A test of transferring propellants between tanks on Starship during its March test flight was a success, NASA says. Credit: SpaceX WASHINGTON — NASA says SpaceX is on track to demonstrate in-space refueling of Starship next year, a critical technology
[25 Apr 2024] NASA planning September launch of Mars smallsat mission on first New Glenn
Blue Origin rolled out a New Glenn “pathfinder” vehicle to the pad in February for tests ahead of the rocket’s first launch. Credit: Blue Origin WASHINGTON — A NASA Mars smallsat mission is slated to launch in late September on
[18 Apr 2024] Sweden becomes 38th country to sign NASA’s Artemis Accords for moon exploration
NASA keeps adding nations to its international commitment for responsible moon exploration. Minister for Education Mats Persson and U.S. Ambassador Erik D. Ramanathan shake hands after the signing ceremony. (Image credit: Margareta Stridh/Regeringskansliet) Another one signs the (moon) dust. Sweden
[15 Apr 2024] NASA Welcomes Switzerland as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, right, shakes hands with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, after signing the Artemis Accords, Monday, April 15, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Switzerland is the 37th country to sign
[13 Apr 2024] SpaceX launches Falcon 9 booster on record-breaking 20th flight
SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1062, lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 6-49 mission. This marked the first time a booster launch and landed for a 20th time. Image: Adam
[12 Apr 2024] Japanese astronauts to land on moon as part of new NASA partnership
Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Masahito Moriyama, (left) JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, look at a model of the rover that Japan will provide in exchange for landing two Japanese astronauts
[10 Apr 2024] ULA concludes six decades of Delta rocket flights with final Delta 4 Heavy mission
A ULA Delta 4 Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This was the 16th and final launch of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now The second time was the
[08 Apr 2024] Elon Musk just gave another Mars speech—this time the vision seems tangible
“These are unthinkable numbers, but we’re not breaking any physics to achieve this.” SpaceX will continue to iterate on Starship. Elon Musk has been talking publicly about his sweeping vision for Mars settlement for nearly eight years now, dating to
[05 Apr 2024] With payload questions, it’s likely Vulcan will not launch again until fall
United Launch Alliance may seek certification from the Space Force after one flight. The first Vulcan rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After the impressive debut of the Vulcan rocket in January,
[05 Apr 2024] Footage from 2020 shows Astra rocket exploding during prelaunch testing
Footage obtained by TechCrunch shows the catastrophic ending that Astra’s Rocket 3.0 suffered during prelaunch testing in March 2020. The explosion, which occurred at Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex, was simply reported as an “anomaly” at the time, an industry