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BepiColombo orbiters take off for Mercury tonight
If you've ever wondered what's happening over on Mercury, you'll have an answer soon. Well, soon-ish. BepiColombo, a joint effort between the space agencies of Europe and Japan, will send off a spacecraft Friday night at about 9:45 PM ET with the destination set for the closest rock to the sun. Don't expect to hear much from the little adventurer for a while, though -- it won't reach Mercury's orbit until late 2025.
NASA launches Parker Solar Probe in mission to 'touch' the Sun
After a few delays, the Sun-chasing Parker Solar Probe is on its way. NASA launched the spacecraft aboard a ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket at 3:31AM Eastern this morning (August 12th) and confirmed that the vessel was healthy at 5:33AM. The probe still has a ways to go before it's conducting scientific studies. It'll spend its first week in space deploying its high-gain antenna, the first part of its electric field antennas and its magnetometer. In early September, the probe will start a roughly four-week instrument shakedown to be sure it's ready for science gathering.
Watch the launch of NASA's Parker Solar Probe Sunday morning (update)
Tomorrow, August 11th, NASA is scheduled to launch a historic mission called the Parker Solar Probe. The spacecraft will launch on a ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral in Florida at 3:33 AM ET on Saturday morning; the launch window will last for 65 minutes. You can watch it happen on the NASA TV live stream below.
SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 9 carrying internet satellites
SpaceX successfully launched another Falcon 9 rocket today carrying Spain's radar imaging Paz satellite as well as two of its own satellites, Microsat-2a and -2b. The two experimental satellites will be used to test SpaceX's plan to deliver internet to people around the globe through thousands of low-orbit satellites.
The Falcon Heavy launch brought me to tears
The buzz over SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launch might have seemed to erupt out of nowhere, but for space enthusiasts, it was a long time coming. I've followed the development of the Falcon Heavy since it was announced in 2011, and I was on the ground at Cape Canaveral to see the launch in person, about three miles away at NASA's press site.
Elon Musk emphasizes the risks ahead of Falcon Heavy’s first mission
Tomorrow, SpaceX will attempt to launch its massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the very first time. If successful, it will be the most powerful rocket in operation and opens up the possibility of future crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. Today, Elon Musk gave a few more details about the launch attempt during a press call ahead of tomorrow's main event.
SpaceX animation shows the ideal outcome for the Falcon Heavy launch
SpaceX will attempt to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time tomorrow. It's no small feat and a lot could go wrong, but SpaceX has a released a video showing how the launch will work if everything goes according to plan.
SpaceX says its rocket didn’t malfunction during the Zuma launch
Sunday night, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the mysterious Zuma payload -- a satellite made by Northrop Grumman for an unnamed US government agency. The launch itself was more secretive than usual as the classified status of Zuma meant portions of the launch weren't livestreamed like they typically are. Shortly after launch, the rocket's first stage successfully landed at Cape Canaveral but it appears that Zuma's fate wasn't as rosy. It's unclear what exactly happened to the satellite, but it appears that at the very least, it didn't end up where it was supposed to. Some pointed their fingers at SpaceX, but on Monday the company said, "We do not comment on missions of this nature; but as of right now reviews of the data indicate Falcon 9 performed nominally," meaning the rocket performed as expected. Now, SpaceX has doubled down on that statement saying whatever happened is definitely not on them.
Watch SpaceX re-launch used Dragon capsule for the first time (updated)
Today, SpaceX will launch another Falcon 9 rocket on a resupply trip to the International Space Station. However, it's the first time the group will use a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule for one of its missions -- a capsule that's already been to space and back.
Chanel 'launched' a rocket during its fashion show in Paris
Fashion brands are really into space-themed shows at the moment. Just a few weeks ago, designer Nick Graham revealed his "Life on Mars: F/W 2035" menswear collection in NYC, and now Chanel has done something similar for its Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear event. The fashion house, led by creative director Karl Lagerfeld, brought a massive rocket to its Paris Fashion Week show and "launched" it before the models hit the runway.
SpaceX doesn't expect to stick the landing of tonight's launch
Make a pot of coffee and curl up in your favorite bunny slippers tonight for another SpaceX rocket launch and attempted sea landing. The Falcon 9 rocket will take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 1:21AM ET on Friday, May 6th, carrying a Japanese communications satellite (JCSAT-14). It's headed for a precariously high orbit, which makes re-entry and landing extra difficult. Still, SpaceX will attempt to set the rocket back down on the "Of Course I Still Love You" barge. Update: And we have another successful ocean landing! The rocket launched on schedule and its first stage landed safely on the drone ship a few minutes later. Check after the break for the ongoing livestream and replay.
