File photo of the Starship SN8 prototype, which flew last year, with three Raptor engines. Credit: Elon Musk/SpaceX SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday that a “relatively small” methane leak caused the explosion of the company’s latest Starship test rocket last week on an experimental flight over South Texas. The 164-foot-tall (50-meter) Starship test vehicle, …
Musk says methane leak doomed latest Starship test flight Read More »
A Long March 4C rocket lifts off with the Gaofen 12-02 Earth observation satellite. Credit: Xinhua An Earth observation satellite China says will assist in land surveys, urban planning, and agriculture monitoring successfully launched Tuesday on a Chinese Long March 4C rocket. The spacecraft is the second Gaofen 12-type Earth-imaging satellite launched by China. Chinese …
China launches Gaofen Earth observation satellite Read More »
The Raptor engines at the base of SpaceX’s Starship test rocket ignite for a landing burn at the end of Tuesday’s flight. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight apparently ended with another explosion Tuesday in South Texas, but dense fog obscured clear views of the launch and failed landing. “At least the crater is …
SpaceX’s latest high-altitude Starship test flight ends in another explosion Read More »
This illustration shows a concept of how the NASA Mars Ascent Vehicle, carrying tubes containing rock and soil samples, could be launched from the surface of Mars in one step of the Mars sample return mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Catlech NASA awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth as much as $84.5 million earlier this month to supply …
Northrop Grumman to supply solid rocket motors for first Mars Ascent Vehicle Read More »
United Launch Alliance’s final Delta 2 rocket is now displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. ULA, U.S. Space Force, NASA, and Visitor Complex officials gathered Tuesday for a grand opening ceremony. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance’s final Delta 2 rocket is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center …
Delta 2 rocket exhibit opens at Kennedy Space Center Read More »
EDITOR’S NOTE: SpaceX will stream live video of the Starship SN11 test flight. We will embed the live stream on this page when it is available. SpaceX’s Starship SN11 test rocket at Boca Chica, Texas. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX plans to launch its next Starship test rocket as soon as Friday afternoon from the company’s South Texas …
SpaceX readies Starship prototype for another atmospheric test flight Read More »
A Soyuz rocket lifts off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on the fifth mission to deliver OneWeb satellites to orbit. Credit: Roscosmos A Soyuz rocket took off from a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East and deployed 36 Florida-built OneWeb internet satellites into orbit Thursday. Another batch of OneWeb satellites will launch next month, continuing the build-out …
Soyuz launch adds 36 satellites to OneWeb’s global internet network Read More »
Another 60 Starlink internet satellites rumbled into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket early Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the 25th mission to launch spacecraft for SpaceX’s broadband network. The Falcon 9 lifted off from pad 40 at 4:28:24 a.m. EDT (0828:24 GMT) Wednesday powered by nine kerosene-fueled Merlin 1D main …
SpaceX launches 25th mission for Starlink internet network Read More »
A Falcon 9 rocket stands on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, ready for liftoff early Wednesday. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now SpaceX and OneWeb — space industry rivals and owners of two of the largest fleets of commercial satellites — are set to add more spacecraft to their internet networks Wednesday …
Starlink and OneWeb satellites ready for launch on opposite sides of the world Read More »
The ELSA-d mission’s servicer and chaser satellites (bottom and top) during ground testing last year. Credit: Astroscale A commercial mission developed by the Japanese company Astroscale rocketed into space on a Russian Soyuz launcher Monday with 37 other payloads, ready to kick off an orbital “dance” with two small spacecraft demonstrating how satellite sweepers might …
Privately-funded mission takes off to begin space debris cleanup trials Read More »
