Space News & Blog Articles

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION

A Chinese Long March 6 rocket blasts off from the Taiyuan launch base with the SDGSAT 1 satellite. Credit: CASC

An Earth observation spacecraft developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched Thursday on top of a Long March 6 rocket, beginning a mission Chinese officials said is dedicated to supporting the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center Friday. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

Two of NASA’s flagship missions finally nearing launch, representing more than $50 billion in U.S. government investment over multiple decades, were displayed to news media Friday at spaceports in Florida and French Guiana.

A Starship prototype descends toward SpaceX’s test site in South Texas for a landing attempt in March 2021. Credit: SpaceX

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Blue Origin over NASA’s award of a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract to SpaceX, clearing the way for the agency to move forward in a partnership with Elon Musk’s space company on a craft to transport astronaut to the surface of the moon.

Astra’s team prepares for launch from Kodiak Island, Alaska. Credit: Astra

Astra, the small satellite launch company, said Wednesday it will try again to send a test payload into orbit from Alaska as soon as Nov. 8 after three previous flights missed the mark.

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A Long March 2C rocket lifts off with two Yaogan 32 Chinese military satellites. Credit: CASC

China launched two classified military satellites Wednesday on top of a Long March 2C rocket augmented by a restartable upper stage.

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION



NASA astronaut Kayla Barron, commander Raja Chari, pilot Tom Marshburn, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer pose in their SpaceX flight suits at launch pad 39A during a dress rehearsal Thursday night. Credit: SpaceX

NASA and SpaceX managers in Florida decided early Saturday to delay the launch of the next crew to the International Space Station from Sunday to Wednesday, when high winds and rough seas are expected to subside along the Falcon 9 rocket’s flight path across the Atlantic Ocean.

Russia’s Progress MS-18 cargo ship approaches the International Space Station Friday night. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now

Two days after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, a Russian Progress cargo freighter autonomously docked with the International Space Station Friday to deliver nearly three tons of fuel, food, and other supplies for the lab’s seven-person crew.

NASA astronaut Kayla Barron was one of the first women to serve as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. Now she’s ready to apply her experience under the waves to a flight above the atmosphere on the International Space Station.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft emerges from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing facility in July, during preparations before Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 mission. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

Boeing said Wednesday it will take on a $185 million charge in its third quarter earnings to pay for the latest setback on the Starliner crew capsule, bringing the company’s out-of-pocket costs on the troubled program to $595 million since 2019.



A Soyuz rocket lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with the Progress MS-18 supply ship. Credit: Roscosmos

A Russian Progress cargo freighter loaded with more than 5,000 pounds of crew supplies, fuel, water, and air lifted off Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and rode a Soyuz launcher into orbit, the first leg of a two-day trip to the International Space Station.



A Chinese Kuaizhou 1A rocket blasts off Wednesday. Credit: Xinhua

The successful deployment of a small remote sensing satellite Wednesday set a new record for Chinese orbital launch attempts in a single year at 40 missions, surpassing a mark set in 2018 and 2020.

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket stands on its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz will launch with the Progress MS-18 supply ship for the International Space Station. Credit: Roscosmos

A Soyuz rocket is ready to boost Russia’s Progress MS-18 supply ship into orbit Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, setting course for a two-day chase of the International Space Station.

Astronauts Matthias Maurer, Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final launch preparations. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

Astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Matthias Maurer, and Kayla Barron flew from their home base in Houston to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Tuesday to begin their final few days of launch preparations before blasting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the International Space Station Sunday.

Artist’s illustration of the Orbital Reef space station. Credit: Blue Origin/Sierra Space

Blue Origin and Sierra Space announced Monday they are leading development of a commercial space complex named Orbital Reef. The companies said Orbital Reef will be operational by the time NASA and its partners retire the International Space Station.