News Archive / Missions

• AA-2 test next step in NASA’s long-lived Orion testing program

  Jason RhianJuly 2nd, 2019

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Should NASA's Orion spacecraft encounter a problem when it is used to send astronauts to the Moon one day, the system tasked with keeping them safe has proven it can do so. The test was dubbed - Ascent Abort 2.

• Rocket Lab’s Electron launches seven small satellites from New Zealand

  Laurel KornfeldJune 29th, 2019

  Rocket Lab, a private American company that manufactures and launches small satellites, put seven satellites via its Electron vehicle during a launch from New Zealand.

• Forget Mars, NASA considering sending a helicopter to one of Saturn’s moons

  Laurel KornfeldJune 29th, 2019

  NASA announced plans to send a flying rotorcraft to Saturn's moon Titan to study its surface and atmosphere for signs of past and possibly present forms of microbial life.

• Is Mars undergoing Global Warming? Data from Curiosity suggests it might be

  Laurel KornfeldJune 28th, 2019

  Using its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) tunable laser spectrometer, NASA's Curiosity rover has detected the highest concentration of methane  ever found in the Martian atmosphere, in the Teal Ridge region of Gale Crater.

• Soyuz MS-11 trio returns to Earth after 7 months in space

  Derek RichardsonJune 25th, 2019

  Three International Space Station crew members returned to Earth in the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft, bringing an end to their 204-day mission.

• NOAA to launch six weather satellites later this month

  Laurel KornfeldJune 18th, 2019

  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plans to launch six remote-sensing micro-satellites next week, which will monitor weather in space and on Earth beginning approximately seven months after launch.

• NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope mission nears end

  Jim SharkeyJune 17th, 2019

  While criticism of NASA's efforts frequently focuses on cost overruns or delays, what is sometimes missed is that many missions have far exceeded how long program managers had believed they would be operating. The Spitzer Space Telescope is one such mission, but like all good things, it too is nearing the end.

• Next NASA Mars mission to serve as pathfinder for astronauts

  Cullen DesforgesJune 17th, 2019

  It’s no secret that sending the first astronauts to Mars will be a monumental challenge marked with many “firsts.” Given that NASA hasn't launched a manned mission beyond low-Earth orbit in 47 years - crews will need a guide to show them the way. Enter the next rover the U.S. space agency plans to send to the Red Planet.

• Pass the salt shaker: Key ingredient of life found on Europa

  Laurel KornfeldJune 14th, 2019

  A new study has identified yellow regions on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa as sodium chloride or table salt, which may originate in the large moon's underground ocean.

• Design phase begins for Psyche mission to metal asteroid

  Laurel KornfeldJune 13th, 2019

  NASA's Psyche mission to a unique metal asteroid has attained the important milestone of being approved to begin spacecraft design and construction.

• Mars 2020 spacecraft tested for flight, rover gets cameras

  Joe LatrellJune 13th, 2019

  Leading up to a planned July 2020 launch date, NASA’s latest mission to Mars is currently undergoing testing. Both the spacecraft and its rover payload have been tested and have been equipped with new equipment in preparation for flight.

• Michigan company helping NASA speed up SLS development

  Jim SharkeyJune 8th, 2019

  As NASA works to meet its goal of returning  astronauts to the Moon by 2024, a Michigan-based company is helping to accelerate the production of the space agency's Space Launch System (SLS) deep space rocket by providing one of the key tools needed to build the massive vehicle.

• Spitzer mosaic depicts family of stars

  Laurel KornfeldJune 7th, 2019

  A brightly colored mosaic of nebulae in the constellation Cepheus captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope depicts a family of stars ranging from new to old.

• ‘Flarewell’: Predictable Iridium flares nearing end

  Cullen DesforgesJune 3rd, 2019

  Professional and backyard astronomers alike have been observing predictable streaks, or flares, across the night sky for the better part of two decades.

• First Astrobee robot completes initial checks aboard ISS

  Jim SharkeyMay 30th, 2019

  The International Space Station's newest robotic helper, Astrobee, completed its first series of hardware tests aboard the outpost.

• OSIRIS-REx mission seeking citizen scientists’ help

  Laurel KornfeldMay 29th, 2019

  NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is seeking help from citizen scientists in choosing a site on asteroid Bennu to collect surface samples to be returned to Earth.

• Observations indicate comets may have brought water to Earth

  Laurel KornfeldMay 27th, 2019

  Observations of Comet Wirtanen by the world's largest airborne observatory support the notion that comets may have delivered water to Earth.

• Gas layer may be keeping Pluto’s subsurface ocean from freezing

  Laurel KornfeldMay 25th, 2019

  A layer of gas located beneath Pluto's icy shell could be keeping the dwarf planet's subsurface ocean from freezing, according to a new study.

• Virgin Orbit conducts crucial hotfire test

  Jim SharkeyMay 23rd, 2019

  Virgin Orbit announced the successful completion of a full mission duty cycle hotfire test of the first stage of its LauncherOne rocket.

• LRO identifies crash site of Beresheet lander

  Laurel KornfeldMay 22nd, 2019

  The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the crash site of SpaceIL's Beresheet lander, which impacted the Moon after a critical failure during its descent.