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Last Kepler images capture numerous planetary systems
Laurel KornfeldFebruary 10th Numerous planetary systems are visible in the final images taken by NASA's Kepler telescope on Sept. 25, 2018, just before it ran out of fuel.
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NASA seeking proposals for human-rated lunar lander systems
Derek RichardsonFebruary 9th With SLS and Orion in the latter stages of development, NASA wants to work with industry to develop a human-rated lunar lander by the mid-to-late 2020s.
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NG-10 Cygnus departs ISS to perform secondary mission
Derek RichardsonFebruary 8th Northrop Grumman’s NG-10 Cygnus spacecraft has departed the International Space Station after three months at the orbiting complex.
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Survey shows ‘hundreds of impacts’ on ESA’s Columbus module
Derek RichardsonFebruary 8th Each ISS module is designed with micrometeoroid debris protection. A recent survey of the Columbus module shows the importance of that shielding.
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NASA remembers its fallen astronauts in annual ceremony
Mike HowardFebruary 7th Today, NASA paused to reflect and remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of space exploration in its annual Day of Remembrance ceremony.
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Raptor fired at power level needed for Starship, Super Heavy
Derek RichardsonFebruary 7th SpaceX's first Raptor flight engine performed another test, increasing its thrust and chamber pressure to levels required for Starship and Super Heavy.
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MarCO CubeSats no longer communicating with Earth
Laurel KornfeldFebruary 7th Twin tiny satellites launched with NASA's Mars InSight lander have been out of touch with mission controllers on Earth for slightly over a month.
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NASA confirms NET March 2 for 1st Crew Dragon flight
Derek RichardsonFebruary 6th NASA announced Wednesday that SpaceX is targeting no earlier than March 2, 2019, for the first flight of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
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Dome-shaped shield provides protection to InSight seismometer
Laurel KornfeldFebruary 6th The seismometer on NASA's Mars InSight mission was provided with a dome-shaped shield for protection from the planet's extreme temperature variations.
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Ariane 5 deploys 2 communications satellites
Lloyd CampbellFebruary 5th In the first of a dozen or so missions for Arianespace in 2019, an Ariane 5 rocket sent two communication satellites into a geostationary transfer orbit.
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Update: Raptor roars on SpaceX’s Texas test stand
Derek RichardsonFebruary 4th SpaceX’s Raptor engine was briefly fired on a test stand days after company CEO and Founder Elon Musk revealed photos of the engine on Twitter.
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Notes on the Run: Put on your tinfoil hat because here we go…
Jason RhianFebruary 3rd CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – “Have you seen UFOs? Are aliens real?” My response to this line of questioning is almost always the same and, usually, not suitable for print.
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NASA trying to reestablish contact with Opportunity rover
Jason RhianJanuary 29th Engineers are sending new commands to Mars rover Opportunity, addressing "low-likelihood" scenarios that could be preventing the vehicle from communicating.
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Blue Origin breaks ground on new BE-4 engine production facility
Cullen DesforgesJanuary 27th On Jan.25, 2019, Blue Origin broke ground on its new engine production and assembly facility in Huntsville, Alabama, about 25 miles from United Launch Alliance’s Decatur assembly facility.
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NASA personnel feeling the pain after 35-day shutdown ends
Cullen DesforgesJanuary 26th After 35 days, the partial U.S. government shutdown has ended. Now thousands of government employees are able to return to work, including those at NASA.
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SpaceX Falcon 9 test fire rekindles US spaceflight hopes
Jason RhianJanuary 25th The static fire test of one of the company's Falcon 9 rockets heralded the potential approach of astronauts using one of these rockets to travel to the ISS.
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Our SpaceFlight Heritage: Still silent, Mars rover Opportunity marks 15 years on Mars
Jason RhianJanuary 24th NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, safely touched down on Mars 15 years ago today, on Jan. 24, 2004.
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ISRO launches new PSLV-DL variant
Derek RichardsonJanuary 24th The Indian Space Research Organisation launched a new variant of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, the PSLV-DL, to send Microsat-R into orbit.
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SpaceX’s Starship toppled, severely damaged during overnight storm
Patrick AttwellJanuary 23rd In the overnight hours of Jan. 22 and 23, SpaceX's Starship Hopper test article was severely damaged by strong winds at the SpaceX South Texas launch facility.
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Astronauts for Boeing’s first crewed CCP flight reshuffled
Cullen DesforgesJanuary 22nd Boeing has experienced a rearranging of the astronauts assigned to Starliner's first crewed flight.
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Falcon 9 rocket for SpaceX Demo Flight-1 set for test fire
Jason RhianJanuary 22nd While the U.S. government might be shut down due to a political impasse, Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX is taking the next steps toward returning the U.S.' lost ability to send astronauts into low-Earth orbit.
