Watching the Falcon fly. (Credit: SpaceX)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (NASA PR) — The second demonstration mission for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program is under way as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifted off Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. EDT.
Elon Musk and NASA officials discuss the Falcon 9 launch of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a Dragon spacecraft bound for the International Space Station. (Credit: SpaceX)
Hawthorne, CA (SpaceX PR) – Today, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft to orbit in an exciting start to the mission that will make SpaceX the first commercial company in history to attempt to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station – something only a handful of governments have ever accomplished.
At 3:44 a.m. Eastern, the Falcon 9 carrying Dragon launched from SpaceX’s launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Now Dragon heads toward the International Space Station. On that journey it will be subjected to a series of tests to determine if the vehicle is ready to berth with the station.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden talks to the media following the Dragon launch.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (CASIS PR) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization managing research on the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, and the American Astronautical Society (in cooperation with NASA) are co-sponsoring the 1st Annual ISS Research and Development Conference being held June 26-28, 2012 in Denver, Colorado.
Astronomer who inspired Jodie Foster’s character in “Contact” retires as Director of the Center for SETI Research
Astronauts, Scientists and Celebrities to gather in Santa Clara to salute Tarter June 22 – 24
Mountain View, California (SETI PR) – After thirty-five years of searching the skies for signs of intelligence beyond Earth, astronomer Jill Tarter is turning over the scientific reins to new leadership at the non-profit SETI Institute. SETI Institute Physicist Gerry Harp will succeed Tarter as Director of Center for SETI Research while Tarter will focus her time on fundraising for SETI research as the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI within the scientific organization.
Falcon 9 launch. (Credit: NASA)
Washington D.C. (CSF PR) – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation congratulates Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and NASA for a successful launch and orbital insertion of the Dragon spacecraft this morning. Dragon was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, FL and will continue to perform maneuvers and system checks, while maintaining communications at a fly-under distance of 1.5 miles from the International Space Station as part of a demonstration mission under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
The Dragon spacecraft is safely in orbit and has deployed its solar panels. The launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took place on time at 3:44 a.m. EDT. The flight to orbit appeared to go nominally throughout. This begins a 3-day voyage to try to berth with the International Space Station. Congratulations to SpaceX! And good luck with the rest of the mission to the International Space Station.
AIAA President to Call for Space Exploration Policy Goals Which Transcend Partisan Political Concerns Event Features AIAA President Dr. Michael Griffin What: The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will call on Congress to establish space exploration policy goals which transcend partisan political differences, enhancing the future of the US space program and its ability to cooperate more fully with its international partners. When: 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., […]
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (NASA PR) — Decades of rigorous research, testing and development performed in the Entry Systems and Technology Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has garnered Ames’ thermal protection engineers the respect of not just other government agencies, but also commercial entities.
“For four decades, whenever the U.S. government or aerospace industry needed thermal protection capabilities for space flight missions, Ames delivered the technology developments that enabled those missions to go forward,” said Chuck Smith, chief of the Entry Systems and Technology Division at Ames. “Our work plays a key role in both government and industry space flight endeavors.”
