Page 2 - Rocket Launch

NASA's new moon rocket hit by fuel leaks in test ahead of final launch

NASA's new moon rocket sprouted more fuel leaks Wednesday in a test ahead of a possible launch attempt next week, but engineers managed to get them down to acceptable levels. There was no immediate word on whether NASA would try for a liftoff Tuesday given the sporadic nature of the hydrogen leaks, which have bedeviled the launch team for months. "Leaving a lot of folks scratching their heads on this one," said Launch Control's Derrol Nail. The daylong demo had barely begun when hazardous hydrogen fuel began escaping at the same place and same time as before, despite new seals and other repairs. Engineers halted the flow and warmed the lines in hopes of plugging the leak, and proceeded with the test. But the leak persisted before dropping to acceptable levels. Hours later, another leak cropped up elsewhere. Nail said all test objectives were met. But managers need to review the results before determining whether the 98-metre rocket is ready for its first test flight, a lunar-orbiti

Isro successfully tests hybrid motor, eyes new rocket propulsion system

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested a hybrid motor, potentially paving the way for a new propulsion system for the forthcoming launch vehicles. The 30 kN hybrid motor tested at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday is scalable and stackable, the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said. The test was supported by ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). The motor used Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidiser. Unlike solid-solid or liquid-liquid combinations, a hybrid motor uses solid fuel and liquid oxidiser, it was noted. "Today's (Tuesday's) test of a flight equivalent 30 kN hybrid motor demonstrated ignition and sustained combustion for the intended duration of 15 seconds. The motor performance was satisfactory", an ISRO statement said. The use of liquids facilitates throttling, and the control over the flow rate of LOX enables the re-start capability, it

Bezos' Blue Origin rocket suffers failure seconds into uncrewed launch

No people were on board for Monday's flight, which was carrying a host of payloads, though a similar version of same vehicle is used to regularly take paying customers to the edge of space and back

NASA Artemis I: Fuel seals repaired, likely to launch moon rocket on Sep 23

NASA had to scrub two launch attempts as the rocket experienced technical glitches, including a fuel leak

Fuel leak disrupts NASA's second shot at launching moon rocket Artemis I

NASA's new moon rocket sprang another hazardous leak Saturday, as the launch team began fuelling it for liftoff on a test flight that must go well before astronauts climb aboard. For the second time this week, the launch team began loading nearly 1 million gallons of fuel into the 322-foot rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA. Monday's attempt was halted by a bad engine sensor and leaking fuel. As the sun rose, an over-pressure alarm sounded and the tanking operation was briefly halted, but no damage occurred and the effort resumed, NASA's Launch Control reported. But minutes later, hydrogen fuel began leaking from the engine section at the bottom of the rocket. NASA halted the operation, while engineers scrambled to plug what was believed to be a gap around a seal. The countdown clocks continued ticking toward an afternoon liftoff; NASA had two hours Saturday to get the rocket off. NASA wants to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon, pushing it to the li

NASA to make another attempt of launching Artemis Moon Rocket on Saturday

NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight, after engine trouble halted the first countdown this week. Managers said Tuesday they are changing fueling procedures to deal with the issue. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket remains on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, with an empty crew capsule on top. It's the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Space Launch System rocket, or SLS, will attempt to send the capsule around the moon and back. No one will be aboard, just three test dummies. If successful, it will be the first capsule to fly to the moon since NASA's Apollo program 50 years ago. During Monday's launch attempt, one of the four main engines in the rocket's core stage could not be chilled sufficiently prior to planned ignition moments before liftoff. The three others came up just a little short. The chilling operation will be conducted a half-hour earlier for Saturday afternoon's try, once fueling is underway at the pad, officials said. J

NASA engineers assess data after aborting Artemis 1 Moon mission launch

NASA engineers were evaluating data gathered during the Artemis I launch attempt, which was scrubbed owing to a technical glitch in one of the rocket engines

ISRO all set to launch SSLV on August 7; here's all you need to know

The SSLV is third launch vehicle of the research organisation after Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

25-hour countdown for Indian rocket mission to begin at 5 pm today

The Indian rocket will carry three satellites -- the 365 kg DS-EO and 155 kg NeuSAR, satellites belonging to Singapore and built by Starec Initiative of South Korea

South Korea launches homegrown space rocket in second such attempt

South Korea launched its first domestically built space rocket in the country's second attempt, months after its earlier liftoff failed to place a payload into orbit

Nasa fuels moon rocket for in countdown rehearsal despite issue during test

NASA fueled its huge moon rocket for the first time and went ahead with a critical countdown test despite a fuel line leak

Satellite images suggest Iran preparing for rocket launch amid tensions

Iran appeared to be readying for a space launch Tuesday as satellite images showed a rocket on a rural desert launch pad, just as tensions remain high over Tehran's nuclear program

NASA to launch 3 rockets from Australia's north for scientific studies

"This is a really exciting project," Albanese said during a media briefing in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory

Hyderabad based Skyroot Aerospace successfully test fires its rocket engine

The company on Thursday announced the completion of the milestone of full duration test-firing of its Vikram-1 rocket stage

China's rocket achieves domestic record, sends 22 satellites into space

China launched a Long March-8 rocket to place 22 satellites in space on Sunday, setting a domestic record for the most spacecraft launched by a single rocket.

PSLV-C52 lifts off with earth observation and 2 small satellites

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C52) blasted off at 05:59 am from the first launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre

Countdown for Isro's first launch mission of 2022 commences

The launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, which will also carry two small co-passenger satellites, is scheduled at 05:59 hours on Monday

Bezos' Blue Origin gets approval to send him, three others to space

Bezos, 57, stepped down last week as Amazon's CEO.

Isro swinging back to action; may launch geo imaging satellite on August 12

It was scheduled for March 28 this year but a "minor issue" with the satellite forced its postponement.

India to allow private players to build and operate rocket launch sites

Similarly, any rocket launch (orbital or sub-orbital) from Indian or overseas territory can be carried out only with authorisation from Indian National Space Promotion & Authorization Center