Tag: rocket

Powerful Webb Space Telescope Featuring Canadian Instruments Set for Dec. 18 Launch

MONTREAL—In just over a month, the world’s largest, most advanced telescope will be launched into orbit from a spaceport in South America, and among those eagerly watching will be Montreal physics professor Rene Doyon. The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to blast off Dec. 18 aboard the Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space…


US Successfully Tests Hypersonic Booster Motor in Utah

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon successfully tested a booster rocket motor on Thursday designed to power a launch vehicle carrying a hypersonic weapon aloft, the Navy said. The United States and its global rivals have intensified their drive to build hypersonic weapons—the next generation of arms that rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms. Defense contractors…


Rocket Wreckage Falls in Residential Area

A new team is formed by the World Health Organization. Its goal is to push forward a new phase of study on the origin of the pandemic. Three pet cats test positive for the virus in China. But authorities quickly stepped in, putting the animals down despite their owner’s objections. A rocket launch fails in…


Rocket ‘Terminated’ in Fiery Explosion Over Pacific Ocean

Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.—A privately designed, unmanned rocket built to carry satellites was destroyed in an explosive fireball after suffering an “anomaly” off the California coast during its first attempt at reaching Earth’s orbit. Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket was “terminated” over the Pacific Ocean shortly after its 6:59 p.m. Thursday liftoff from Vandenberg Space…


Branson’s Virgin Orbit to Go Public Through $3.2 Billion SPAC Merger

Billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit, a small satellite launch service provider, is going public through a merger with a blank-check vehicle that values it at about $3.2 billion. The deal with NextGen Acquisition Corp. II, announced on Monday, includes $100 million in funding from Boeing Co, AE Industrial Partners, and others in the form of…


Gaza Militants Fire Rocket at Israel, Israeli Military Says

JERUSALEM—Militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at Israel on Monday that was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the military said, in the first such attack since an 11-day war in May. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launching, which Israel’s Kan Radio said could be a response by…


Blue Origin’s Bezos Reaches Space on First Passenger Flight

VAN HORN, Texas—Jeff Bezos blasted into space Tuesday on his rocket company’s first flight with people on board, becoming the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft. The Amazon founder was accompanied by a hand-picked group: his brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands and an 82-year-old aviation pioneer from Texas—the…


Billionaire Blastoff: Rich Riding Own Rockets Into Space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Two billionaires are putting everything on the line this month to ride their own rockets into space. It’s intended to be a flashy confidence boost for customers seeking their own short joyrides. The lucrative, high-stakes chase for space tourists will unfold on the fringes of space—55 miles to 66 miles up, pitting Virgin…


Elon Musk Frustrated With ‘Broken’ Regulations After SpaceX Launch Is Interrupted

Article by Euni Han With just seconds left until takeoff on Tuesday, SpaceX’s launch was halted after an aircraft flew into launch range, according to CNBC. Founder Elon Musk voiced his frustrations on Twitter about the rules around rocket launching. “An aircraft entered the ‘keep out zone’, which is unreasonably gigantic. There is simply no…


Iran Likely Had Failed Rocket Launch, Preparing for Another

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran likely conducted a failed launch of a satellite-carrying rocket in recent days and now appears to be preparing to try again, the country’s latest effort to advance its space program amid tensions with the West over its tattered nuclear deal. Satellite images, a U.S. official, and a rocket expert all confirmed…