Jason Rhian
Plant City
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Articles by Jason Rhian
Experts weigh in on the year ahead in space
Jason Rhian February 27th, 2016 Numerous space experts weighed in on the most important space events of 2016 – with one, in particular, being noted by most. Image Credit: Boeing SpaceFlight Insider reached out to experts, astronauts, and up-and-coming players in the space arena to get their view on what they thought would be the major events the public should be on the lookout for in 2016 – and beyond.
Boeing releases video from failed OFT mission
Jason Rhian January 16th, 2020 Boeing screen grab from NASA TV coverage of Starliner OFT landing. Image Credit: NASA Boeing has released a series of tweets depicting promotional and onboard videos from Boeing’s first Orbital Flight Test (OFT-1) of the company’s Starliner Capsule. During the mission, the Starliner capsule experienced a timing anomaly. This caused the orbital insertion burn that was expected to occur after spacecraft release did not occur.
OPINION: 2019 - Numbers and Names
Jason Rhian January 1st, 2020 Highs and lows – 2019 had them all. Image Credit: Nathan Koga / SpaceFlight Insider The past year has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride in terms of space exploration and utilization. But as the final days of 2019 came to a close, it’s clear that the last twelve months were defined by cold hard numbers.
First fight of OmegA rocket to carry SSN payload
Jason Rhian December 12th, 2019 A model of Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket stands in the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 2. Photo Credit: Mike Howard / SpaceFlight Insider Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket has been selected by Saturn Satellite Networks to ferry to satellites to orbit on its maiden voyage. The rocket’s inaugural flight is currently scheduled to take place in the spring of 2021.
Report suggests NASA made a $2.6B Boeing mistake
Jason Rhian November 15th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in orbit above Earth. Image Credit: Boeing A damning new report released by NASA’s Office of Inspector General paints a dismal picture of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The report suggests one of the two participants attempted to extort the space agency for more money. In Sept. 2016, Boeing offered NASA its price for four “post-certification missions” of Starliner.
GALLERY: Alan Bean makes art - one more time
November 2nd, 2019 Northrop Grumman launch the 13th Cygnus spacecraft, the S.S. Alan Bean, atop an Antares rocket on Nov. 2, 2019. Archive Photo Credit: Mark Usciak / SpaceFlight Insider WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket successfully launched the “Alan Bean” Cygnus spacecraft at 9:59 a.m. EST (13:59 GMT) on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019.
Critical tests for Boeing and SpaceX's crewed efforts slated for next week
Jason Rhian November 1st, 2019 Both Boeing and SpaceX are planning to carry out key abort tests of their CST-100 Starliner and Crewed Dragon spacecraft this coming week. Photo Credit: Boeing If things go according to plan next week, NASA, Boeing and SpaceX will check key systems that are required to keep astronauts safe on their way to orbit. If these last checks can be completed, the agency could finally regain a capability it lost almost a decade ago.
Northrop Grumman NG-12 launch could be visible four states away
Jason Rhian November 1st, 2019 The flight of Northrop Grumman’s NG-12 Antares/Cygnus mission could be visible up to four states away. Image Credit: NASA WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — Whenever a rocket lifts off it’s a pretty dramatic event. The scheduled launch of a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket should be no exception. A NASA map suggests that the NG-12 flight could be visible from up to four states away.
NASA to send VIPER to prowl Moon's South Pole
Jason Rhian October 28th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). Image Credit: NASA If humanity is going to establish a long-term presence on the Moon, it’s going to need water. This precious substance can be found on the lunar surface and a newly-announced robotic explorer is being readied to seek out significant concentrations of ice. If all goes according to plan, this mission marka critical first step for planned crewed missions.
