Mission Reports

Busy month of crew rotations on tap at International Space Station

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Astronauts Thomas Pesquet, Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Akihiko Hoshide are. preparing for launch April 22 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX Seven astronauts and cosmonauts are gearing up for launches April 9 and April 22 to the International Space Station, replacing seven outgoing crew members set to land in Kazakhstan and off …

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NASA blames recent Hubble woes on aging hardware

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The Hubble Space Telescope, seen from the space shuttle Columbia at the end of a 2002 servicing mission. The observatory’s door is open in this picture. Credit: NASA Hardware problems that cropped up earlier this month on the Hubble Space Telescope, now approaching the 31st anniversary of its launch, are the latest signs the observatory …

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China launches Gaofen Earth observation satellite

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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 …

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Perseverance rover begins steps to deploy Mars helicopter

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A camera on the end of the Perseverance rover’s robotic arm captured this view of the Ingenuity helicopter hanging from the robot’s belly Monday. Credit: NASA NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is being lowered from the belly of the Perseverance rover this week as ground teams run through a choreographed long-distance command sequence to safely release the …

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Final two passengers named for first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth

Chris Sembroski, Commercial Space, Crew Dragon, Crew Dragon Resilience, Falcon 9, Hayley Arceneaux, Human Spaceflight, Inspiration4, Jared Isaacman, Kennedy Space Center, Launch Pad 39A, Mission Reports, News, Sian Proctor, Space Tourism, SpaceX, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, X Home Page Highlight / By

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Billionaire Jared Isaacman, physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux, science educator Sian Proctor, and engineer Chris Sembroski will fly into low Earth orbit on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft later this year. Credit: SpaceX The billionaire financing the SpaceX flight that will carry the first non-professional “everyday people” into orbit …

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SpaceX’s latest high-altitude Starship test flight ends in another explosion

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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 …

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Delta 2 rocket exhibit opens at Kennedy Space Center

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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 …

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SpaceX readies Starship prototype for another atmospheric test flight

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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 …

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U.S. Space Force’s next missile warning satellite arrives at Florida launch base

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The SBIRS GEO 5 satellite enters a thermal vacuum chamber last year at Lockheed Martin’s factory in Sunnyvale, California. Credit: Lockheed Martin A billion-dollar missile warning satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Space Force arrived at Cape Canaveral earlier this month to kick off final preparations for launch May 17 aboard a United …

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NASA primed for historic flight of experimental Mars helicopter

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An artist’s illustration of the Ingenuity Helicopter flying on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Perseverance rover will soon release a small rotorcraft onto the surface of Mars and drive a safe distance away to observe a series of historic test flights in the ultra-thin Martian atmosphere, which could begin around April 8, officials said this week. …

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