lift-off from a
Russian launch in April on a multi-year mission. |
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STATION
CREW LANDS SAFELY AFTER 169 DAYS IN SPACE: The recent American commander of the
International Space Station and his Russian flight engineer departed the orbital
complex and returned home on March 18 following a busy six-month stay. |
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SHUTTLE
DISCOVERY MAKES HER WAY TO PAD 39A: Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center moved
the space shuttle Discovery to her pad in
preparation for an Easter Monday launch. Launch of NASA's 131st space shuttle flight is planned for April 5 at 6:21 am EDT. (Read Story) |
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DELTA
IV LAUNCH NEWEST WEATHER SATELLITE: A next generation weather satellite was
carried into space on March 4 to begin a decade long mission to study both the
weather here on earth and in the vacuum of space. |
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ENDEAVOUR
LANDS IN FLORIDA, FOUR FLIGHTS REMAIN : Dropping out of a dark Florida sky and
through scattered clouds, the space shuttle Endeavour landed Sunday February
21 following a milestone mission which saw her crew install our window on space and
the world. |
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RUSSIAN
PROTON LAUNCHES INTELSAT 16 HD SATELLITE : A Russian Proton rocket launched a new communications satellite into orbit
tonight set to provide high definition broadcasting for the Latin American
region. |
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ATLAS
LOFTS NASA SOLAR OBSERVATORY: A NASA satellite designed to study the Sun's
effect on earth, including the occurrence of severe space weather, was carried
aloft on February 11 by an Atlas rocket from America's Space
Coast. |
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RUSSIAN
SOYUZ LAUNCHES STATION SUPPLIES : A Russian rocket lifted-off on time on
February 3 carrying fresh supplies and fuel for the five member crew of the
International Space Station. |
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ENDEAVOUR
LAUNCHES ON STATION CONSTRUCTION FLIGHT: A new decade of space flight began on
February 8th as the weather along America's space coast cleared and the space shuttle
Endeavour lifted-off on a construction flight to the International Space
Station. |
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NASA's
BOLDEN DISCUSSES THE FUTURE : NASA administrator Charles F. Bolden
addressed the media here at the Kennedy Space Center on February 6th, answering
questions about the space agency's future following President Obama's
cancellation of the Constellation program. |
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RUSSIAN
PROTON-M DELIVERS DIRECTV SATELLITE: A
Russian rocket delivered to orbit an advanced
high definition broadcast satellite for the United States on Monday as the final earth
launch of the year took place. |
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NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION UPDATE: NASA's space shuttle mission management team on Thursday announced a new planning launch date for the next flight. Endeavour will carry two segments up to the International Space Station beginning with an early morning launch on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7th. The launch time is planned for 4:39 am EST. Endeavour has been mated with her external tank and boosters, and will rollout to her ocean side launch pad 39-A on January 6th at 4AM. |
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NEW
STATION CREW ARRIVES FOR THE HOLIDAYS: An international crew of five will hang their
stockings today near the Space Station's airlock with
care in hopes that St. Nick soon will be there. |
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ARIANE
5 LIFTS-OFF WITH FRENCH MILITARY SATELLITE: Just in time for the Holidays, an Ariane 5
lifted-off from South America on Friday giving Arianespace a celebration as they
conclude the year with seven successful flights and their 30th year in the
launch business. |
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NASA WISE TELESCOPE LAUNCHES: A new NASA satellite has started on a seven month mission as it aims it's infrared telescope out toward deep space and peers out to uncover new galaxies, asteroids and stars. Lift-off of a United Launch Alliance Delta II-7320 rocket occurred under cloudy California skies on Monday, December 14 at 9:09:33 am EST, from Vandenberg, AFB. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) will... (Read Story) (Replay the WISE Launch) |
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ATLAS
V FIGHTS WEATHER DELAYS TO LAUNCH COMSAT: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket
waited out multiple launch delays this week and lifted-off at the last minute
tonight on a successful flight to deliver an advanced military communications
satellite into orbit. |
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RUSSIAN
SOYUZ TMA15 UNDOCKS FROM STATION: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft departed the
International Space Station with a crew of three following a six month stay,
leaving the station a quieter place to live and work. |
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ATLANTIS CONCLUDES 11-DAY STATION RESUPPLY FLIGHT: The space shuttle Atlantis dropped through a cold, blue sky on Nov. 27th and steered toward a beautiful morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The ship's deorbit burn occurred on time at 8:37 am EST, on Nov. 27th. The burn slowed the craft down by around 211 mph to allow for it's drop out of earth orbit. Atlantis' touchdown occurred here at KSC runway 33 at 9:44 am... (Read Story) (Watch the Landing Replay) |
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ATLAS
5 LAUNCHES FOLLOWING WEATHER DELAY: A beautiful night launch illuminated
America's Space Coast on Nov. 23rd following a 65 minute delay due to high upper
level winds over the area. |
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RUSSIAN
ROCKOT LAUNCHES DUEL ESA PAYLOADS:
A Russian Space Agency rocket successfully
carried duel science payloads into a dark, foggy sky on November 2 and up into orbit,
including a European satellite which will study the earth's soil and water
