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SpaceX gives converted Falcon Heavy side booster new life

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a booster stage converted from two previous Falcon Heavy missions, rolls through NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 8 toward its launch pad. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography A converted SpaceX side booster that flew on two Falcon Heavy missions in 2019 will launch again …

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Webb reaches orbital destination a million miles from Earth

Artist’s illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA The James Webb Space Telescope slipped into orbit around a point in space nearly a million miles from Earth Monday where it can capture light from the first stars and galaxies to form in the aftermath of the Big Bang. As planned, the European Ariane …

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Cargo Dragon capsule departs space station

A SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station Sunday, heading for splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. This reusable spacecraft is completing its second flight to the space station. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft, closing out a month-long mission, undocked from the International Space Station Sunday …

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Webb closes in on destination with critical mirror alignment on tap

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION The James Webb Space Telescope with its five-layer sunshade and optical elements fully deployed. Credit: NASA Thirty days outbound from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope will slip into its parking orbit a million miles away Monday, an ideal spot to scan the heavens in search of faint …

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ULA’s first launch of 2022 to debut unflown variant of Atlas 5 rocket

A promotional poster for the USSF-8 mission, showing the Atlas 5’s configuration with a single solid rocket booster and a 5.4-meter (17.7-foot) diameter payload fairing. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket has flown in 10 different configurations over 90 missions since 2002, each version optimized to haul satellites of a certain …

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SpaceX launches 2,000th Starlink satellite

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket streaks into orbit with 49 more Starlink internet satellites. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography A package of 49 Starlink satellites that rode a Falcon 9 rocket into orbit Tuesday night from Florida included the 2,000th spacecraft to launch into SpaceX’s broadband internet network. The successful orbital deployment …

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Cape Canaveral’s busy January to continue with another Starlink launch

File photo of a Faclcon 9 rocket on pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now Forecasters expect brisk winds and chilly temperatures for a prime time, full moon launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with another batch of Starlink internet satellites Monday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. …

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SpaceX launches 105 customer satellites on third Transporter rideshare mission

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the Transporter 3 small satellite rideshare mission. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography SpaceX launched 105 small satellites from Cape Canaveral on the company’s third Transporter rideshare mission Thursday, deploying payloads for commercial remote sensing …

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SpaceX preps for first of four ‘Transporter’ rideshare launches this year

A Falcon 9 rocket stands vertical on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for liftoff on SpaceX’s Transporter 3 rideshare mission. Credit: SpaceX With its small satellite launch business booming, SpaceX is set to double its cadence of dedicated rideshare missions this year, beginning with the liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday …

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Testing underway for Astra’s first launch from Cape Canaveral

File photo of a previous Astra rocket on a launch pad in Alaska. Credit: Astra Tests are beginning this week at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the first flight of Astra’s small satellite launcher from the Florida spaceport, following the company’s successful November demonstration mission from Alaska. Astra’s launch vehicle, dubbed Rocket 3.3 and …

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