Mission Reports

NASA astronaut, two cosmonauts set for launch to space station

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, commander Oleg Novitskiy, and Russian flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov after a pressure check of their Sokol launch and entry suits at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 27. Credit: NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two Russian cosmonauts will ride a Soyuz ferry ship to the International …

NASA astronaut, two cosmonauts set for launch to space station Read More »

SpaceX launches its 100th mission from Florida’s Space Coast

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at 12:34 p.m. EDT (1634 GMT) Wednesday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: SpaceX A Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Wednesday with another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites, achieving success on SpaceX’s 100th mission to launch from Florida’s Space Coast and …

SpaceX launches its 100th mission from Florida’s Space Coast Read More »

SpaceX going for its 10th satellite launch of the year Wednesday

File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket on pad 40 before a launch last month. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral are readying for the company’s 10th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year Wednesday, another flight devoted to delivering satellites to orbit for the Starlink internet network. Like seven of the …

SpaceX going for its 10th satellite launch of the year Wednesday Read More »

SpaceX to ramp up Vandenberg launch cadence with Starlink missions

File photo of a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on Jan. 11, 2019. Credit: SpaceX After a lull in launches from America’s primary West Coast rocket base, SpaceX is set to resume a regular cadence of missions from Vandenberg Air Force Base as soon as July to deploy Starlink internet satellites …

SpaceX to ramp up Vandenberg launch cadence with Starlink missions Read More »

NASA’s Mars helicopter ready for pre-flight checkouts

The Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Mission controllers plan to unlock the blades on NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter and spin them up to more than 2,000 rpm for a test later this week, a bit of “calisthenics”  before the rotorcraft’s first flight in the atmosphere of Mars as soon as this weekend, …

NASA’s Mars helicopter ready for pre-flight checkouts Read More »

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule swaps docking ports on space station

The Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft closes in for docking Monday at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now In the home stretch of nearly a half-year on the International Space Station, four astronauts suited up and rode their SpaceX-owned Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship to a new docking port outside the orbiting research lab, a …

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule swaps docking ports on space station Read More »

Station astronauts prep for relocation of SpaceX crew capsule

Astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Soichi Noguchi put on their SpaceX pressure suits for a fit check last week in preparation for relocation of the Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft outside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/JAXA Commander Mike Hopkins and his three crewmates will board their Crew Dragon “Resilience” capsule Monday for …

Station astronauts prep for relocation of SpaceX crew capsule Read More »

Perseverance rover’s zoomable camera checks out on Red Planet

The Perseverance rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument took this picture of the Martian horizon Tuesday, March 30. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS Scientists have confirmed the first zoomable camera on Mars is in top-top shape since arriving aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover in February, adding a long-distance survey capability to the robot’s scientific toolkit. The zoomable imaging instrument, which is actually …

Perseverance rover’s zoomable camera checks out on Red Planet Read More »

Mars rover deploys Ingenuity helicopter for historic flight

This camera view from the Perseverance rover shows the Ingenuity helicopter on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Perseverance rover released the Ingenuity helicopter onto the surface of Mars Saturday, leaving behind the experimental flying drone to survive on its own power until attempting a historic hop in the Red Planet’s thin carbon dioxide …

Mars rover deploys Ingenuity helicopter for historic flight Read More »

China’s Tianwen 1 mission targets mid-May landing on Mars

China’s Tianwen 1 orbiter took this picture of Mars on March 18 from a distance of approximately 7,100 miles (11,500 kilometers). Credit: CNSA China’s Tianwen 1 spacecraft — in orbit around Mars since February — is scheduled to deploy a descent module to attempt the country’s first landing on the Red Planet in mid-May. Officials …

China’s Tianwen 1 mission targets mid-May landing on Mars Read More »