Gallery: Flight of GPS III marks final flight of GPS III
August 22nd, 2019 A Delta IV Medium rocket with the GPS III satellite lifts off from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 37B on Aug. 22, 2019. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — United Launch Alliance carried out the last flight of a Delta IV Medium rocket with the GPS III satellite on Aug. 22, 2019, from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Passengers on upcoming VG flights will get pins for spiffy new uniforms
Jason Rhian October 27th, 2019 Virgin Galactic’s Beth Moses is awarded the ASE’s Space Pin. This is one of several recent events that has seen the commercial space firm progress forward toward its first operational test flight (which is slated to take place in 2020). Photo Credit: Virgin Galactic When Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo takes to the skies with paying customers, those flying onboard the will be awarded pins by the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) upon their return.
Gallery: ULA completes third flight of 2019
August 8th, 2019 The launch of AEHF-5 marked the third that ULA has conducted in 2019. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — ULA launched an Atlas V rocket with the AEHF-5 on Thursday, Aug. 8 2019. The early morning flight marked an increasingly rare appearance for the venerable launch vehicle.
Gallery: SpaceX completes second flight in less than two weeks with AMOS-17
August 6th, 2019 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches at 7:23 p.m. EDT (23:23 UTC) with the AMOS-17 telecommunications satellite. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with the AMOS-17 spacecraft on Tuesday Aug. 6, 2019. The flight helped reiterate the company’s ability to rapidly turn around and prepare for the next flight.
AMOS-17 flight atop SpaceX Falcon delayed indefinitely
Jason Rhian August 4th, 2019 Nine Merlin 1D engines can be seen (safely covered) in this photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage. Photo Credit: Carleton Bailie / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The flight of Spacecom’s AMOS-17 telecommunications satellite has been postponed indefinitely according to a tweet posted by the Air Force Space Command on Aug. 3.
Weather, technical issues push SpaceX AMOS 17 flight back
Jason Rhian August 1st, 2019 SpaceX has opted to conduct a second static test fire of the AMOS-17 Falcon 9 rocket prior to the mission’s launch. Photo Credit: Jared Haworth / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — With several tropical disturbances bearing down on the Sunshine State, an issue with the AMOS-17 Falcon 9 has caused the satellite’s launch to be delayed. On Thursday, Aug.
Spacecom's faith in SpaceX remains solid in lead up to AMOS-17 launch
Jason Rhian August 1st, 2019 SpaceX company logo. Image credit: SpaceX CAPE CANAVERAL, FLa. — SpaceX might be based out of California, but the NewSpace company is making its presence known in Florida. An upcoming flight could serve as a renewal of sorts for a relationship with one of the company’s clients. On Wednesday, July 31, the company conducted a static test fire of the nine Merlin 1D engines located at the business end of a Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket.
ISRO joins exclusive club with launch of Chandrayaan-2 mission
Jason Rhian July 22nd, 2019 The Pragyan rover can be seen rolling up the ramp of the Vikram lander in this image. Photo Credit: ISRO A GSLV Mk II rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SLP today, carrying the Chandrayaan-2. It places the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) into the ‘big leagues’ of space flight organizations. Liftoff occurred at 2:43 p.m. IST on July 22, 2019 from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.
From Lunar to LEO, MS-13 trio blasts off toward ISS
Jason Rhian July 21st, 2019 Expedition 60’s Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov (Roscosmos), flight engineer Drew Morgan (NASA), and flight engineer Luca Parmitano (ESA) lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrone in Kazakhstan on Saturday, July 20, 2019. Photo Credit: Joel Kowsky / NASA Fifty years is a long time. In the past half-century NASA has gone from launching men to the Moon to being dependent on the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, for access to low-Earth orbit.
Doubters, difficulty and distance - Apollo 11's LRR experiment
Jason Rhian April 18th, 2019 A Laser Ranging Retroreflector on the Moon. These experiments were used for decades after astronauts placed them there during the Apollo Program. Photo Credit: NASA To hear Moon landing conspiracy theorists tell it, the U.S. never sent men to the Moon during the Apollo Program of the 60s and 70s. A recent SpaceFlight Insider interview about a remote facility suggests otherwise.
