Now On Deck – Nova C: Another Moon Landing Attempt Launches In February

February 7, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Nova-C Mission Patch
Nova-C Mission Patch

For 10 days in January, the Peregrine Lunar Lander, made by US company Astrobotic, kept spaceflight observers on the edge of their seat. Peregrine, the first US lunar lander in over 50 years was to mark our country’s return to the moon. More importantly, the landing was a major step in sending a manned lander to the moon in 2026 under the Artemis program.  A propellant leak cut that mission short, and eventually scuttled it with the craft making a fiery return to earth.

Oh No, One More Delay for Axiom-3 Return from the ISS

February 6, 2024Posted inAxiom Space, Space News

               

Ax-3 docked to ISS
Axiom 3’s Crew Dragon docked to the ISS. Photo: NASA TV

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are standing down from the Tuesday, Feb. 6, undocking opportunity of Axiom Mission 3 from the International Space Station. Mission teams will continue to review weather conditions off the coast of Florida, which currently are not favorable for return, and set a new target opportunity for space station departure and splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft and Axiom crew members. The newest target date for undocking is Wednesday at 9:05 AM ET . The splashdown time has not yet been announced.

There is no indication that these delays in any way pose risk to the crew of either the Dragon spacecraft or the ISS.

Next Launch to Examine Earth’s Climate: PACE Satellite Targets 1:33am Tuesday Liftoff

February 4, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, KSC, NASA, SpaceX
PACE POSTER
Image Credit: NASA

In an era where understanding Earth’s climate dynamics is more critical than ever, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, will be a vital asset to furthering and tracking our knowledge of the Planet. Set to launch from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40, this mission embodies the culmination of years of meticulous planning and collaboration between NASA and SpaceX, aiming to extend our comprehension of the planet’s climate system and its intricate processes. Lift is set for 1:33am Tuesday morning with the first stage booster returning to LZ 1 at CCSFS.

Black History Month: FMN Honors NASA Engineer Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse

February 2, 2024Posted inSpace News
Laughinghouse and a test articlr at the Marshall Spaceflight Center
Laughinghouse and a test article at the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama Photo: Hal Foxton / FMN

Black History Month is here again, and FMN is proud to honor an outstanding NASA engineer.

In the vast realm of space exploration, one name has been shining bright at the forefront of innovation and discovery – Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse. Laughinghouse is manager for Technology Demonstration Missions at Marshall Space Flight Center, where she oversees the largest program in the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

NASA Announces Crew-9 Roster: Who Are They?

NASA Announces Crew-9 Roster: Who Are They?

February 1, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, US Space Force
Crew 9 Portrait
Official NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 portrait: (L-R) Stephanie Wilson, Aleksandr Gorbunov, Nick Hague, and Zena Cardman.
NASA

NASA today announced the four astronauts that will travel aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station later this year: Zena Cardman will be the Mission Commander,  Nick Hague will be the Pilot, along with Stephanie Wilson and Russian Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov will travel to ISS no earlier than August 2024.

The US Orbited Its First Satellite 66 Years Ago Today

January 31, 2024Posted inNASA, Space News, US Space Force
Explorer 1 launching aboard a Jupiter-C Booster on January 31, 1958
Photo: NASA Archives

Cape Canaveral Every four or five days, Space Coast residents hear or see a rocket taking flight from the Cape, often carrying thirty or more satellites to low-Earth orbit. It happens so often that people will shrug and say something like, “It’s just another Starlink flight,” and not think twice about it.

SpaceX Launches Northrup Grumman NG-20 From the Cape

January 31, 2024Posted inNASA, Space News, SpaceX, US Space Force
SpaceX Falcon 9 Lifts off from Pad SLC-40 at Canaveral Space Force Station on January 30, 2024.
Photo: Chris Leymarie, Florida Media Now

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Jan. 30, 2024 SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Northrup Grumman NG-20 mission toward ISS this afternoon. The launch was at 12:07 PM EST from the company’s launch pad at SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Once it had completed its part of the mission, Booster 1077 completed its tenth flight when it safely touched down at Landing Zone 1, about 5.6 miles to the south of where it launched a little more than eight minutes earlier.

Italy As A Key Player in Commercial Spaceflight: The Ax-3 Mission Tells Only A Small Part Of The Story

January 28, 2024Posted inAxiom Space, Space News
Thales Alenia factory in Turin, Italy.   Credit:  Axiom Space
Axiom Station pressure vessel under construction at the Thales Alenia factory in Turin, Italy.   Credit:  Axiom Space

Italy is well-known to world travelers for its culinary expertise, and that skill is now being added to the country’s many contributions to space exploration on the Axiom 3 mission.

What “Last Minute Cargo ” Will Be Loaded On The Cygnus Mission?

January 27, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
New access door for Cygnus resupply module
Northrop Grumman’s NG-20 Cygnus resupply spacecraft, named the S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson, is moved in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as it is prepared for its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

In an NG-20 pre-launch media teleconference on January, 26, 2024, Bill Gerstenmaier, SpaceX VP  Build and Flight Reliability, revealed that a new access door had been added to the fairing that protects the Cygnus spacecraft atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But Why?

SpaceX Delays NG-20 Launch By One Day

January 27, 2024Posted inNASA, Space News, SpaceX
Northrup Grumman Cygnus NG-20 inside its launch fairings. Photo: NASA
Northrup Grumman Cygnus NG-20 inside its launch fairings.
Photo: NASA

The launch of Northrup-Grumman’s Cygnus NG-20 has been delayed until Tuesday, January 30th at 12:07 PM EST.

William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s vice president of Build and Flight Reliability, said in a news conference on January 26th that, “it’s taken a lot of modifications on our part to get this hardware ready to go fly, and we want to make sure it goes right. We think it is good to delay a little bit and make sure we get all this activity right and we’re ready to get this cargo inserted into Cygnus and get ready to fly on Tuesday.”