Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral mistaken for UFO

Dear reader and followers,

In order to stop rumors on social network, such as facebook about UFO over an US airport, the explanation has been released:

It was Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, over the Miami Airport, in Florida, USA.

Actually, As the rocket climbed into the atmosphere, the combination of the pre-dawn light and the atmospheric conditions meant that the plume of the rocket formed an elongated shape as it climbed into space. 

In some videos, like the one below, as the rockets travels upwards at an angle it almost looks like the rocket is moving horizontal across the sky – although this is just an illusion, and it is actually travelling into the distance.

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Space X plans to land these rockets at Cape Canaveral instead of on an ocean platform

Dear readers and followers,

Next time a SpaceX rocket touches down, it will be on solid ground. Actually, After its next launch, SpaceX hopes to fly a Falcon 9 booster back to a landing site on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, making its first attempt to bring a booster down on land rather than on a platform in the ocean.

SpaceX has attempted to land a rocket gently before, but those attempts were made on giant floating platforms in the ocean (which just missed). Then, last week, competitor Blue Origin managed to land it's own reusable rocket safely on the ground, amping up the public pressure on SpaceX to successfully land their own rocket.

Since one of their rockets exploded in June, SpaceX has been grounded as they troubleshoot. The company is also upgrading their rockets with new engines that can carry heavier loads.

SpaceX's next launch could happen in the coming week, as early as December 15th 2016, but that remains unconfirmed.

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Live streaming of Orion space launch

Dear readers and followers,

Earlier this morning, the United Launch Alliance tower used to prepare the Orion spacecraft for liftoff was moved away. You can watch the rollback below: 


Mobile Service Tower rollback from NASA Orion Spacecraft on Vimeo.


The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with NASA’s Orion spacecraft mounted atop is seen here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37, Florida. 

Update in pictures there:

The second stage issue and boat in the range. Delay possible, but 2 hours launch window gives flexibility. This delay is not due to technical or weather problems for launch. It's on a hold due to a boat in range of launch

- New launch time set for 7:17 a.m EST, but it has been delayed again because of wind, as shown in the picture below which show the 1-minute peak wind speed measured at 230-ft above pad 41.

- 7: 46 am EST: New T-0 of 7:55 am EST has been decided

- 7: 43 am EST: Hold hold hold again ... launch delayed

- 8: 16 am EST: New T-0 8:26 am EST, the launch will be for today

- 8: 24 am EST: HOLD AGAIN . Launch team reports the rocket's fill and drain valve did not close.

- 8:39 am EST: The technical problem seems to come from the valves. Fill-&-drain valves on 3 core boosters will be cycled open and closed to see if that solves the problem.

- 9:44 am EST: Launch of the Orion mission scrubbed for today,if the valve issue can be fixed today, NASA will try again tomorrow.

Live launch coverage of Orion begins on NASA TV at 4:30 a.m. EST with the link below: 

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#.VIBKKjGG_so

Source: +NASA

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NASA will build the most powerful rocket ever with Boeing

Dear readers and followers,

+NASA has reached a milestone in its development of the Space Launch System, or SLS, which is set to be the most powerful rocket ever and may one day take astronauts to Mars. After completing a critical design review, Boeing has finalized a huge  contract of 2.8 billion dollars with the US space agency. The deal allows full production on the rocket to begin. Virginia Barnes, Boeing's Space Launch System vice president and program manager announced “Our teams have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the SLS [...] the largest ever [...] will be built safely, affordably and on time.”

The last time NASA’s completed a critical design review of a deep-space human rocket was 1961, when the space agency assessed the mighty Saturn V, which ultimately took man to the moon.

Work on the 98 meters Space Launch System is spread throughout Southern California, including Boeing's avionics team in Huntington Beach. The rocket’s core stage will get its power from four RS-25 engines for former space shuttle main engines built by Aerojet Rocketdyne of Canoga Park. The rocket, which is designed to carry crew and cargo, is scheduled for its initial test flight from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in 2017.

