A tiny satellite is poised to set the stage for something far grander: a full-blown lunar space station. NASA’s CAPSTONE satellite is scheduled to launch on Monday and then travel to a unique lunar orbit in a pathfinder mission for the Artemis programwhich is seeking to return humans to the Moon later this decade. CAPSTONE … Read more
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched Germany’s SARah 1 military imaging satellite into orbit on June 18.Photo: SpaceX It was a busy weekend for SpaceX, with the private space company launching three of its Falcon 9 rockets into orbit over a period of three days. SpaceX’s final launch may even have been carrying a classified government … Read more
The Cygnus space freighter approaching the ISS on February 21, 2022. Photo: NASA NASA is currently evaluating the ability of docked Cygnus spacecraft to serve as boosters for the International Space Station, but a recent test of the concept was quickly stopped, for reasons that aren’t yet clear. The engine firing of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus … Read more
In anticipation of Boeing’s first crewed test flight of Starliner, NASA has chosen two astronauts to fly on board the troubled spacecraft, in a mission that could launch later this year. On Friday, NASA announced that veteran astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will fly on board the Crew Flight Test (CFT), the launch date … Read more
The upper stage of the Astra rocket shut down before delivering the payload to orbit.Photo: NASA NASA lost two small satellites on Sunday after a rocket malfunctioned en route to orbit. The two TROPICS CubeSats were the first pair of a six-satellite constellation designed to study tropical cyclones, but the space agency is still hoping … Read more
NASA astronaut Ed White during the first US spacewalk in 1965. NASA astronaut Ed White is the first US citizen to perform a spacewalk, which he did on June 3, 1965, only three months after Leonov’s daring jaunt. The EVA, conducted during the Gemini 4 mission, started above the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii and lasted … Read more
The Dragon launch was expected to bring two tons of supplies to the ISS as part of a resupply mission.Photo: NASA The upcoming launch of an uncrewed SpaceX Dragon to the International Space Station has been postponed following a potential propellant leak, in what is a rare glitch for the reliable cargo vehicle. NASA revealed … Read more
Hold on to your hats as the Mars helicopter takes us on another ride over the Red Planet. NASA released new footage of the Ingenuity helicopter’s 25th flight, revealing the tiny rotorcraft’s longest and fastest excursion yet. On April 18, NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity covered at a distance of 2,310 feet (704 meters) at a … Read more
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft safely touched down at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor.Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls Boeing’s Starliner successfully touched down yesterday on the sandy surface of the New Mexico desert, marking the completion of the first uncrewed end-to-end test of the spacecraft. It was a picture-perfect landing, but the six-day mission was not without problems. … Read more
Gateway, illustrated here, will serve as a crucial part of the upcoming Artemis missions. Drawing: NASA President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida further solidified their plans to send a Japanese astronaut to the upcoming lunar space station, while also affirming the possibility of having a Japanese astronaut walk on the Moon during … Read more