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Stratolaunch abandons plans to develop family of rockets
Derek RichardsonJanuary 21st It seems that Stratolaunch, a company working to develop an aircraft to air-launch rockets, may be scaling back its operations.
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NROL-71 kicks off ULA’s 2019 launch manifest
Patrick AttwellJanuary 19th LOMPOC, Calif. — United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully completed its first flight of 2019. Today's launch utilized the largest rocket in the Colorado-based company's arsenal to send a classified payload into space. In doing so the company finally managed to move past a saga of delays.
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Animation shows Ultima Thule rotating as New Horizons approached
Laurel KornfeldJanuary 17th Using images of Ultima Thule by the the New Horizons spacecraft, mission scientists have created an animation depicting the Kuiper Belt Object's rotation during the last hours before the probe's approach.
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SpaceX completes 16th Dragon mission to ISS
Derek RichardsonJanuary 14th After spending just over a month attached to the International Space Station, SpaceX's CRS-16 Dragon spacecraft departed the outpost and returned to Earth.
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SpaceX downsizing workforce as it ramps up Starship, Starlink programs
Derek RichardsonJanuary 12th SpaceX is laying off about 10 percent of its workforce to “become a leaner company” as it develops a Mars spaceship and satellite internet constellation.
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SpaceX starts 2019 manifest with successful Iridium 8 launch
Curt GodwinJanuary 11th LOMPOC, Calif. — After enduring several delays, SpaceX successfully launched ten Iridium NEXT satellites into a polar low-Earth orbit (LEO), marking the Falcon 9’s first flight of 2019, and the last of the original contract, signed in 2010, with Iridium.
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Hubble camera shut down following anomaly
Jim SharkeyJanuary 10th Operations of Wide Field Camera 3 on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have been suspended following an anomaly, the space agency said.
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Vega-C rocket solid rocket motor tested in French Guiana
January 29th
The vast jungles of French Guiana echoed with the sounds of a different type of thunder other than the natural kind on Monday Jan. 28. An artificial roar was generated by a solid rocket motor that is planned for use on the Vega-C rocket Arianespace is developing to launch upcoming missions. -
Building Satellites? In Amish Country?
January 28th
Mini-Cubes, a company just emerging from stealth mode, has been working on the development of a new type of miniature satellite called a PocketQube. -
Latest image reveals Ultima Thule’s surface features
January 27th
The most detailed image of Ultima Thule returned by New Horizons reveals surface details, including pits on both the object's lobes and contrasting patterns of darkness and light in various regions. -
Cassini data reveals Saturn’s rotation rate, age of rings
January 26th
Data collected by the Cassini spacecraft in its final oribts has enabled scientists to accurately calculate Saturn's rotation rate and the age of its rings. -
Progress MS-09 leaves International Space Station
January 25th
Progress MS-09 departed from the International Space Station after spending spending more than six months at the outpost. -
US Mint unveils Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin
January 25th
The United States Mint unveiled a series of commemorative coins celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. -
NASA’s annual ‘Day of Remembrance’ postponed
January 24th
Because of the ongoing partial U.S. government shutdown, NASA's annual Day of Remembrance has been delayed, according to Administrator Jim Bridenstine. -
Juno snaps photo of two giant storms
January 24th
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured an image of two massive storms in Jupiter's turbulent southern hemisphere during its most recent close pass. -
Blue Origin’s latest flight follows others in carrying NASA payloads
January 23rd
The tenth New Shepard Mission, NS-10, from privately-funded Blue Origin soared off the pad at 9:08 a.m. CST (10:08 a.m. EST / 15:08 GMT) on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at the company's launch facilities located in Culberson County, Texas. The mission included several experiments flown on behalf of NASA and was, by current reports, a success. -
Long March 11 orbits 4 satellites in China’s 2nd orbital flight of 2019
January 22nd
China performed its second mission of 2019 with the flight of a Long March 11 to orbit four small satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. -
Gallery: NROL-71 mission finally gets underway
January 20th
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UPDATE: Blue Origin targeting Wednesday for NS-10 flight
January 20th
After a 2018 postponement, Blue Origin is targeting a new date to send the company's third New Shepard rocket on its fourth flight. -
Company that will print 3D rockets approved to use Cape Canaveral launch facility
January 20th
Relativity Space has received approval from the U.S. Air Force to use Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 16 for the construction of its own launch facilities. -
SLS liquid hydrogen tank test article placed on test stand
January 18th
A 149-foot-tall test article for the Space Launch System's liquid hydrogen tank was loaded onto a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. -
Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 resumes operations
January 17th
The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has resumed science operations after spending a week and two days in a safety mode that suspended its activities.
