News Archive / Missions
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SpaceX’s Starship SN15 lands successfully!
Nicholas D'AlessandroMay 5th, 2021SpaceX's Starship SN15 landed safely after its high-altitude test flight, successfully performing a landing-flip maneuver to softly touch down on a nearby pad.
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Starship SN15 poised to fly, as Elon heads to New York for SNL appearance
Nicholas D'AlessandroMay 4th, 2021Starship SN15 was by all public accounts set to fly Tuesday, May 4, with road closures, Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), and all expected FAA paperwork beleived to be in place.
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Ninth-flown Falcon 9 launches 60 Starlink internet satellites
Theresa CrossMay 4th, 2021Less than a week after the last Starlink satellite launch, SpaceX sent an additional 60 high-speed internet satellites into orbit using a Falcon 9 first stage booster flying for the ninth time.
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After flight 4, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter begins new demo phase
Cullen DesforgesMay 3rd, 2021NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has once again proven itself to be the aeronautic showstopper of 2021 with its fourth flight above the Martian surface, setting the stage for a 30-day "operations demonstration" phase.
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SpaceX Crew-1 Dragon returns to Earth after 168 days in space
Derek RichardsonMay 2nd, 2021Four astronauts returned to Earth in their Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft after six months aboard the International Space Station, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida in the dark of night.
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Another 60 Starlink internet satellites orbited by SpaceX
Theresa CrossApril 29th, 2021SpaceX launched its 25th batch of Starlink internet satellites to join its ever-growing constellation in low Earth orbit as the company continues its push for global coverage.
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Starship SN15 performs two static fire tests within 24 hours
Nicholas D'AlessandroApril 28th, 2021SpaceX's latest and improved version of Starship, SN15, has entered the static fire phase of its testing campaign with two recent firings of its Raptor engines in the last 24 hours.
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Record-breaking Progress MS-14 undocks from Space Station
Derek RichardsonApril 28th, 2021The autonomous Russian cargo ship Progress MS-14 undocked from the International Space Station after spending a record one year at the orbiting outpost.
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Ingenuity helicopter flies ‘half the length of a football field’
Cullen DesforgesApril 26th, 2021Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California have received data confirming a successful third flight of Ingenuity, its most ambitious yet.
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SpaceX Crew-2 Dragon docks with International Space Station
Derek RichardsonApril 24th, 2021A day after launching from Florida, SpaceX’s Crew-2 Dragon arrived at the International Space Station, increasing the crew size aboard the outpost to 11.
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Ingenuity Mars Helicopter flies for a second time
Cullen DesforgesApril 22nd, 2021After making history as the first powered aircraft on another planet, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter flew for a second time, this time even farther and longer.
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New Horizons spacecraft is now 50 AU from the Sun
Laurel KornfeldApril 22nd, 2021NASA's New Horizons spacecraft achieved a major milestone on Saturday, April 17, when it reached a distance of 50 AU from the Sun.
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‘Wright brothers moment’: Ingenuity takes flight on Mars
Cullen DesforgesApril 19th, 2021With NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, history has been made as humankind made the next great stride in powered flight; the first flight on another planet.
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Soyuz MS-17 crew returns to Earth after 6 months aboard ISS
Derek RichardsonApril 17th, 2021Three International Space Station Expedition 64 crew members returned to Earth after spending 185 days aboard the orbiting outpost.
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Science journalist outlines challenges of settling the Moon and Mars
Laurel KornfeldApril 16th, 2021Human settlement of the Moon and Mars will require overcoming numerous challenges, including living in low gravity and protecting people from radiation.
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Astrobotic selects Falcon Heavy to Launch VIPER Moon rover
Nicholas D'AlessandroApril 15th, 2021Astrobotic announced it has selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch its Griffin medium-class lander to the Moon in 2023, carrying NASA's VIPER lunar rover.
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Starship SN15 completes cryo proofing; static fire coming soon
Nicholas D'AlessandroApril 14th, 2021SpaceX is already well underway with testing of its first majorly-upgraded version of Starship, known as Starship SN15.
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Software issue delays Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s first flight
Cullen DesforgesApril 14th, 2021History will have to wait a little longer as the first flight of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars has been delayed by at least a week.
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Soyuz MS-18 reaches International Space Station after 2 orbits
Derek RichardsonApril 9th, 2021The Soyuz MS-18 crew took the express lane to the International Space Station, reaching the outpost less the four hours after leaving Earth.
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Cosmonauts still troubleshooting slight air leak aboard ISS
Derek RichardsonApril 8th, 2021Russian cosmonauts are still working to plug a slight air leak aboard the International Space Station, which was first noticed in 2019 and located in 2020.