The rocket will carry the Orion spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., which can carry up to four astronauts beyond low Earth orbit on long-duration, deep-space destinations including near-Earth asteroids, the moon, and ultimately Mars.

The first mission will launch an empty Orion spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft is still in development. Few days ago, the parachute system has been tested at very high altitude. The second mission is targeted for 2021 and will launch Orion and a crew of up to four NASA astronauts. The rocket's initial flight-test configuration will provide a 77-ton lift capacity. The final evolved two-stage configuration will be able to lift more than 143 tons.

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[Update] Successful space launch of GPS Satellite with Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral

Dear readers,

yesterday night, the United launch Alliance performed with success its space launch of GPS satellite (GPS IIF-5) for the US AirForce. The payload has been orbited by the Delta 4 rocket developed by the private company. The launch took place from the Space Launch Complex-37 in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:59 pm EST on Thursday February 20th. 

Credit : United Space Alliance

GPS IIF-5 is the fifth in a series of the next-generation of GPS satellites and will join the navigation system utilizing 24 spacecrafts in 6 different planes in orbit around 17700 km of altitude. This ultimate generation of satellite provides an improved accuracy and enhanced performed for GPS users, for civil and military applications.

The liftoff has been also taken in picture by Sam Wolfe photographer

Credit : Sam Wolfe

Source

[Update] : Enjoy the video provided by SpaceVids.tv

Atlas 5 lift-off carrying TDRS-L Satellite from Cape Canaveral

Credit: +NASA 

TDRS-L mission launched today

Dear followers,

Today, the rocket ATLAS V 401 with its payload TDRS-L will lift-off from the launch pad Station Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The space launcher will be launched on an easterly trajectory and the spacecraft will be released into a highly elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit. The mission from launch to vehicle separation is scheduled to take just over 1 hour 45 minutes.

Credit image : America space

The payload of the rocket is the TDRS-L (Tracking and Data Relay Satellites) satellite of the third generation. The TDRS satellites are operated by +NASA , and are used for communication between NASA facilities and spacecraft including the Space Shuttle, Hubble Space Telescope, and International Space Station.

The launch window is planned today between 9:05pm - 9:45pm EDT (2:05 - 2:45 GMT 24th)

HTTP://COUNTINGDOWNTO.COM

Stay tuned for its launch

Successful Atlas5 liftoff in pictures

Thanks to +Elizabeth Therese Niwel
Source

Atlas 5 take-off livestream now

Dear followers,

today, United Launch Alliance will perform its seventy-fifth launch with the space-launcher Atlas V with the aim of deploying the AEHF-3 satellite for the US Air Force.

The Liftoff is scheduled from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in few minutes. You could follow the liftoff in livesteam below.

Watch live streaming video from spaceflightnow at livestream.com

Source

Voyager1 leaves the Solar system

Dear followers,

yesterday +NASA announced a huge step of the history of space conquest. Actually, after 36 years of flight, the spacecraft +Voyager 1 sent Cap Canaveral, has left the solar system and move to the interstellar space. The spacecraft perform a flight of 125 AU. One AU is the distance from the sun to the Earth, which is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. The spacecraft went to the humankind's most distance than ever !

Credits: +NASA / +NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

The Voyager-1 spacecraft was built and continue to be operated by +NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory  in Pasadena, California. This mission is a part of NASA's Heliophysics System Observatory, supported by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate at +NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Source

An Atlas 5 rocket successfully took-off from Cape Canaveral

Dear follower,

2 days ago, in Baikonur the Proton rocket had liftoff. Today, in Cape Canaveral, the Atlas 5 has successfully carried a replacement Global Positioning System satellite for the United States Air Force.
The Centaur upper stage completed its second burn and released the Global Positioning System 2F-4 satellite into the navigation network.

Credit: Walter Scriptunas II 

Credit: NASAgovVideo

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