ICYMI: Google beats MS paint, gamified recycling and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Google's 3D painting app, Tiltbrush, has been used to make some beautiful things; a robotics company is gamifying trash sorting in a pilot program; and a 3D copier will let you make a double of any dang thing you like. If you're interested, GoPro sent a video camera to space with a rocket launch and the video is petty incredible. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
SpaceX could try its next sea landing on February 24th
The next sea-based landing attempt for SpaceX could be on February 24th, based on an announcement from satellite operator SES. As part of the launch of a new SES-9 satellite, which Elon Musk's company is expected to transport to its orbital slot using a Falcon 9, SpaceX will likely try to touch base at sea -- that's if the rocket doesn't have enough fuel to make it back to land.
Watch SpaceX's latest attempt at landing a reusable rocket
Tonight we could possibly see Elon Musk's dream of landing a reusable rocket on a hard surface come true. The test flight for the Falcon 9 is scheduled for 8:29 PM and the live-stream (embedded below, and also available on YouTube) is supposed to kick off at 8:05 PM from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Remember, last time SpaceX tested one of its rockets it failed pretty spectacularly, exploding right after it launched.
NASA's rocket launch to paint the night sky with colorful vapor clouds
If you live in a mid-Atlantic state and see an aircraft leaving trails in the sky on October 7th, don't panic: those aren't chemtrails. NASA's just testing a handful of new spacecraft technologies by launching a suborbital or "sounding" rocket from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia between 7 and 9PM. One of the technologies onboard is a deployment system for vapor clouds that will be used for wind and ionosphere research. The agency will be trying it out tomorrow by releasing a barium and strontium mixture, which will create blue-green and red trails in the sky, 130 miles above the ground.
SpaceX and Intelsat announce first commercial contract for Falcon Heavy rocket
SpaceX hit one pretty big milestone recently -- to put it mildly -- and it's now already back with another fairly significant one. It's announced today that satellite service provider Intelsat has signed the first commercial contract for its Falcon Heavy rocket, which is currently slated to undertake its first launch sometime in 2013. Details on the contract itself remain decidedly light at the moment, but SpaceX will apparently be launching at least one Intelsat satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit (or GTO) sometime after it's completed its launch tests, and Intelsat says it'll be working closely with SpaceX in the lead up to the launch to ensure that the rocket meets its standards. You can find the official announcement after the break.
eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it
Got a hankering for homebrewed aeronautics? You might wanna reach out to the folks at eRocketry -- a self-described "Online Rocketry and Space Community." Earlier this week, at the tenth annual Plaster Blaster event in California, a group of eRocketeers made their grand debut, successfully launching a Delta II Model 7420-10 Rocket into the ether, along with an onboard camera. Constructed by space enthusiasts from Tripoli San Diego and the Diego Area Rocket Team (DART), the 1:9 scale rocket (pictured above) stands nearly 14 feet tall, with a diameter of just 10.75 inches. After eRocketry founder Philip Odegard attached a Contour HD camera to his creation, the beast triumphantly soared above the desert sky, reaching an altitude of 2,272 feet. Fortunately for all of us, the camera survived the journey, capturing some pretty cool footage along the way. Check it out for yourself after the break, or hit up the source link for more images. [Thanks, Keith]
Amateur Copenhagen Suborbitals team about to make launch attempt (update: success)
The "amateur" team from Copenhagen Suborbitals promised that they'd launch a rocket capable of carrying a human into space, and today they're poised to do just that -- minus an actual human, of course. Update: They just had an ignition failure, but it looks like they're going to give it another go in a few minutes. Update 2: And it's away! Apart from that slight hiccup on the first attempt (and a parachute that didn't quite fully deploy), it's looking like the launch was a complete success. We're also still waiting for confirmation on exactly how high the rocket got, but the team is apparently pleased with the results regardless. Head on past the break for a video of the launch. [Thanks, Michael]
Japan's space agency considers using rockets with artificial intelligence
The keyword here is obviously "considers," but it looks like Japan's space agency, JAXA, is indeed seriously thinking about using artificial intelligence to improve their rocket launches. As JAXA scientist Yasuhiro Morita explains, as opposed to simply being "automatic" as rockets are today, an "artificially intelligent" rocket would be able to keep watch on its condition, determine the cause of any malfunction, and potentially even fix it itself. According to JAXA, that would not only make rocket launches more efficient, but more cost-effective as well given the reduced manpower needs. That's not the only new measure being explored to cut costs, though -- as Space.com reports, JAXA's new Epsilon launch vehicle is also being built using fewer, but more advanced components, which promises to let it be moved to the launch pad nearly fully assembled. It's currently set to launch sometime in 2013, although it's not yet clear how much it will actually be relying on AI if such a system is put in place.
Austin Scouts' model rocket launching record on video
For local Scouts in Austin, Texas, there's quite a bit of celebrating going after they officially dismantled the previous world record for amount of model rockets launched within a five second window. According to a Flickr user who was at the scene snapping photographs of the event, the troops were only able to send up 965 of the 1,000 rockets they had hoped to deploy, but the previous record of just under 400 was still soundly broken. We know what you're anxious for, so go on and give the read link a visit to see the launch as it happened.[Thanks, Michael B, image courtesy of fauxtoe]
