321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (March 14)
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Relativity scrubs a second time, targeting soon for turnaround
Relativity Space will likely try again this week to launch the world's first 3D-printed rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after a series of issues forced another scrub over the weekend, giving way to SpaceX to fly a resupply mission in the interim.
During the company's second attempt at launching its 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket on Saturday, March 11, nearly every major flight violation that could crop up did: first, upper-level winds were too powerful; then a boat violated the Coast Guard-patrolled hazard area and Relativity had to abort; finally, technical issues forced the scrub at the end of the three-hour window that ran from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.
Splashdown! NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 returns home
NASA's Crew-5 mission wrapped up Saturday night in the Gulf of Mexico with the splashdown return of a SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying a crew of four astronauts.
After nearly six months in space, NASA's Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan's Koichi Wakata, and Russia's Anna Kikina departed the International Space Station at 2:20 a.m. EST Saturday before blazing through the atmosphere, their heat shield enduring temperatures up to 3,500 degrees. The nearly 19-hour return trip concluded with a parachute-assisted splashdown of the Dragon "Endurance" capsule off the coast of Tampa at 9:02 p.m. ET.
Upcoming launches:
March 14: NASA's SpaceX CRS-27
Company / Agency: SpaceX for NASA
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Location: Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center
Launch Time: 8:30 p.m.
Trajectory: Northeast
Weather: 50% "go"
Landing: Drone ship
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space
About: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch SpaceX’s 27th commercial resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew.
No earlier than March 16: Relativity “Good Luck, Have Fun”
Company / Agency: Internal Relativity Space mission
Rocket: Terran 1
Location: Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Trajectory: East
Weather: TBD
Landing: None; Terran 1 is expendable
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space
About: Relativity Space will attempt the first orbital launch of its 110-foot, 3D printed Terran 1 rocket. The inaugural demonstration mission known as "Good Luck, Have Fun" will not feature any customer payloads. The Terran 1 rocket is the largest 3D printed object to attempt orbital flight.
Notes:
Scrubbed Wednesday, March 8, due to technical issues during the countdown.
Scrubbed Saturday, March 11, due to technical issues at the end of the launch window.
As usual, we'll have live coverage of these missions at floridatoday.com/space. For the latest, see our full schedule at floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (March 14)
