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Senate puts Mars Sample Return program on notice
Derek RichardsonJuly 17th The United States Senate is urging NASA to take immediate steps to rein in the budget of the Mars Sample Return mission, else the program faces cancellation.
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India launches its Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing mission
Derek RichardsonJuly 14th India's Chandrayaan-3 mission lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It includes the country’s second attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon.
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NASA receives new ‘Astrovans’ for Artemis missions
Derek RichardsonJuly 12th A fleet of three all-electric vehicles was delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to serve as the final terrestrial transportation for Artemis astronauts before boarding the Orion spacecraft to fly to the Moon.
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Ariane 5 rocket bids adieu after 27 years of service
Derek RichardsonJuly 5th Nearly three decades after its debut launch, Europe’s workhorse Ariane 5 rocket has taken to the skies one last time, carrying a pair of communications satellites bound for geostationary orbit.
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Redwire awarded follow-on contract for more ISS solar arrays
Derek RichardsonJune 30th Redwire Corporation announced it was awarded a contract from Boeing to develop two additional solar arrays for the International Space Station.
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SpaceX CRS-28 Dragon departs International Space Station
Derek RichardsonJune 29th SpaceX’s CRS-28 cargo Dragon spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station after spending just over three weeks at the outpost.
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Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity completes first commercial spaceflight
Derek RichardsonJune 29th Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo has flown with paying passengers for the first time on its inaugural commercial suborbital spaceflight.
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Orion heat shield for Artemis 2 has been installed
Derek RichardsonJune 28th With some 18 months until the crewed Artemis 2 mission, teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida have completed the installation of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield.
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NASA and India to cooperate on human space exploration
Derek RichardsonJune 23rd NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation are set to cooperate on a joint mission to the International Space Station next year, according to the White House.
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NASA picks 7 companies to advance commercial space capabilities
Derek RichardsonJune 16th NASA has partnered with seven companies to help advance commercial orbital capabilities to meet the agency’s needs while building up a commercial low Earth orbit economy.
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Spacewalkers finish installation of 3rd set of new solar arrays
Derek RichardsonJune 15th During a pair of spacewalks over the last week, two astronauts completed installing a set of new solar arrays outside the International Space Station.
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CRS-28 Dragon launches toward International Space Station
Derek RichardsonJune 5th SpaceX’s autonomous CRS-28 cargo Dragon spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station for a delivery of crew supplies and a pair of new solar arrays.
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Blue Origin selected as 2nd Moon lander provider for Artemis
Derek RichardsonMay 19th A team led by Blue Origin has been selected by NASA to build a second Human Landing System for the agency’s Artemis program.
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Turning up to 11: Orion service module completes acoustic tests
Derek RichardsonMay 15th Orion's European Service Module for the crewed Artemis 2 mission to the Moon has completed acoustic testing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Tianzhou 6 cargo ship arrives at Chinese space station
Derek RichardsonMay 11th China’s Tiangong space station received a fresh delivery of supplies with the launch and arrival of the Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft.
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Vast could launch 1st private space station in 2025
Derek RichardsonMay 10th A private space venture called Vast announced its plans to fly a commercial space station as early as two years from now.
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Russia agrees to extend International Space Station operations
Derek RichardsonMay 1st All five of the International Space Station partner agencies have now agreed to operate the outpost through at least 2028.
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SpaceX’s Starship flies high, then explodes during ascent
Derek RichardsonApril 20th The first integrated flight test of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket failed just minutes into the booster phase of ascent.
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Europe launches JUICE to study Jupiter’s icy moons
Derek RichardsonApril 14th The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, JUICE, is on its way to the solar system’s largest planet to study three of its four Galilean moons.
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NASA, Canada assign astronauts to Artemis 2 Moon mission
Derek RichardsonApril 3rd The Artemis 2 astronauts were announced in Houston, marking the first time in the 21st century a human crew has been assigned to fly a mission to the Moon.
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Canadian Minister speaks in Houston ahead of Artemis 2 crew announcement
Sean CostelloApril 3rd On the eve of the wildly anticipated Artemis 2 crew announcement, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, met with Canadian media at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
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Crippled uncrewed Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft returns to Earth
Derek RichardsonMarch 28th Russia's Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which was struck by a micrometeoroid late last year, autonomously landed in Kazakhstan after a 187-day stay at the International Space Station.
