News Archive / Missions
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Study shows ancient galaxies brighter than previously thought
Laurel KornfeldMay 11th, 2019The universe's earliest galaxies, which formed less than one billion years after the Big Bang, may have been significantly brighter than previously thought.
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Rocket Crafters taps long-time ULA contractor as preferred supplier
Jason RhianMay 10th, 2019Rocket Crafters has signed a memorandum of understanding with RUAG Space regarding the production of fight hardware for sounding rockets.
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CRS-17 Dragon arrives at ISS with cargo, stray cable
Derek RichardsonMay 6th, 2019SpaceX’s CRS-17 Dragon arrived at the International Space Station with fresh supplies and an unexpected cable that was supposed to fall away during launch.
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NASA’s InSight lander views Martian sunrise, sunset
Jim SharkeyMay 6th, 2019The InSight Mars lander recently trained one of its cameras on the Martian horizon, capturing a series of sunrise and sunset images.
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Scientists debate planet definition, status of Pluto
Laurel KornfeldMay 5th, 2019Scientists Ron Ekers and Alan Stern debated the planet definition and the status of Pluto in an event sponsored by the Philosophical Society of Washington.
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Space station power problem delays CRS-17 Dragon launch
Derek RichardsonApril 30th, 2019An issue with the International Space Station's power grid is prompting mission managers to delay the launch of the CRS-17 Dragon resupply mission.
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SpaceIL announces return to the Moon with Beresheet 2
Laurel KornfeldApril 25th, 2019Days after SpaceIL's Beresheet lander crashed on the Moon, the non-profit announced plans to build a second spacecraft within the next two to three years.
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Marsquake detected by InSight lander’s seismometer
Laurel KornfeldApril 24th, 2019A small tremor in the Martian interior was detected by a highly-sensitive seismometer placed on the Red Planet by NASA's InSight lander.
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NASA astronaut assigned record-setting mission
Derek RichardsonApril 23rd, 2019Having been aboard the International Space Station for about a month, NASA astronaut Christina Koch is set for an extended stay of about 11 months.
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Intelsat 29e satellite deemed a ‘total loss’
Derek RichardsonApril 20th, 2019After experiencing damage in orbit two weeks ago, satellite communications company Intelsat declared its Intelsat 29e spacecraft is not salvageable.
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NG-11 Cygnus begins 3-month ISS stay
Derek RichardsonApril 19th, 2019Two days after launch, Northrop Grumman’s NG-11 Cygnus cargo freighter rendezvoused and was berthed to the International Space Station's Unity module.
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New details emerge about Titan’s methane lakes
Laurel KornfeldApril 17th, 2019Methane lakes on Titan run deep and play a crucial role in its hydrologic cycle, according to new studies published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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Stratolaunch aircraft makes 1st flight
Patrick AttwellApril 13th, 2019At 6:58 a.m. PST (13:58 GMT) April 13, 2019, the world’s largest airplane took to the skies for the first time above the Mojave Desert.
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Israeli Beresheet lander crashes on Moon
Laurel KornfeldApril 11th, 2019What would have been a historic first in space exploration was not meant to be as SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft failed to successfully land on the Moon.
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Astronomical history! First image of black hole captured
Jason RhianApril 10th, 2019Black holes were known to exist but, until recently, no images of them had ever been captured. An international network of radio telescopes has changed all that.
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Video: SpaceX raises the Heavy
Jason RhianApril 10th, 2019KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Launch preparations continued for the second flight of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. Part of those efforts included raising the 730-foot-tall rocket into the vertical position.
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Astronauts route power cables during 3rd spacewalk of 2019
Derek RichardsonApril 9th, 2019During a 6.5-hour spacewalk, two International Space Station astronauts finished battery work and routed cables across the outpost.
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Hubble Kuiper Belt survey to focus on binary systems
Laurel KornfeldApril 8th, 2019The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is set to use the Hubble Space Telescope to conduct the largest ever survey of the Kuiper Belt.
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Curiosity update: Methane spike confirmed and Martian eclipses observed
Jim SharkeyApril 7th, 2019A methane spike detected by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover in 2013 has been confirmed by researchers reanalyzing data captured by the Mars Express orbiter.
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SpaceIL’s Beresheet now in lunar orbit
Joe LatrellApril 5th, 2019After firing its engines for six minutes, the Beresheet Moon lander transitioned from a highly-elliptical Earth orbit to a new lunar orbit.
