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Bruce McCandless II

American - (NASA)

Deceased

Date of Birth: June 8, 1937
Date of Death: Dec. 21, 2017


Bruce McCandless II was a U.S. naval officer and aviator, electrical engineer, and NASA astronaut. In 1984, during the first of his two Space Shuttle missions, he made the first untethered free flight by using the Manned Maneuvering Unit.

Space Shuttle Challenger / OV-099 | STS-41-B

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Feb. 3, 1984, 1 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

STS-41-B was the tenth Space Shuttle mission and the fourth of the Space Shuttle Challenger. It deployed 2 communication satellites and inluded the first untethered spacewalk. It was also the first shuttle mission to land at Kennedy Space Center.

Low Earth Orbit
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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-31 (Hubble)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
April 24, 1990, 12:33 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

STS-31 was the thirty-fifth mission of the space shuttle program. Discovery's tenth mission deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.

Low Earth Orbit
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Administrator: Jared Isaacman

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


Long March 2D
Success
15 hours, 22 minutes ago
Shiyan 30 03-04
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

A pair of Chinese satellites reported to be for "Earth observation technological testing and validation" purposes. Actual usage not known.


Long March 8A
Success
18 hours, 7 minutes ago
SatNet LEO Group 20
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Firefly Alpha
Success
1 day, 13 hours ago
Stairway to Seven
Space Launch Complex 2W - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Firefly Alpha's Flight 7 is a test flight and return-To-Flight for the launch vehicle after its April 2025 launch failure. It will test and validate …


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 9 hours ago
EchoStar 25
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

EchoStar 25 is a direct broadcast satellite, built on the proven Maxar 1300 series platform, which will deliver content across North America. It will…


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 2 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-18
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.