values over the next few years. |
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ARIANE
5 SUCCESSFULLY MARKS SIXTH 2009 FLIGHT:
A heavy-lift European launcher lifted-off
October 29th from South America on a flight which delivered two communications
satellites into earth orbit -- and making it's sixth successful flight of the
year. |
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NASA
ARES 1-X SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES:
The world's tallest rocket set to carry
America to the space station and beyond in 2015 launched into blue skies and
into the next generation of space flight -- that is if the Obama administration
provides the necessary funding. |
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ATLAS 5 LAUNCHES INTO FOG AND HISTORY: On a foggy Sunday morning, America's 600th launch of an Atlas rocket occurred on time from Vandenberg, AFB in California on military weather satellite delivery flight. The first minutes of the 9:12 am EDT (12:12 pm EDT) launch was normal as the United Launch Alliance Atlas V carried the Air Force’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F18, DMSP F18, into geostationary orbit on October 18th. (Read Story) (Launch Video Replay) |
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RUSSIAN
CARGO CRAFT LAUNCHES: A Russian Space Agency rocket lofted a major
cargo craft into earth orbit early on October 15, beginning a three day
journey bound for the International Space Station. |
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Atlantis
moves to her Launch Pad: NASA and launch teams here at the Kennedy
Space Center spent October 14 moving the space shuttle Atlantis out to her
ocean side launch pad in preparation for her journey into space next
month. |
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DUEL IMPACTS HUNT FOR WATER ON MOON: A rocket's upper stage and a NASA spacecraft made craters of their own upon the Moon on October 9th as the space agency begins a strong search for signs of water on the Lunar surface. The LCROSS satellite and it's launch booster Centaur slammed into the south pole just four minutes apart beginning with the Centaur at 7:31 am EDT. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) slammed in the Cabeus crater at 7:35:35 am... (Read our Story) |
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DELTA
2 LAUNCHES FROM VANDENBERG, AFB: Earth has it's first high resolution imaging
satellite in orbit today following its lift-off into the beautiful blue sky from
it's California launch site. |
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ARIANE 5 LAUNCHES ON MULTI-SATELLITE FLIGHT: A European Space Agency heavy lift launcher departed the Spaceport in French Guiana on Thursday evening on a multi-satellite delivery mission for both Spain and Germany. Lift-off of the 47th Ariane 5 rocket from launch pad ELA-3 at Kourou, located in South America's upper east coast, occurred on October 1 at 5:59:07 pm EDT (6:59 pm local time) -- the opening of a 71 minute launch window. As the clock striked T-0, the Ariane 5's core engine is ignited followed by the vehicle's twin solid rocket boosters... (Read our Story) |
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SOYUZ
SPACE CRAFT NEARS SPACE STATION: An international crew of three lifted-off
on September 30 from the deserts of Kazakhstan bound for earth's orbital outpost as
two of them begin a six month voyage in the ocean of space. |
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DELTA 2 LAUNCHES MISSILE DEFENSE SATELLITES: NASA and the United Launch Alliance launched a Delta II rocket on September 25th on a multi-satellite delivery mission for the missile defense agency this morning from America's Space Coast. The countdown for the Delta II-7920 ticked smoothly toward zero without issue, and then lifted off at 8:20 am EDT, and into the blue sky over Cape Canaveral. (Listen to SLN Radio Coverage) (Our Delta II - STSS Demo Mission Stories) |
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DISCOVERY
RETURNS HOME: Heavy gray clouds and anxious technicians
greeted the space shuttle Discovery on September 21st as she arrived at America's Spaceport
following a 2500 mile journey riding piggyback a top a NASA Boeing 747
jet. |
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JAPANESE
CARGO MODULE DOCKED TO STATION: A Japanese cargo craft with some five tons of
supplies and equipment for the international space station was firmly docked to
the orbiting complex on Thursday as it begins a six week
stay. |
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DISCOVERY
LANDS IN CALIFORNIA: Dropping out of a cloudy California blue sky
reflected by a setting Sun, the space shuttle Discovery tonight concluded a
fourteen day mission to resupply and outfit the international space station with
new equipment. Discovery's main gear hit the Edwards, AFB concrete runway at 225 mph in the southern California desert at 8:53:25 pm, on September 11. Pilot Kevin Ford then deployed the drag chute to help slow the orbiter... (Read full Story) (STS-128 Page) (Discovery Landing Video) |
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NEW ERA IN JAPAN OPENS: A brand new Japanese cargo module filled with supplies and science experiments
successfully lifted-off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan
on September 10, on it's first flight to dock with the international space
station. |
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ATLAS
5 LAUNCHES FROM THE CAPE: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 successfully
lifted-off from America's Space Coast on September 8 on a classified mission to
deploy a communications satellite into earth orbit. - Listen to our SLN
Radio Coverage - |
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We're
Heading to Mars in 2011! SpaceLaunch
News will travel to Mars in both
spirit and name in 2011, and oh, guess what...? You can
too! |
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DISCOVERY
LAUNCHES: NASA's fourth space shuttle mission of the
year thundered into earth orbit on August 29th to begin a two week mission
to resupply the international space station with supplies, equipment and a new
treadmill. |
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ARIANE
