The Future of Space Scout
Welcome back to Space Scout. We’ve missed you.
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Author: Lavie Ohana
Artemis I set for third launch attempt
NOV. 15, 2022—The countdown clock has started ahead of NASA’s third launch attempt of the Artemis I mission to the Moon, currently set for 1:04 a.m. ET on November 16.
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NASA moves to procure a second crewed lunar lander
SEP. 17, 2022—NASA adds another piece to the puzzle of procuring another lunar lander, amidst ever-shifting timelines and funding levels.
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Artemis I, go for launch
11 years after the final flight of Atlantis, NASA’s next great rocket—the Space Launch System—is ready to fly.
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Starliner set to return to flight on OFT-2
Boeing’s Starliner is set to return to flight on its second uncrewed flight test, OFT-2, tomorrow evening.
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ABL Space Systems to debut its RS1 rocket
NOV. 14, 2022—ABL Space Systems plans to launch its RS1 rocket as soon as November 14- the first of at least 78 flights on contract.
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NASA lays out vision for the long-term future of SLS
A new RFI posted by NASA lays out the future of the SLS rocket to 2050 and beyond, including a new contractor structure and provisions for yearly cargo flights.
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Four Artemis I CubeSats miss their ride
Does that mean they’re not coming on then?
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NASA’s Artemis program prepares for liftoff
SEP. 23, 2021–As Artemis nears its first launch, sweeping organizational changes and new contracts could guarantee its future into the 2030s…
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Crew-2 is set for an early morning liftoff tomorrow – here’s what to expect
Crew-2 is set to liftoff April 23 at 5:49 a.m. ET – here’s everything you need to know, including full detailed timelines of the mission.
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Rocket Lab announces SPAC merger and new 8-ton reusable launch vehicle
MAR. 1, 2021–Rocket Lab announces a SPAC merger valued at $4.1 billion, and a new, reusable launch vehicle capable of lifting 8 tons.
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Perseverance successfully lands on Mars and sends first images home
NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars today. Here’s what comes next.
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Perseverance and the seven minutes of terror – what to expect for today’s Mars landing
The Perseverance Mars rover will attempt to land today – here’s what to expect for entry, descent, and landing.
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A closer look at Transporter-1 and its record-breaking 143 satellites onboard
JAN. 23, 2021–SpaceX is set to launch a mission carrying over 140 satellites. We tracked 142 out of 143.
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SpaceX’s CRS-21 Cargo Dragon undocks and heads for splashdown, wrapping up a 36-day mission
JAN. 12, 2020–SpaceX successfully undocked the CRS-21 Dragon resupply vehicle from the ISS this morning, ahead of splashdown in just over a day.
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Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo falls short of space, glides home
DEC. 12, 2020–Virgin Galactic’s first suborbital, crewed flight out of Spaceport America didn’t go as planned this morning and was forced to glide home.
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Sentinel-6 set to return Vandenberg to flight after over 500 days of inactivity
NOV. 20, 2020–Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is launching from Vandenberg in just 12 hours. If “launching from Vandenberg” isn’t a phrase you’ve heard lately – we don’t blame you.
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Sentinel-6 viewing: What you need to know
NOV. 20, 2020– With just twelve hours to go to the launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, here’s everything you need to know to watch the first Vandenberg launch in over a year and a half.
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Crew-1: What to expect for SpaceX’s first operational crew flight
NOV. 14, 2020–With just a day and a half to go before the first operational Commercial Crew mission, we’ve compiled some information as a guide to help you get the best experience out of Crew-1.
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Live: Endeavour comes home with Bob and Doug
Dragon capsule Endeavour and its two-man crew, Bob Behnken, and Doug Hurley, prepare to come home after over two months in space.
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Live coverage: Perseverance is Go For Launch
The Mars 2020 mission, carrying the “Perseverance” rover, is set to launch 7:50 a.m. EDT today, July 30, 2020. Keep up with live mission updates here.
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The UAE successfully launches ‘Hope’ mission to Mars
In a first for Arab history, the U.A.E. launched the Hope probe to Mars aboard a Japanese rocket, yesterday, July 19.