ULA Delta IV with GPS III SV02 launch delayed
Jason Rhian July 17th, 2019 GPS III satellite being encapsulated into its payload fairing prior to its launch in 2018. Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The flight of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket tasked with sending the GPS III SV02 satellite to orbit has been delayed. ULA stated that “an anomaly” that occurred during component testing with another supplier.
Was Apollo 11 faked? USSR: 'Nyet'
Jason Rhian July 16th, 2019 The Moon shots were closely monitored by the Soviet Union which sent “fishing trawlers” to monitor the flights out of NASA’s Cape Kennedy in Florida (the area was renamed in honor of President John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated in 1963).
Private astronauts to be included on Space Mirror Memorial
Jason Rhian July 16th, 2019 The Astronaut Memorial Foundation has announced that astronauts from private space organizations who have died in the line of service will now be included on the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Photo Credit: Michael Howard / SpaceFlight Insider There can be little doubt that the age of commercial space flight is here.
SpaceX reveals cause of Crew Dragon explosion
Jason Rhian July 15th, 2019 Crew Dragon as it approached the ISS on March 3, 2019. Five days later, it departed the space station to begin its journey home. Photo Credit: NASA SpaceX held a test of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft on April 20, 2019 which ended with an explosion at the NewSpace firm’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Today, SpaceX released what it believes to have caused the accident during a briefing earlier this afternoon.
Launch of ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 mission delayed
Jason Rhian July 14th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft in orbit above the Moon. Image Credit: ISRO A prestigious mission the India Space Research Organisation is planning on sending to the Moon did not fly today. What was described as a “technical snag” has placed the mission on hold – with no new launch date announced. The ISRO posted the following announcement on Twitter: A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at T-56 minute.
Anomaly pushes Atlas launch back again
Jason Rhian July 11th, 2019 An Atlas V 551 rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida with the AEHF-4 satellite. This particular satellite was sent to orbit on Oct. 17, 2018.. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — The launch of a ULA Atlas V rocket with the fifth AEHF satellite will have to wait a little longer before its flight.
Gallery: Ascent Abort 2 paves way for Artemis lunar program
NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully completed the Ascent Abort 2 test on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 at 7 a.m. EDT (11:00 GMT). Photo Credit: Mike Howard / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — During a test that lasted about three-minutes, called Ascent Abort-2, a test article of the Orion spacecraft was launched at 7 a.m. EDT (11:00 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 46 in Florida.
AA-2 test next step in NASA's long-lived Orion testing program
Jason Rhian July 2nd, 2019 NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully completed the Ascent Abort 2 test on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 at 7 a.m. EDT (11:00 GMT). Photo Credit: Mike Howard / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Should NASA’s Orion spacecraft encounter a problem when it is used to send astronauts to the Moon one day, the system tasked with keeping them safe has proven it can do so. The test was dubbed – Ascent Abort 2.
Gallery: Falcon Heavy pushes back the night on STP-2 flight
June 26th, 2019 The STP-2 Falcon Heavy rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on June 25, 2019. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Although STP-2 didn’t launch right on time, before the close of Monday’s launch window – the job got done. History was seared into every inch of Florida’s skies after the Falcon Heavy rocket left the pad at 2:30 a.m. EDT (06:30 GMT) on Tuesday, June 25.
Night time is the right time for SpaceX STP-2 mission
Jason Rhian June 25th, 2019 SpaceX launches its third Falcon Heavy rocket with the STP-2 mission. Photo Credit: Joel Kowsky / NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is starting to become a frequent flyer of Florida’s skies. The rocket’s third flight checked off several boxes of “firsts” for the massive launch vehicle.
Battery failure delays Atlas V launch until July
Jason Rhian June 23rd, 2019 An Atlas V 551 rocket at Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. The rocket launched the AEHF-4 satellite into orbit on Oct. 17, 2018.. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket with the fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-5) satellite for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center will have to wait a little longer before taking flight.