5 LAUNCHES: The workhorse of the European Space Agency
launched from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, South America today on a duel satellite
delivery mission which will provide strong telecommunications from the central
and southern Pacific communities. |
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DELTA
II LIFTS-OFF: A
United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket
departed Cape Canaveral on the morning of July 17 in a sunrise launch to boost a new Global
Positioning System satellite into earth orbit. |
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KEPLER
SPIES HOT PLANET: A
new NASA space probe has tested its
scientific instruments on a very hot
giant planet which is orbiting a sun similar to our own in a galaxy far, far
away, and this discovery will likely be the first of many for the rookie
voyager. NASA's Kepler space telescope trained its newly calibrated telescope instruments on a gaseous planet very similar to Jupiter. Kepler discovered that the planet's surface is very hot since its orbit is so close to its sun, known as HAT-P-7, as it takes only 2.2 days to orbit... [Read Story] |
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ENDEAVOUR RETURNS HOME: Hailing the newly concluded flight of space shuttle Endeavour as a "fantastic mission", the crew departed the orbiter and made a few comments after the traditional walk around of their craft. "What a fantastic mission!", Polansky continued to say. "What can we say but thanks to everybody at the Kennedy Space Center for working so hard on Endeavour. It's a beautiful vehicle and we enjoyed every minute of it." Landing occurred at KSC's on July 31 at 10:48:08 am EDT. [VIDEO] [Read Story] |
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SPACE MONUMENTS: A new monument dedicated to the men and women of the Apollo program of the 1960's thru 1970's was officially dedicated on July 17 at Space View Park in Titusville, Florida. Come with SpaceLaunch News photographers Heather Summy and Charles Atkeison as we take you around this beautiful area of the only park built in the shadows of America's space program - the Kennedy Space Center. [Space View Park 2009] |
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HUBBLE
RECORDS IMPACT: The Hubble Space Telescope, fresh from a
major overhaul in May, recorded a very colorful deep red image of the July 19
asteroid impact on our solar system's largest planet, Jupiter. The Hubble image was taken in
high resolution on Thursday (July 23rd) with its Wide Field Camera 3, which was
brought up and installed during the May space shuttle Atlantis
flight. |
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PROGRESS
34 HEADS TO STATION: A Russian cargo craft full of supplies from
the expanded permanent crew of six aboard the international space station
lifted-off on July24th for docking. |
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APOLLO
11 @ 40: Forty years ago, two NASA astronauts
brought a golden spacecraft down upon the Moon's surface, and stepped onto
another world as America walked upon the lunar surface for the first
time. |
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SLN MAGAZINE 1998: SpaceLaunch News recalls our 1998 issue and its story on the legendary Walter Cronkite, following his passing on Friday night in New York. For the STS-95 issue, we covered Walter's return to the news desk. The issue also includes stories on John Glenn's return to space, and the passing of astronaut Alan Shepard. Click to view a few of the pages from this collector's issue. [STS-95 Issue] |
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ARIANE
5's SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT: A European Space Agency Ariane V heavy-lift
booster rocketed off its South America launch pad on July 1st carrying the
largest commercial satellite which will allow cellular PDA phones satellite
voice across America and Canada. |
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GOES-O WEATHER SATELLITE: A new weather satellite successfully arrived into earth orbit on June 27 following a beautiful ride aboard a Delta IV rocket from America's space coast. The United Launch Alliance Delta IV, with its twin boosters, lifted off at 6:51 pm EDT, 37 minutes late due to severe thunderstorms and lightning near it's launch pad here at Cape Canaveral, AFS. Acording to NASA, GOES-O "will add to the global community of knowledge, embracing many civil and government environmental forecasting organizations that work to benefit people everywhere and help save lives". [GOES-O Updates] |
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NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered
our moon's orbit June 23, beginning a year long period of imaging the lunar
surface for possible manned landing sites as America returns to the moon in
2020. Over the next few days, according to NASA's Ames Research
Center, the spacecraft will begin powering up its instruments and imager and
begin to lower its orbit slightly to begin mapping
operations. |
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NEW
STATION CREW LAUNCHES: Under blue skies, a Russian Soyuz rocket
lifted-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on May 26 with a truly
international crew of three on a two day flight to the international space
station. Russian Roman Romanenko, European Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirsk lifted-off from their launch pad in southeast Russia on May 26 at 6:34 am EDT or 4:34 pm local time. Launch came as the space station flew 220 miles high over the southern Pacific Ocean as it approached... [Read Story] |
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ATLANTIS
LANDS IN CALIFORNIA: The space
shuttle Atlantis fired her jets and returned home to America with a desert
runway landing at sunny Edwards, AFB in California on May 24. Continuing rain bands flowing up the Space Coast caused Mission
Control to reroute the mission from a landing at the Kennedy Space Center
to a beautiful blue sky Edwards landing. "Ten feet. Five feet. One foot...Touchdown!" pilot Johnson radioed to his commander as the main gear hit the desert runway at 220 mph at 10:39:05 am EDT. [Read Story] |
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