The Dreamchaser spaceplane has long been under development by Sierra Space and its parent company, Sierra Nevada Corporation. While intended to serve as the third option of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract, a change in its development timeline has removed that as an obligation.
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Over the weekend, SpaceX launched three Falcon 9 rockets from all three of its launch pads. The missions were all commercially purchased wither by NASA, SES, or in part of a rideshare program. Two out of the three flights featured RTLS landings at LZ-1 and 4, a rare occurrence.
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This week we have four launches from SpaceX and from both coats. Not just that, but two of the launches this week will feature RTLS landings. That means only one thing, non-Starlink launches!
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Sierra Space showed off its first flight ready Dream Chaser spaceplane this week before it heads off for launch testing at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. While there’s still some time before it launches, after years of delays it finally has launch in site.
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Yesterday evening, Northrop Grumman successfully launched its final Antares 220+ rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. The NG-19 mission carried Northrop’s Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station, transporting essential supplies such as food, experiments, and other cargo for the crew.
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Early Tuesday morning, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft arrived and docked with the International Space Station. On board were 7,000 pounds of supplies for the Expedition 69 crew, including new experiments, CubeSats to deploy, and even fresh fruit for the crew to enjoy.
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Yet another SpaceX Dragon capsule has completed its trip to the International Space Station for CRS-25, and now the autonomous spacecraft is on its way back to Earth.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, at 8:44 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry a Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station carrying food, science, and other supplies for the Commercial Resupply Services 25 (CRS-25) mission.
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SpaceX has launched 31 Falcon 9s this year, beating 2020 by five launches. Post-launch, the company stated it is now done for 2021, making its CRS-24 mission for NASA its final launch until January.
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This week SpaceX is preparing for its next mission to space, this time a cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s CRS-24 will launch the company’s Dragon 2 spacecraft to the ISS and take additional food, experiments, and other supplies to the current crew. Two notable studies will be a protein crystal growth study for possible future cancer treatments drugs and a handheld bioprinter that could one day heal wounds.
Date:Â Tuesday, December 21, 5:06 a.m. EST
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After weather scrubbed SpaceX’s first attempt to launch CRS-23, they will be trying again tonight. This mission will feature a Falcon 9 rocket launching the company’s Dragon 2 cargo vehicle to the International Space Station. This will be SpaceX’s 23rd mission for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program and 3rd for the CRS-2 contract.
Date: Sunday, August 29th at 3:14 a.m. EDT
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Today Northrop Grumman plans to launch their 16th Cygnus spacecraft from Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) for NASA. Today’s mission will see an Antares rocket launch the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station. It will deliver over 3,000 pounds of food, experiments, and other supplies to the station for its crew to use. The spacecraft will also conduct experiments on its way to and after departing the space station.
Date: Tuesday, August 10th at 6:01 p.m. EDT
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The aging International Space Station has outlived its planned 15-year lifespan. As a result, the original solar panel arrays are show signs of degradation and will be supplemented by six new solar arrays.
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SpaceX will soon conduct its 21st mission for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program. While it’s hardly SpaceX’s first cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station, CRS-21 is notable for being the first flight of SpaceX’s redesigned Dragon 2 spacecraft.
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SpaceX is preparing to launch a Dragon supply capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket tonight at 11:50 p.m. ET. I drove down to Titusville, Florida, from South Mississippi last night to attend the launch from a boat thanks to Star Fleet Tours.
The objective is a resupply and payload return flight to and from the International Space Station. Here’s an idea of some of the payload being delivered.
For me, this will be my first time viewing a nighttime launch; I saw CRS-19 during the day in December. I’ll also be positioned well to see the booster landing if they successfully return.
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Watch and learn below. Adidas isn’t the only interesting project on board. Space garden hardware testing, plant defenses in space, nanostructure testing, liquid metal experiments, and more.
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Originally set for 1:45 a.m. on March 2, SpaceX is now looking at 11:50 pm on March 6 to launch its 20th commercial resupply service mission to the International Space Station.
A misbehaving valve motor on the second stage engine is at fault for rescheduling SpaceX CRS-20:
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