Posted: January 6, 2011NASA managers Thursday decided to give engineers additional time to assess external tank cracks and repair scenarios, ruling out an early February launch for the shuttle Discovery. The next shuttle launch window opens Feb. 27, but NASA is assessing whether it might be possible to move that up a few days.
Orbcomm has contracted with LuxSpace of Luxembourg to launch two small AIS-equipped spacecraft this year, with the first two of its own second-generation satellites set for launch as piggyback payloads on a Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket also scheduled for launch this year.
The first two Orbcomm satellites are scheduled for launch as secondary passengers aboard a Falcon 9 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo vessel to the international space station. The station flies in an orbit with an inclination of 51.6 degrees.Assuming a successful launch, now tentatively scheduled for this summer, a second Falcon 9, this time carrying at least eight Orbcomm satellites as the main payload, would be launched nine months later.A third Falcon 9 rocket carrying the remaining satellites in the constellation would then occur later in 2012.
Via @jeff_foust:QuoteFrank Culberson, Orbital: now planning Taurus 2 test firing on pad in November, demo launch late December, COTS flight next February.
Frank Culberson, Orbital: now planning Taurus 2 test firing on pad in November, demo launch late December, COTS flight next February.
NET 12/8/2011 WGS SV 4 Delta IV
Launch Date: May 02, 2013
Aug. 5 Atlas 5 • JunoLaunch window: 1534-1643 GMT (11:34 a.m.-12:43 p.m. EDT)
the next launch expected to occur in January 2012, when a Delta IV-M+(5,4) will launch the Wideband Global Satcom 4 (WGS-4) satellite for the US Air Force.
6/12/2012 TDRS-K9/6/2012 RBSP
WGS-4 2012 Delta IVWGS-5 2012 Delta IVWGS-6 2013 EELVGPS IIF-5 TBD Delta IVWGS-7 TBD TBD
2/23/2012 COTS OSC Demo-1
Feb. 23 Taurus 2 • Cygnus 1April 12 Falcon 9 • Dragon C3