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Artemis 2 Space Launch System core stage nearly complete
Derek RichardsonMarch 23rd The second Space Launch System core stage has been fully integrated. It'll be used to send the Artemis 2 mission and four astronauts to the Moon next year.
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Rocket Lab’s Electron deploys two Capella radar satellites
Steve HammerMarch 17th With a loud roar and trail of flame, Rocket Lab’s Electron hoisted a pair of Capella Space satellites into the evening sky.
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Spacesuit prototype revealed for Artemis 3 Moon landing
Derek RichardsonMarch 15th When NASA astronauts return to the surface of the Moon in the next several years, they’ll be using a spacesuit built by Axiom Space.
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‘One heck of a ride!’ Crew-5 astronauts, cosmonaut back on Earth
Derek RichardsonMarch 12th Three astronauts and a cosmonaut returned to Earth in their Crew Dragon spacecraft after spending over five months in orbit aboard the International Space Station.
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Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket makes Virginia debut
Steve HammerJanuary 24th Rocket Lab launched its first Electron rocket from the United States, sending satellites into orbit for the company Hawkeye 360.
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Falcon Heavy orbits classified USSF-67 Space Force payload
Theresa CrossJanuary 15th A classified payload for the United States Space Force, USSF-67, was lofted into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket just after sunset in Florida.
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Our spaceflight heritage: A conversation with Fred Haise
December 24th
Spaceflight Insider spoke with Fred Haise after a ceremony commemorating the 2020 designation of the A-1 Test Stand after the Apollo 13 astronaut. -
NASA asking for fission power design concepts for Moon missions
December 20th
As humanity moves toward the very real possibility of becoming a multi-planet species, the need for safe and reliable energy not only arises on Earth, but especially so in outer space. -
Images of Pluto’s dark side produced using reflected sunlight from Charon
December 13th
A team of scientists produced images of Pluto's dark side using reflected sunlight from its large moon Charon in images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft to tease out features on that side in low resolution. -
Artemis I Space Launch System Rollout Delayed to January
December 12th
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and SLS Program Manager John Honeycutt provide an update on Artemis 1 rollout, and RS-25 engine controller issue. -
Gateway exhibit set to open spring 2022 at KSC Visitor Complex
December 8th
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida is preparing to open what will be its first free-standing exhibit building since opening the Atlantis exhibit in 2013. -
NASA leadership visits Marshall Space Flight Center
December 6th
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited the Marshall Space Flight Center for an update on the center's contribution to the nation's space program. -
Northrop Grumman proposes lunar rover for Artemis program
November 27th
A team of companies led by Northrop Grumman has put forth a proposal for an astronaut-driven lunar rover for the agency’s Artemis Moon program. -
Laser demo aims to increase in-space communications bandwidth
November 23rd
A laser communications payload is set to fly next month to demonstrate advantages of such a system and for engineers to learn how to use them operationally. -
Astronaut Jessica Watkins assigned to Crew-4 mission
November 19th
NASA has announced the final crewmember for the next International Space Station crew rotation mission under the agency's Commercial Crew Program. -
Interstellar probe could be successor to the Voyager missions
November 14th
With Voyagers 1 and 2 set to run out of power in approximately a decade, NASA is considering a follow up interstellar probe that could last 50 to 100 years. -
Ingenuity Mars Helicopter completes 15th flight
November 13th
NASA’s Mars Helicopter known as Ingenuity has begun to traverse its way back to the famed Wright Brothers Field on the Martian surface after completing its 15th successful flight. -
National Geographic selected to tell the story of Artemis 2
November 12th
NASA and National Geographic have partnered to help tell the story of the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than a half century. -
NASA’s Orion recovery team is certified for Artemis 1
November 10th
NASA’s Landing and Recovery team recently completed its ninth recovery test at sea and is certified to recover the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission next year. -
Chandra Observatory may have discovered extra-galactic planet
November 6th
Scientists using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory may have found evidence for the first-ever known extra-galactic planet, located 28 million light years away in the Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51 (M51). -
Hubble Space Telescope science instruments in safe mode
November 5th
Early last week, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope instruments went into a protective “safe mode” after experiencing issues with internal communication and spacecraft syncing issues.
