News Archive / Author: Britt Rawcliffe

Britt Rawcliffe is a professional freelance aerospace and aviation photographer based out of Pennsylvania with over six years of professional photographic experience. Her creative imagery has spanned into all areas relating to space, including launches, photojournalism, architecture, and portraiture. Britt’s passion for history has been a common thread in much of her work, including having photographed many Moonwalkers such as Buzz Aldrin and Gene Cernan.

Articles By Britt Rawcliffe

• NASA’s OSIRIS-REx finished, moves to environment testing in lead up to 2016 launch

  October 23rd, 2015

  NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft has entered its environmental testing phase after assembly was completed. The spacecraft, currently being tested at Lockheed Martin Space Systems facilities near Denver, Colorado, is scheduled to start its journey to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu late next year.

• Patrick AFB hangar fire suppression system activated

  September 16th, 2015

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — At 10 a.m. EDT (14:00 GMT) this morning, the fire suppression system activated in one of the hangars belonging to the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. All personnel were evacuated immediately and no one was injured during the incident.

• Kounotori-5 successfully delivers cargo to ISS crew

  August 25th, 2015

  At 10:02 a.m. EDT (14:02 GMT) on Aug. 24, Japan’s HTV-5 spacecraft was berthed with the International Space Station. After a final approach that started in the very early hours of the day, the initial capture made was with the Canadarm2 at 6:28 a.m. EDT (10:28 GMT).

• Kounotori-5: Japan’s ‘white stork’ delivers cargo to station

  August 19th, 2015

  JAXA successfully launched the HTV-5 resupply spacecraft at 7:50 a.m. EDT (20:50 JST) from Tanegashima Island in Japan. Kounotori means “white stork” – a fitting name for a craft that will deliver 6.6 tons of equipment and supplies to the astronauts aboard the ISS in the coming days.

• Japan prepares to launch Kounotori-5 to Space Station

  August 15th, 2015

  Japan is poised to launch their fifth Kounotori vehicle to the International Space Station. The flight is currently set to take place on Aug. 19, 2015, and it will deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch time is scheduled for 7:50 a.m. EDT (20:50 Japan Standard Time, JST).

• Keeping an eye on Kim Jong-un: Japanese IGS-Optical 5 satellite lifts off

  March 26th, 2015

  On Thursday, March 26, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA ) successfully launched its fifth IGS optical satellite (IGS-Optical 5) atop a H-IIA F28 launch vehicle. The launch occurred at 9:21 p.m. EST on Wednesday (10:21 a.m. JST on Thursday) from the space agency’s Yoshinobu Launch Complex on Tanegashima Island. At the time of launch, Tanegashima […]

• JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 in “good health” en route to asteroid

  March 8th, 2015

  The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 recently completed an initial check of its functions on Mar 3, three months after its launch on Dec 3, 2014, from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island. Dubbed the “Asteroid Explorer” by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the probe is currently en route towards the near-Earth asteroid 1999 JU3. […]

• JAXA prepares another attempt to insert Akatsuki spacecraft into Venus orbit

  February 15th, 2015

  The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced that their spacecraft Akatsuki will be attempting once more to reach an orbit around Venus. The news comes almost 5 years after the spacecraft was first launched aboard their H-IIA flagship rocket out of Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The next attempt is planned for Dec 7, […]

• Boeing’s CST-100 to compete for space station resupply contract

  December 19th, 2014

  After winning NASA’s Commercial Crew contract with SpaceX this fall, Boeing now plans to compete for the opportunity to deliver cargo to the space station. The announcement stems from an interview earlier this month where Boeing expressed their interest in joining fellow commercial space companies Orbital Sciences and SpaceX—whom won the original contract in 2008.

• “Asteroid Explorer” Hayabusa 2 successfully launches

  December 3rd, 2014

  Late last night (Wednesday afternoon in Japan) at 11:22 p.m. EST (1:22 p.m. JST), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched their “Asteroid Explorer” spacecraft, Hayabusa 2. It was launched aboard the Mitsubishi-built H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 26 out of the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island. The spacecraft is now headed to collect samples from […]

• Ganbatte! Japan set to launch Hayabusa 2 on Dec 3

  December 2nd, 2014

  On Wednesday, Dec. 3, JAXA plans to start the new month off with the launch of their Hayabusa 2 spacecraft atop a H-IIA launch vehicle No. 26 out of Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima Island. The launch is currently scheduled to take place at 11:22 p.m. EST (1:22 p.m. JST) on Tuesday night (Wednesday afternoon in Japan). Hayabusa 2 […]

• Hayabusa 2 launch postponed until Dec 3 due to weather

  November 30th, 2014

  Less than 24 hours before the set launch time, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has declared that their Hayabusa 2 launch will be postponed until no-earlier-than Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 11:22 p.m. EST (Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 1:22 p.m. JST). The organization had announced on Friday, Nov. 28 that the original launch day of Nov. […]

• Orbital Sciences Antares rocket explodes less than a minute into flight

  October 28th, 2014

  WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Va — On Tuesday, Oct. 28,  Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital ) suffered the loss of one of the Dulles, Virginia-based firm’s Antares launch vehicles, along with the SS Deke Slayton, Cygnus, spacecraft at 6:22 p.m. EDT (1822 GMT). The anomaly happened within the first minute of flight, which left the launch pad covered in fire, smoke, and the […]

• Orbital Sciences readies SS Deke Slayton for resupply run to International Space Station

  October 26th, 2014

  After minor delays, Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) is set to launch one of the company’s Cygnus resupply spacecraft on Monday, Oct. 27 to deliver crew supplies and cargo to the International Space Station’s (ISS) Expedition 40. Monday’s launch is slated for 6:44 p.m. EDT (1844 GMT), providing only a 15 minute launch window at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport […]

• Latin American Intelsat 30 and ARSAT 1 launch aboard Ariane 5

  October 16th, 2014

  Thursday evening, at 5:44 p.m. EST (2144 GMT), the Ariane 5 ECA rocket took to the skies in Kourou, French Guiana to deliver the Intelsat 30 (IS-30) and ARSAT 1 (Argentina Satellite-1) payloads. Operated by the French company ArianeSpace, this evening’s launch, designated Flight VA220, lifted off from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch complex. The Ariane […]