A flawless Cygnus launch brings eras to a close
NASA WALLOPS ISLAND, Va.—I had been told that rocket launches are a physical experience, that the carefully controlled explosions that send payloads to space create waves of sound intense enough to be felt from over a mile away. But my first close-up experience with a launch involved the relatively small Electron rocket, and that left…
End of the line for Russia and Ukraine’s partnership in rocketry
Enlarge / Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket rolls out of its hangar at Wallops Island, Virginia. Its two Russian engines are visible on the back of the first stage. A last gasp in a long-standing link between Russia and Ukraine in the field of rocketry could come this week in an unlikely place—the rural wetlands of…
Viasat’s new broadband satellite could be a total loss
Enlarge / This artist's illustration of the ViaSat-3 Americas satellites shows the spacecraft as it would appear with its large reflector antenna fully deployed. A new Viasat communications satellite launched in April has been crippled by a problem when unfurling its huge mesh antenna. The problem jeopardizes Viasat’s much-needed refresh to its space-based Internet network…
NASA tests a booster that produces 3 million pounds of thrust
Northrop Grumman's full-scale booster ignites on Wednesday afternoon. This test took place in Promontory, Utah. NASA TV NASA and Northrop Grumman were collecting data on the booster's performance. NASA TV This shot from the head of the booster offers a nice sense of its power, 3 million pounds of thrust. NASA TV Two boosters provide…
Phew! James Webb passes its last thermal vacuum test. Still on...
Once it is deployed to space, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be the most sophisticated and advanced space telescope in operation. Carrying on in the tradition of Hubble, Kepler, and Spitzer, the JWST will use its advanced suite of infrared imaging capabilities to study distant exoplanets, learn more about the Solar System, and…
