News Archive / Organizations

• SpaceX marks their 100th successful flight during Starlink launch

  Matt HaskellOctober 24th, 2020

  On Saturday Oct 24, A SpaceX Falcon 9 took to the stars from Cape Canaveral with another batch of Starlink satellites, marking the company’s 100th successful launch. 

• Boeing wins contract award for next generation SATCOM satellites

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 24th, 2020

  In a press release earlier this month, Boeing announced the award of a developmental contract for the next generation communications satellite on behalf of the United States Space Force.

• ISS Expedition 63 crew returns home safely

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 22nd, 2020

  On October 21, 2020, the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft carrying the Expedition 63 crew members departed the International Space Station, successfully returning NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and Russian Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner back to planet Earth at a landing site in Kazakhstan.

• GHGSat releases PULSE, an online tool to visualize worldwide methane gas concentration

  Sean CostelloOctober 21st, 2020

  Accessible at no-cost for public and community use, GHGSat’s newly released PULSE project brings methane gas concentration data within reach of anyone seeking to explore their interactive, online worldwide map. In this screenshot taken by the author during a tour of the PULSE platform, Dr. Sarah Gallagher with the Canadian Space Agency is explaining how […]

• Inter-satellite laser communications improving Starlink performance, as SpaceX expands constellation

  Theresa CrossOctober 18th, 2020

  SpaceX launched its fourteenth batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral’s LC-39A, at 8:25 a.m. EDT, October 18, 2020, flying into blue Florida skies atop a Falcon9 booster flying for its sixth time. 

• Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson resigns from Starliner test flight

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 16th, 2020

  On Wednesday October 7, Boeing Astronaut Chris Ferguson announced that he has removed himself from the first crewed test flight of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.

• ISS Expedition 64 crew launches to ISS in record time

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 16th, 2020

  On Wednesday, October 14 at 1:45 AM EDT, three astronauts and their Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft left the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to begin a six month mission to the International Space Station.

• Weather clears, allows famed Falcon 9 to lift a thirteenth batch of Starlink satellites

  Theresa CrossOctober 6th, 2020

  Early Tuesday morning, SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites, flying from LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• Weather continues to wreak havoc, SpaceX forced to scrub Starlink launch

  Sean CostelloOctober 5th, 2020

  At 7:26 a.m. EDT, SpaceX tweeted that they were calling a scrub on their latest attempt to launch the thirteenth batch of Starlink satellites, with no likelihood for the current weather systems to clear the area.  “We are standing down from today’s Starlink mission due to weather violations on the Range. The team is setting […]

• NASA town hall shares updates on science missions

  Laurel KornfeldOctober 2nd, 2020

    At a community town hall which was broadcast live on September 10, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate provided updates on the agency’s many ongoing and upcoming science missions.

• Northrop Grumman successfully launches NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft

  Sean CostelloOctober 2nd, 2020

  It was an on-time departure from Wallops Island tonight, as a Northrop Grumman Antares booster lifted the NG-14 payload aloft at 9:16 p.m. EDT.

• NROL-44 remains grounded following second hot-fire abort

  Sean CostelloOctober 1st, 2020

  With just 7 seconds remaining in the count, ULA’s Delta IV Heavy Terminal Count Sequencer Rack (TCSR) aborted the September 30, 2020 launch attempt, which was scheduled for 23:43 p.m. EDT.

• Weather systems prevail, ULA forced to scrub NROL-44

  Sean CostelloSeptember 28th, 2020

  At 6:32 p.m. this evening, ULA tweeted that weather was responsible for the scrub of their planned NROL-44 launch attempt, scheduled to have occurred at 12:02 a.m. early Tuesday morning.

• Weather scrubs SpaceX launch of Starlink satellites, NROL-44 still set to fly tonight

  Sean CostelloSeptember 28th, 2020

  Weather has forced the scrub of the next launch of Starlink satellites, abandoning SpaceX’s plans for a September 28, 2020 liftoff.

• ULA announces new launch date for NROL-44

  Cullen DesforgesSeptember 19th, 2020

  United Launch Alliance has set September 27, 2020 as the target date for the third launch attempt of the NROL-44 payload aboard their Delta IV Heavy Rocket, due to launch at 12:10 a.m. EDT. The launch window will last for approximately 90 minutes.

• NASA seeking commercial proposals for lunar sample collection

  Theresa CrossSeptember 16th, 2020

  Over the next four years, NASA will pay for private companies to harvest rocks and soil from the moon, as the agency takes the initial steps to field sustainable lunar exploration. 

• Northrop Grumman cancels OmegA rocket following NSSL contract loss

  Matt HaskellSeptember 10th, 2020

  In an expected move following recent contract awards, Northrop Grumman has announced the cancellation of their OmegA launch vehicle program.

• First segment of Orion capsule delivered for assembly ahead of Artemis III mission

  Theresa CrossSeptember 10th, 2020

  Lockheed Martin takes delivery and begins production of the Artemis III Orion capsule, as the first parts of the pressure vessel are delivered to the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

• Morning update: delayed Starlink mission set to fly in less than an hour

  Sean CostelloSeptember 3rd, 2020

  SpaceX is poised to launch their next batch of Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 today, currently scheduled to liftoff at 8:46 a.m. EDT.

• Northrop Grumman continues to advance NASA’s Artemis program

  Matt HaskellSeptember 3rd, 2020

  Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman continues to meet milestones in preparation for NASA’s Artemis program, as it completes a successful booster test fire for Artemis IV, and delivers the final abort motor for Artemis II