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Relativity Space reveals new Vandenberg pad plans plus Iridium contract
JUNE 25, 2020–Relativity Space has announced that they will be constructing a new launch site at Vandenberg AFB, along with a contract from Iridium to launch six spare satellites on an as-needed basis.
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Crew Dragon lifts off carrying astronauts to the Space Station
MAY 30, 2020–At 3:22 p.m. today, Crew Dragon successfully lifted off aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying astronauts Bob Benkhen and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. Now at T+ 1 hour 30 minutes, the mission is proceeding smoothly.
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Demo Mission 2 – What to Expect
MAY 28, 2020–Demo Mission 2 (DM-2)’s first attempt was ultimately scrubbed, however, it brought the launch directly into the public eye. Millions viewed the launch attempt, so we’ve compiled some information as a viewing guide to help you get the best experience out of DM-2.
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LauncherOne falls short on its first launch attempt
MAY 25, 2020–LauncherOne has fallen short of orbit today after an unsuccessful launch attempt over the Los Angeles coast.
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LauncherOne to fly its maiden flight in two days
MAY 22, 2020–In a surprising twist of events, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne vehicle has had its first flight scheduled for Sunday, May 24, with a window extending to May 25th, with an opportunity to launch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific daily.
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NASA’s chief of human spaceflight resigns days before critical crew launch
MAY 19, 2020–NASA’s head of human spaceflight programs, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned within days of Demo Mission 2, the first crewed U.S. space flight within nearly a decade.
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Launch scrubbed: Sixth flight of the X-37B aboard Atlas V
Live coverage of the USSF-7 mission for the United States Space Force by United Launch Alliance, carrying the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.
Read MoreNASA releases a further breakdown of Artemis HLS vehicle risks and challenges
MAY 14, 2020–In a virtual conference yesterday, NASA HEO released a further breakdown of the Human Lander System, or HLS contracts.
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Spy satellite to fly on Delta IV Heavy pushed back to August
MAY 9, 2020–A spy satellite set to fly aboard United Launch Alliance’s triple-core Delta IV Heavy rocket has been pushed back from June to late August, according to military officials.
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U.S. government drafts ‘Artemis Accords’ international moon mining pact
MAY 5, 2020–The U.S. government is in the process of drafting what is now known as the ‘Artemis Accords’, an international legal basis for moon mining.
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Virgin Orbit set to debut orbital air-launch later this month
MAY 4, 2020–According to an article published today by Spaceflight Now, Virgin Orbit appears to be targeting later this month for their debut of the LauncherOne air-launched satellite launch vehicle from their 747-400 carrier “Cosmic Girl”.
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NASA awards Artemis Moon lander contracts to Dynetics, SpaceX, and National Team
APR. 30–Dynetics, SpaceX, and Blue Origin’s National Team win contracts to develop Human Lander Systems for the Artemis moon landings.
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Not a launch since June 2019, why is Vandenberg so quiet?
The California launch site has been quiet for almost a year, and appears as if it will be quiet for much longer. 2019 only had two launches (RADARSAT Constellation Mission and NROL-71), and the current scheduled launches are pushed back further and further. Why?
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Coverage finished: SpaceX successfully completes Starlink 6 mission
Live coverage of the launch of Starlink 6 from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.
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Starlink 6 launch slated for tomorrow
A Starlink mission onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 is due to launch from Launchpad 39A at Cape Canaveral tomorrow, 3:37 p.m. EST.
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Op-Ed: The Cases For and Against Crewed Starship
When SpaceX first unveiled the plan for the Interplanetary Transport System in 2016, the world stood mystified. What seemed like science fiction was now a real concept proposed by a company that had quickly established themselves as a leader in the NewSpace market. ITS would be the dream everyone wanted – a fast, efficient way to transport 450 tons to Mars, and almost a hundred crew, much more than we could ever dream of sending to even Earth orbit.
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Coverage over: AEHF-6 to launch on an Atlas V 551
MAR. 26, 2020– The United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 has successfully lifted off with the AEHF-6 satellite for the
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Solar Orbiter launches with impeccable accuracy
FEB. 14, 2020–Five days ago, the cooperative NASA-ESA Solar Orbiter mission took off on an Atlas V 411 from Space Launch Complex-41, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, towards the poles of the sun. Yesterday, United Launch Alliance’s CEO Tory Bruno hinted that it may be the most accurate insertion ever done by ULA.
