Russian Proton rocket blasts off on first launch since May failure

(Photo Credit: Roscosmos)

Russia’s heavy-lift Proton rocket has successfully returned to flight and placed a Russian military satellite into geostationary orbit just four months after an explosive failure.

Mini-satellites spontaneously launch themselves from the International Space Station

(A previous mini-satellite launch from the NanoRack CubeSat deployer – Photo Credit: NASA)

Two shoebox-sized Earth imaging satellites have mysteriously launched themselves from the International Space Station.

SpaceX successfully carries AsiaSat 6 satellite into orbit following launch delay

(A long-exposure shot of the launch – Photo Credit: SpaceX)

On September 7th, SpaceX successfully launched a new commercial telecommunications satellite in a spectacular night-time liftoff that signalled the end of a nearly two-week delay for the mission.

Putin pledges over $1billion to ensure new cosmodrome is ready for 2015 launches

(Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Rogozin and Oleg Ostapenko visit the construction site at Vostochny Cosmodrome – Photo Credit: Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters/RIA Novosti/Kremlin)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged an extra 50 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) to Roscosmos to ensure that the new Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East, intended to reduce the space agency’s reliance on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, would be ready to launch new-generation Soyuz-2 rockets by 2015 and Angara vehicles, currently in development, by 2020.

Geckos from low-Earth orbit experiment found dead after out-of-control Roscosmos satellite lands

(Russia’s Foton M4 satellite shortly after landing – Photo Credit: Roscosmos)

Roscosmos have confirmed that five gecko lizards sent into orbit on a Russian Foton-M4 satellite have all died. Although the cause of death has not yet been determined, experts are speculating that an anomaly that occurred during flight could be to blame for their demise.

SpaceX postpone AsiaSat 6 satellite launch

(AsiaSat 6 being prepared for flight – Photo Credit: Asia Sat)

SpaceX have delayed the launch of a commercial telecommunications satellite in order to perform a thorough check of their systems. Although there is no issue with their Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the private spaceflight company are being overly cautious following the destruction of a rocket prototype last week.

Lockheed Martin to begin tracking potentially dangerous space debris

(The current number of space debris objects in orbit – Photo Credit: ESA)

Lockheed Martin, an aerospace and defence giant, has struck a deal with an Australian technology firm to track space debris that could pose a threat to orbiting satellites.

Update on Galileo launch injection anomaly

(Illustration of a Galileo satellite in orbit – Photo Credit: ESA/J. Huart)

On August 22nd, two Galileo navigation satellites were placed into the incorrect orbit around Earth following their launch, however the satellites have now deployed their solar arrays and are, reportedly, in good health.

European Space Agency confirms Galileo navigation satellites failed to reach correct orbit following launch

(The satellites’ successful lift off – Photo Credit: ESA/Arianespace)

On August 22nd, a Soyuz VS09 rocket launched two Galileo navigation satellites from the European Space Agency’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket was scheduled to propel the duo into medium-Earth orbit, however the ESA have now confirmed that an anomaly occurred during flight and the satellites were not inserted into their correct trajectories.

Galileo launch rescheduled

(The Galileo satellites – Photo Credit: ESA/Arianespace)

Arianespace and the European Space Agency were forced to postpone the launch of Soyuz flight VS09, which would have carried Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites into medium-Earth orbit, due to unfavourable weather conditions over the Guiana Space Centre.

International Space Station launches miniature satellites into space

(The nano satellites pictured floating away from the station – Photo Credit: Reid Wiseman/NASA)

International Space Station Flight Engineers Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman have deployed a series of miniature satellites into space on a mission to photograph Earth from orbit.

European Space Agency prepares for Galileo satellite launch

(Artist’s view of the Soyuz rocket carrying the two satellites into orbit – Photo Credit: ESA/J. Huart)

Final testing of the European Space Agency’s twin Galileo navigation satellites has been completed at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, signalling that the agency are on track to launch the duo into medium-Earth orbit on August 21st.

SpaceX to build the first commercial vertical launchpad in Texas

(A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch – Photo Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX are planning to build the world’s first commercial vertical launchpad for orbital rockets and missions near Brownsville, south Texas. The facility is expected to become operational in 2016.

SpaceX complete successful Falcon 9 first-stage soft landing

(Orbcomm launch – Photo Credit: SpaceX)

Last week,  the first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket performed a controlled reentery into Earth’s atmosphere and soft landed into the Atlantic Ocean after launching six Orbcomm satellites into a low-Earth orbit. The private spaceflight company have now confirmed the results of the landing attempt and released video footage of the revolutionary technique.

Soyuz rocket delivers first Scottish satellite safely into orbit

(A previous Soyuz launch – Photo Credit: Roscosmos)

A Russian Soyuz 2-1B rocket has successfully delivered two British satellites, including the first made in Scotland, into orbit.

NASA’s OCO-2 satellite lifts off to begin carbon-counting mission

(Photo Credit:NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Following delays, NASA’s OCO-2 mission has now successfully blasted off aboard an United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California early on Wednesday morning, OCO-2 will begin a landmark mission to survey carbon dioxide gas in Earth’s atmosphere once it arrives in orbit.

Russia forced to cancel maiden launch of new Angara rocket

(The Angara 1.2PP rocket on the Plesetsk Cosmodrome launch pad – Photo Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense)

The highly anticipated first flight of Russia’s Angara launcher was cancelled after engineers discovered a technical problem during the final minutes of the launch countdown.

SpaceX scrub June 20th commercial satellite launch

(The rocket sitting on the launchpad – Photo Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX have been forced to cancel the launch of six commercial satellites after running out of time to resolve an issue with the Falcon 9 rocket as it sat on the launch pad. 

33 satellites launched & deployed at the same time, setting new world record

(A previous Dnepr launch – Photo Credit: Skybox Imaging)

An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile rocket has successfully launched 33 small and mini-satellites from 17 countries, setting a world record for the most payloads launched at one time.

Fault behind failure of Russian Proton rocket revealed

(A Proton Rocket – Photo Credit: Roscosmos)

The chief of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Oleg Ostapenko, has confirmed that the crash of the Proton space rocket on May 16th was due to a failed bearing in the steering engine’s turbo pump.