Under increasing pressure from SpaceX, Arianespace launches telecommunications satellites
Jason Rhian June 20th, 2019 Arianespace’s AV248 mission lifts off atop an Ariane 5 ECA rocket on Thursday, June 19, 2019 with its payload of the AT&T and T-16 EUTELSAT 7C communications satellites. Photo Credit: Arianespace KOUROU, French Guiana — Arianespace conducted its fifth flight of 2019 when it launched an Ariane 5 ECA rocket and its payload of two communications satellites at 6:43 p.m. local time from Guiana Space Centre’s ELA-3 launch site.
If it's Boeing (space) - it's going to Florida
Jason Rhian June 19th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in the vicinity of the International Space Station. Image Credit: James Vaughan / SpaceFlight Insider TITUSVILLE, Fla. — After the end of the Shuttle Program it appeared space operations at the Cape might be on the downturn. Appearances can be deceiving however. Boeing, the largest aerospace company in the world – is moving some of its operations to the Sunshine State.
USAF provided with software upgrade for GPS III
Jason Rhian June 15th, 2019 GPS III satellite being encapsulated into its payload fairing prior to its launch in 2018. Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin Five months after being awarded the GPS Control Segment Sustainment II (GCS II) contract, Lockheed Martin has started delivering on that contract. On May 22 the Colorado-based company transferred the GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) software upgrade to the United States Air Force.
Going back to Cali! SpaceX launches RADARSAT for Canadian Space Agency
Jason Rhian June 12th, 2019 Archive photo of SpaceX Falcon 9 launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4E. Photo Credit: USAF LOMPOC, Calif. — SpaceX successfully completed the company’s second launch of 2019 from Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4 East in California. Today’s flight continues pushing the company’s busy 2019 flight manifest.
Want to send you name to Mars? Now's your chance
Jason Rhian May 22nd, 2019 This artist’s rendition depicts NASA’s Mars 2020 rover studying a Mars rock outrcrop. NASA is inviting the public to submit their names to be etched onto a chip to fly aboard this vehicle. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA is inviting individuals to submit their names to be etched onto a chip that will fly aboard its next Mars rover, slated to launch in 2020.
Vulcan clears final review, could fly as early as 2021
Jason Rhian May 22nd, 2019 An artist’s depiction of the Vulcan rocket rising up from Earth. Image Credit: United Launch Alliance Colorado-based United Launch Alliance (ULA), along with the United States Air Force, has cleared the company’s new Vulcan rocket to continue its journey toward flight. With the completion of the launch system’s critical design review (CDR) the new Vulcan Centaur design had been given the seal of approval.
Rocket Crafters taps long-time ULA contractor as preferred supplier
Jason Rhian May 10th, 2019 Image Credit: Rocket Crafters If it’s good enough for ULA, it’s good enough for us. While this probably wasn’t the thought process behind a recent announcement made by Rocket Crafters, both businesses have tapped a respected aerospace contractor to produce flight hardware for their vehicles.
Gallery: S.S. Roger Chaffee lifts off on flight to ISS
April 17th, 2019 The NG-11 mission arcs through the skies above the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on April 17, 2019. Photo Credit: Graham L. Smith / SpaceFlight Insider WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — Taking to the skies at the very opening of a five-minute long launch window, Northrop Grumman Corporation’s S.S. Roger Chaffee Cygnus cargo freighter leaped into the skies from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A. The mission got underway at 4:46 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 17, 2019.
Video: Countdown to history - Falcon Heavy soars with Arabsat-6A!
Jason Rhian April 16th, 2019 Arabsat-6A leaves Earth courtesy of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX launched the second of the company’s Falcon Heavy rockets with the 13,230 lbs Arabsat-6A satellite as its payload on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 6:35 p.m. ET (22:35 GMT).
No booster for you! Falcon Heavy core stage topples over in rough seas
Jason Rhian April 15th, 2019 SpaceX launched the second of one of the company’s Falcon Heavy rockets on Thursday, April 11. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — A tweet made by Tim “the Everyday Astronaut” Dodd reported that the core booster of the Falcon Heavy rocket that launched on Thursday, April 11 has been lost to the sea.
