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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch to the International Space Station was postponed on Monday, with officials citing problems with ground systems. The SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission was scheduled to depart the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:45 am (0645 GMT), carrying two NASA astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and the second Emirati to voyage to space. But just two minutes before lift-off, the launch was called off, or "scrubbed". "Today's #Crew6 launch has been scrubbed due to an issue with ground systems," NASA posted on Twitter. SpaceX said shortly after that it had begun unloading fuel from the rocket and the crew would disembark. The launch will be rescheduled for a later date. NASA's Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Russia's Andrey Fedyaev and Sultan al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates are to spend six months on the orbiting station. Neyadi, 41, will be the fourth astronaut from an Arab country and the second from the oil-rich UAE to journey to space; his … [Read more...] about SpaceX crew launch to ISS postponed

The 57-metre tall H3 rocket had lifted off from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima spaceport, following an aborted launch last month. JAXA said it sent a self-destruct signal to the rocket after the engine failure. The H3 was carrying the ALOS-3, a disaster management land observation satellite that is also equipped with an experimental infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missile launches. Shares in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI), the H3’s builder, fell 1.8% in morning trade, while the broader Japanese benchmark index was up 0.4%. Powered by a new simpler, lower-cost engine that includes 3D-printed parts, the H3 is designed to lift government and commercial satellites into Earth orbit. It also meant to ferry supplies to the International Space Station. As part of Japan’s deepening cooperation with the US in space, it will eventually carry cargo to the Gateway lunar space station that NASA plans to build as part of its … [Read more...] about Japan destroys new medium-lift rocket after second-stage engine failure

Japan said it had destroyed a new medium-lift rocket it launched into space on Tuesday after the vehicle's second-stage engine failed to ignite, in a blow to its efforts to expand access to space and remain competitive in a launch market roiled by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The 57-metre (187 ft) tall H3 rocket had lifted off from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Tanegashima space port, following an aborted launch last month. JAXA said it sent a self-destruct signal to the rocket after the engine failure. The H3 was carrying the ALOS-3, a disaster management land observation satellite that is also equipped with an experimental infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missile launches. Shares in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI), the H3's builder, fell 1.8% in morning trade, while the broader Japanese benchmark index was up 0.4%. Powered by a new simpler, lower-cost engine that includes 3D-printed parts, the H3 is designed to lift government and … [Read more...] about Japan destroys new rocket in space after second-stage engine failure

Four crew members aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashed down off Florida's Gulf coast on Saturday, returning safely from a five-month science mission on the International Space Station. The SpaceX capsule, dubbed Endurance, parachuted into waters off the coast of Tampa just after 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT) carrying two NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut after a roughly nine-hour flight from the orbital research lab, a NASA-SpaceX webcast showed. The Crew-5 team launched from Florida on Oct. 6 to conduct routine science aboard the station. It included cosmonaut Anna Kikina, 38, who became the first Russian to fly on an American spacecraft in 20 years, and NASA flight commander Nicole Aunapu Mann, 45, the first Native American woman sent into orbit. NASA pilot Josh Cassada, 49, and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, 59, a veteran of four previous spaceflights, were also aboard. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, a gumdrop-shaped pod designed to launch atop … [Read more...] about SpaceX capsule returns crew of four from space station mission