Astrobotic

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander ends mission in fiery reentry

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander captured by a camera mounted onboard the lander on its second day in space. Image: Astrobotic The first U.S. lander bound for the Moon since 1972 burned up in Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday. The unfortunate ending for Astrobotic’s spacecraft was deemed the most responsible choice given its hopes of reaching the …

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander ends mission in fiery reentry Read More »

Peregrine lander suffers propulsion ‘anomaly,’ Moon landing seemingly unlikely

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander in the clean room at Astrotech in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft was the main payload onboard the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Image: ULA In situation seemly pulled from a science fiction movie, a robotic mission to the Moon swung from the brink of failure to having renewed hope before …

Peregrine lander suffers propulsion ‘anomaly,’ Moon landing seemingly unlikely Read More »

ULA marks success with the inaugural mission of its Vulcan rocket launching a Moon-bound robotic lander

The inaugural Vulcan rocket leaps off the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The booster was powered by the first pair of BE-4 engines to fly in space. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now With the company’s future riding on it, United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan rocket successfully put a commercial robotic …

ULA marks success with the inaugural mission of its Vulcan rocket launching a Moon-bound robotic lander Read More »

NASA discusses Moon-bound science as ULA’s Vulcan rocket gets go ahead for Jan. 8 launch

The payload for the Certification-1 (Cert-1) flight test on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket is encapsulated inside its payload fairing in preparation for launch. The mission will launch the first Astrobotic Peregrine commercial lunar lander, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, into a highly elliptical orbit more than 220,000 …

NASA discusses Moon-bound science as ULA’s Vulcan rocket gets go ahead for Jan. 8 launch Read More »

ULA stacks Vulcan rocket for the first time ahead of Jan. 8 debut launch

ULA’s fully integrated Vulcan rocket with the addition of the payload fairings added on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. On board is the main payload, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. Image: ULA United Launch Alliance achieved a critical milestone towards the debut of its next launch vehicle. On Wednesday, the company integrated the payload fairing on top …

ULA stacks Vulcan rocket for the first time ahead of Jan. 8 debut launch Read More »

ULA’s first mission with its Vulcan rocket may slide to January launch window

ULA’s Vulcan rocket sits at the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) ahead of the start of a wet dress rehearsal tanking test on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. Image: ULA The debut of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket may slip from late December into early January, according to the company’s president and CEO, Tory …

ULA’s first mission with its Vulcan rocket may slide to January launch window Read More »

Three robotic missions target Moon landings over one week in January

Intuitive Machines engineers loading the IM-1 mission Nova-C lunar lander into its custom container in Houston, TX. Image: Intuitive Machines In a blend of interesting circumstances and happenstance, two private companies and Japan’s space agency are all poised to land on the Moon in the back half of January 2024. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency …

Three robotic missions target Moon landings over one week in January Read More »

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander arrives in Florida ahead of Christmas Eve Moon-bound launch

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander in the clean room at Astrotech in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be the main payload onboard the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Image: ULA The first payload teed up for NASA’s industry-led missions to the Moon has arrived in Florida. Astrobotic announced on Halloween that its Peregrine lunar lander …

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander arrives in Florida ahead of Christmas Eve Moon-bound launch Read More »

Test-firing of ULA’s first Vulcan rocket on tap today

Watch our live coverage of the Flight Readiness Firing for United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Follow us on Twitter. SFN Live United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket is back on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral for a critical test-firing of its Blue Origin-built BE-4 main engines …

Test-firing of ULA’s first Vulcan rocket on tap today Read More »

First Vulcan rocket rolls back to hangar for ‘adjustments’ prior to test-firing

United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket rolls out to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral on May 11. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan rocket was filled with methane and liquid oxygen propellants at Cape Canaveral last week for a tanking test, but managers decided to move the rocket back inside a …

First Vulcan rocket rolls back to hangar for ‘adjustments’ prior to test-firing Read More »