SpaceX set to launch mission to bring Starliner astronauts back to...
Enlarge / SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is ready for launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.SpaceX NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are ready for launch Saturday from Florida's Space Coast aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, heading for a five-month expedition on…
The war of words between SpaceX and the FAA keeps escalating
Enlarge / Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, has called for the resignation of the FAA administrator. The clash between SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration escalated this week, with Elon Musk calling for the head of the federal regulator to resign after he defended the FAA's oversight and fines levied against the commercial launch…
The Polaris Dawn Crew is Back on Earth
On September 15th, 2024, the Polaris Dawn crew returned to Earth after spending five days in orbit. The mission was the first of three planned for the Polaris program, a private space project to advance human spaceflight capabilities and raise funds and awareness for charitable causes. The mission’s Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down off the…
Elon Musk threatens to sue FAA after feds propose fining SpaceX...
Enlarge / NASA officials inside SpaceX's launch control center at Hangar X watch the liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket a few miles away on March 3, 2024.NASA/Aubrey Gemignani The Federal Aviation Administration alleged Tuesday that SpaceX violated its launch license requirements on two occasions last year by using an unauthorized launch control center and…
Google backs privately funded satellite constellation for wildfire detection
Enlarge / The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia National Forest on September 21, 2021, near California Hot Springs, California. Space is more accessible than ever thanks to the proliferation of small satellites and more affordable launch prices, which opened…
Navy captains don’t like abandoning ship—but with Starliner, the ship left...
Enlarge / NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams wave to their families, friends, and NASA officials on their way to the launch pad June 5 to board Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are no strangers to time away from their families. Both are retired captains in the US Navy,…
See a First-Person View of the First Private Spacewalk
On Tuesday, September 10th, at 5:23 a.m. EST (03:23 p.m. PST), the Polaris Dawn mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a crew of four to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This mission is the first of three that comprise the Polaris Program, a private spaceflight program organized by entrepreneur and private astronaut…
SpaceX says regulators will keep Starship grounded until at least November
Enlarge / Artist's illustration of catch arms ensnaring SpaceX's Super Heavy booster. The Federal Aviation Administration has signaled to SpaceX that it won't approve a launch license for the next test flight of the Starship rocket until at least late November, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. This is more than two months…
Leaving behind its crew, Starliner departs space station and returns to...
Enlarge / Boeing's Starliner spacecraft after landing Friday night at White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico. Boeing Boeing's Starliner spacecraft sailed to a smooth landing in the New Mexico desert Friday night, an auspicious end to an otherwise disappointing three-month test flight that left the capsule's two-person crew stuck in orbit until next year. Cushioned…
NASA wants Starliner to make a quick getaway from the space...
Enlarge / Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is set to undock from the International Space Station on Friday evening.NASA Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will gently back away from the International Space Station Friday evening, then fire its balky thrusters to rapidly depart the vicinity of the orbiting lab and its nine-person crew. NASA asked Boeing to adjust Starliner's…
