Space Flight

Some California students set a series of records when their homebuilt rocket blasted to 470,000 feet at hypersonic speed in a launch from the Black Rock Desert in October. The University of Southern California’s Rocket Propulsion Lab, a club made up entirely of undergrads, published a paper on the project in November detailing how they […]

With a second-term president looking on, SpaceX’s sixth Starship test flight met the company’s metrics for success. Instead of returning to the launch pad, the booster diverted to an ocean ditching but the stripped-down first stage survived an aggressive reentry that was calculated to potentially destroy it. Donald Trump was on hand with Elon Musk […]

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has set a new record, overseeing 148 licensed space operations in Fiscal Year 2024—a 30% jump from last year.  The agency also forecasted that the number of commercial space operations could more than double by 2028, signaling unprecedented growth in the sector. To keep pace with […]

A woman who went through testing as an astronaut candidate in 1961 and finally went to space 60 years later was among those honored at the American Valor event in Washington on Saturday. Wally Funk was among soldiers, female special forces operatives and the famed Black 24th Infantry Regiment known as the “Buffalo Soldiers” to […]

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is calling for an investigation into SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s alleged association with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing national security concerns. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk and Putin have spoken over the phone multiple times since 2022. It said unnamed former government officials from the U.S., Europe […]

The Space Force is taking its X-37B space plane for a high-tech dump run that it’s billing as “groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space.” In a rare news release about the hypersecret mission of the X-37B, the Space Force said it will employ aerobraking to rapidly change orbits using the drag […]

SpaceX succeeded with its most audacious feat to date, using mechanical arms deployed from its Texas launch tower to capture and hold the enormous Starship booster a few minutes after it launched a capsule to space. The 250-foot booster hovered above the Boca Chica launch pad before settling into the waiting arms of the tower […]

For the second time in a week, a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral had an anomaly but got the job done on Friday. The Boeing/Lockheed Martin United Launch Alliance Vulcan system launch was the second of two certification flights, and it appears something on the lower end of one of the two solid rocket boosters […]

The FAA announced yesterday (Sept. 17) it has proposed fining SpaceX $633,000 for allegedly failing to adhere to licensing requirements. Elon Musk responded on X (formerly Twitter) that he plans to push back in court. “SpaceX will be filing suit against the FAA for regulatory overreach,” he wrote. Musk’s company is also on the FAA […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is drawing criticism from both industry stakeholders and members of Congress regarding its handling of commercial space launch licensing During a House space subcommittee hearing this week, industry officials and  lawmakers called out the agency on its implementation of new launch licensing regulations known as Part 450. According to SpaceNews, […]