Space Flight

NASA is considering Sept. 27 for its third attempt to launch the Artemis I uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft. According to the agency, the date, which is still under review, will allow time for a cryogenic demonstration test to be conducted no earlier than Sept. 21 as […]

The prickly turf war between the NTSB and the FAA over commercial space accident investigations has been settled with a carving out of territory that appears to keep both agencies in their respective lanes. The new memorandum of agreement, which replaces a 22-year-old version, gives the NTSB its traditional role of investigating fatal accidents and […]

Following two scrubbed tries, NASA says it is standing down from further Artemis I launch attempts in early September. The first launch attempt, which took place on Aug. 29, was called off after one of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s four RS-25 engines failed to reach the proper temperature range for liftoff. On Sept. […]

NASA has signed on with SpaceX for five additional missions to transport crew to the International Space Station (ISS). The missions are a modification to NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with the company, which originally covered nine missions. The fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification is valued at $1.4 billion. “The amount includes ground, launch, […]

NASA’s planned launch of the Artemis I uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft was called off on Monday. According to the agency, the launch was scrubbed after one of the SLS’s four RS-25 engines failed to reach the correct temperature range for liftoff. While a date has not […]

NASA has identified 13 potential landing regions for Artemis III, which is expected to be the first crewed mission to land on the lunar surface since 1972. The regions measure approximately 15 by 15 kilometers (9.3 by 9.3 miles) and are all located within 6 degrees of latitude of the Moon’s South Pole. According to […]

With tensions over the war in Ukraine and economic strains caused by sanctions, Russia announced Tuesday that it will withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024. The head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said the company will instead pursue building its own orbital station. “We will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, […]

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says there was only minor damage to its Starship rocket booster in an explosion at its Boca Chica, Texas, facility on Monday. The base of the rocket was engulfed in flame and smoke during an engine test. “Damage is minor, but booster will be transferred back to the high bay for […]

One of the first views from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope showing “the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date” was officially released to the public on Monday. Taken by the telescope’s near-infrared camera (NIRCam), the picture is a composite put together from images collected at different wavelengths over the course […]

NASA has assigned astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams to its Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Wilmore will serve as mission commander and Williams as pilot with Williams taking the place of Nicole Mann, who was reassigned to the SpaceX Crew-5 mission […]