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International Space Station EVA-62 a Success
JAN. 15, 2020–The second all-female spacewalk by NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir conducted this morning was a great success, with all primary tasks and get-ahead tasks accomplished.
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SpaceX continuing rapid Starlink cadence with Flight 3 for Jan. 20
JAN. 14, 2020–SpaceX is poised to launch the third Starlink operational mission on January 20, a mere two days after the Crew Dragon In Flight Abort test, where SpaceX will be testing its Crew Dragon capsule from SLC-39A.
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SpaceX and NASA ready for crucial In Flight Abort test
JAN. 13, 2020–After a successful static fire of Falcon 9 first stage B1046 on Saturday, Jan. 11, SpaceX has declared that they are ready for the Crew Dragon in-flight abort test, now scheduled for January 18.
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Firefly Aerospace to conduct maiden launch at Vandenberg in April
JAN. 7, 2020– Firefly Aerospace announced yesterday morning with a Space.com interview of CEO Dr. Tom Markusic that they will launch the maiden flight of their Alpha launch vehicle from SLC-2W at Vandenberg A.F.B., California, in April 2020.
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Starliner has on-orbit anomaly after flawless launch
DEC. 20, 2019–Starliner’s Orbital Flight Test took off flawlessly at 6:36 a.m. this morning from Cape Canaveral’s pad 41. However, after separation from the Atlas V N22, which performed without trouble, Starliner ran into what NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called a Mission Elapsed Time anomaly, leading Starliner to “believe it was in an orbital insertion burn, when it was not”.
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Starliner OFT Viewing Guide
DEC. 19, 2019– We’re currently at T- 13 hours to launch of Starliner’s Orbital Flight Test! Taking off at 6:36 AM EST on December 20, Starliner is flying on an Atlas V N22, which should be quite the experience.
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JCSat-18 Launch Viewing Guide
DEC. 15, 2019–Now that the launch of JCSat-18 is merely a single day away, it’s about time for us to help you get the best experience out of it.
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OmegA first flight confirmed for Spring 2021 from Cape Canaveral
DEC. 13, 2019–In a press release yesterday, Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that Saturn Satellite Networks has chosen their new OmegA launch vehicle to launch up to two satellites on OmegA’s inaugural flight scheduled for spring 2021, from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B.
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Rocket Lab completes work on LC-2 at Wallops Flight Facility
DEC. 12, 2019–In a press conference this morning, Rocket Lab announced that they had completed construction on Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
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Vandenberg AFB tests prototype ballistic missile unannounced
DEC. 12, 2019–Earlier this morning the Department of Defense released a statement confirming that they had successfully tested a “prototype
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SpaceX set to launch JCSat-18 on December 16
DEC. 11, 2019–A Falcon 9 rocket currently awaits vertical integration at SLC-40 with the JCSat-18/KACIFIC-1 satellite, ahead of planned liftoff at 7:10 pm EST on December 16.
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Starliner passes Wet Dress Rehearsal, OFT targeting Dec. 20
DEC. 6, 2019– As shown in a number of tweets earlier this morning, United Launch Alliance and Boeing Space have successfully conducted their Wet Dress Rehearsal for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule. Boeing is now targeting December 20, 2019 for launch of OFT. READ MORE:
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Mission Overview: RADARSAT Constellation Mission (June 12, RTLS confirmed)
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting June 12 launch of RADARSAT Constellation Mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
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RADARSAT Date Change: June 11
The RADARSAT Constellation Mission, previously scheduled for May 16 aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5, has been rescheduled to June
Read MoreVandenberg 2019 Overview
The launchpads have been… pretty silent lately. Since the launch of NROL-71, there has been little, if any activity here.
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NROL-71 Rescheduled: December 18, 5:57 PM.
NROL-71 has finally been rescheduled. Due to launch on December 18, this now creates a very interesting day with four
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Mission Overview: NROL-71
UPDATE: NROL-71 was scrubbed last night. New liftoff scheduled for 8:06 PM today at 70% Go Launch was scrubbed once more
Read MoreSSO-A SCRUBBED: New Date December 3
The SSO-A launch has been scrubbed once more due to complications with the second stage. Is someone keeping count?! The
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