SpaceX racks up another win with latest NASA contract
Jason Rhian April 15th, 2019 An illustration of NASA’s DART mission, scheduled to launch in 2021. Image Credit: NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX has landed the contract to launch a historic mission on behalf of NASA. It marks the latest chapter in what is turning out to be a banner year for the Hawthorne, California-based company.
Gallery: Stratolaunch arcs across Golden skies
April 14th, 2019 The Stratolaunch aircraft comes in for a landing after its first successful flight. Photo Credit: Matthew Kuhns / SpaceFlight Insider MOJAVE AIR & SPACE POST, Calif. — When Howard Hughes took his wooden “Spruce Goose” into the skies it was the first and only time the vehicle lifted off the ground (or ocean as it were). Saturday’s flight of the massive Stratolaunch aircraft will likely not encounter the same fate.
Gallery: Falcon Heavy with Arabsat-6A - Hard as thunder, light as rain
April 11th, 2019 The second flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket saw all three first stage cores land – either at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 or out in the Atlantic on the “Of Course I Still Love You” ASDS. Photo Credit: Michael John McCabe / SpaceFlight Insider KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — One, two, three. Each of these numbers denoted major milestone achieved by SpaceX with the flight of the Arabsat-6A mission on one of the company’s Falcon Heavy rockets.
Astronomical history! First image of black hole captured
Jason Rhian April 10th, 2019 The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a group of radio telescopes spans the globe and has captured the first images of a black hole. Image Credit: ESO Until recently black holes were known to exist but no images of them had ever been captured. An international network of radio telescopes has changed all that.
Video: SpaceX raises the Heavy
Jason Rhian April 10th, 2019 SpaceX Falcon Heavy was raised into the vertical position at around 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 10, 2019. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — On Wednesday, April 10 SpaceX conducted pre-launch operations for the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket. One of these events is raising the rocket into the vertical position.
2nd Falcon Heavy launch rescheduled for Wednesday
Jason Rhian April 9th, 2019 Thunderstorms are an almost daily occurrence along Florida’s Space Coast during Spring and Summer. Photo Credit: Scott Schilke / SpaceFlight Insider KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The second launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket, which had been slated to lift off today, has been rescheduled. The cause of this readjustment to the mission’s time table is one all too familiar to launch service providers working on the Space Coast.
Launch date of second Falcon Heavy flight pushed back
Jason Rhian April 5th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Image Credit: James Vaughan / SpaceFlight Insider KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The first flight of a Falcon Heavy rocket with a commercial payload will have to wait a little while longer before lifting off from one of the most historic launch sites on Earth. SpaceX had been planning to send the Arabsat-6A satellite to orbit on Sunday, April 7.
Boeing's first crewed test flight gains extension
Jason Rhian April 5th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in orbit above Earth. Image Credit: Boeing CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Missions are often altered as they are readied for flight. The first crewed launch for Boeing’s CST-100 “Starliner” spacecraft appears to be no exception. NASA has posted that the first time astronauts fly aboard the spacecraft would be different than first envisioned.
Boeing's OFT-1 mission extended
Jason Rhian April 5th, 2019 Artist’s depiction of CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in orbit above Earth. Image Credit: Boeing CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Missions are often altered as they are prepared for flight. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test 1 appears to be no exception. Four months prior to its scheduled liftoff, NASA has posted that OFT-1’s mission profile had been significantly altered.
GEM 63 completes 2nd static fire test
Jason Rhian April 4th, 2019 Photo Credit: Jason Rhian / SpaceFlight Insider Northrop Grumman’s new 63-inch Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) solid rocket booster has completed another landmark in the booster’s progression toward flight—a static fire test. The test was carried out on April 4, 2019, at Northrop Grumman’s facilities located in the remote deserts of Promontory, Utah. The GEM 63 motor was fired around 1 p.m. MDT (3 pm ET / 19:00 GMT) and was active for approximately 100 seconds.
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