2015 Space & Exploration Events — Verified Historical Highlights
2015 Space & Exploration Events — Verified Historical Highlights | TakeMeBack.to
- 11 Jan SpaceX Rocket Mission Update: After an experimental recovery attempt failed on the first stage of the SpaceX CRS-5 resupply mission, public photographs of the Falcon 9 rocket became available, providing insights into the mission's challenges.
- 02 Feb Iran Launches Fajr Satellite: Iran successfully placed the Fajr satellite into orbit using a Safir B1 rocket, demonstrating the country's growing space technology capabilities.
- 11 Feb SpaceX Launches Deep Space Climate Observatory: SpaceX successfully launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory, a weather observation satellite for the US Air Force/NASA/NOAA, from Cape Canaveral. The mission also involved attempting to soft-land a Falcon 9 rocket in the Atlantic Ocean.
- 14 Apr SpaceX Rocket Landing Attempt Fails: SpaceX's latest attempt to land and recycle its Falcon 9 rocket on an ocean platform was unsuccessful, representing a setback in the company's reusable rocket technology development.
- 16 Jun Airbus to Build Satellites for OneWeb: Airbus announced plans to construct 900 satellites for OneWeb, with the project scheduled to begin in 2018.
- 02 Sep Global Tree Population Study: A study published in the journal Nature reveals there are over 3 trillion trees on Earth, significantly more than the previously estimated 400 billion from satellite data. Researchers, led by Thomas Crowther from Yale University, analyzed over 400,000 ground measurements across six continents for a more accurate count. Despite this vast number, humans cut down approximately 15 billion trees annually, resulting in a 46% reduction in global tree count since the dawn of human civilization. source: time.com
- 28 Oct Rosetta Probe detects molecular oxygen on Comet 67P: The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft detected molecular oxygen (O₂) in the coma of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, marking the first in situ detection of O₂ on a comet. This unexpected finding suggests that O₂ was incorporated into the comet during its formation, providing insights into the early solar system. source: sci.esa.int
- 22 Dec SpaceX successfully lands Falcon 9 rocket booster: On December 22, 2015, SpaceX achieved a historic milestone by successfully landing the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. This event marked a significant advancement in reusable rocket technology. source: nasa.gov
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