Space News & Blog Articles



A Chinese Long March 4C rocket lifts off with the Gaofen 5-02 remote sensing satellite. Credit: CASC

China launched an Earth observation satellite on top of a Long March 4C rocket Tuesday to monitor land surfaces, water resources, and air quality.

Cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy works outside the International Space Station to electrically connect a new Russian laboratory module to the outpost. This shot was captured by a helmet camera used by crewmate Pyotr Dubrov. Credit: NASA TV

Two Russian spacewalkers connected a new laboratory module to the International Space Station’s power grid Friday, routing and plugging in eight cables to tap into electricity generated by NASA’s solar power system.

The first test flight of Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha launch vehicle ended in a fiery explosion. Credit: Gene Blevins / LA Daily News.

The first test flight of Firefly Aerospace’s privately-developed Alpha small satellite launcher ended in a fiery failure soon after liftoff Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The live webcast of Firefly’s first launch attempt, provided by Everyday Astronaut, is set to begin one hour before launch. If launch remains set for 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT; 0100 GMT), the live stream will begin at 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT; 0000 GMT).

Commander Jared Isaacman and crewmates Hayley Arceneaux, Sian Proctor, and Chris Sembroski pose with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft Aug. 30 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Credit: SpaceX / Inspiration4

The four private citizens who will fly into orbit later this month on a chartered SpaceX capsule visited their spaceship at Cape Canaveral this week for fit checks.

In this file photo from 2017, several Praxair tanker trucks deliver liquid oxygen to launch pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The effects of a nationwide liquid oxygen shortage caused by the recent spike in hospitalized coronavirus patients has already delayed the launch of a Landsat imaging satellite by a week, and threatens to impact more missions from launch sites in Florida and California.

In this July 28 photo, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson views the Space Launch System for the Artemis 1 mission inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The earliest NASA’s first Space Launch System moon rocket could roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to its seaside launch complex in Florida is in late November, officials told Spaceflight Now, leaving little time to conduct a critical fueling test, roll the rocket back into the VAB for final closeouts, then return to the pad for liftoff before the end of the year.

A SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station Monday. Credit: Thomas Pesquet/ESA/NASA

Closing out a 31-hour flight from a launch pad in Florida, a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule autonomously docked with the International Space Station Monday, delivering experiments, supplies, and fresh food to the complex.

Astra’s Rocket 3.3 tilts before flying sideways after liftoff from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska. Credit: Astra

Astra’s small satellite launcher suffered an engine failure just after liftoff from Alaska Saturday, causing the rocket to tilt sideways before the booster recovered and climbed into the upper atmosphere. The rocket later veered from its flight corridor, and the range safety officer issued a flight termination command before the mission reached orbit.

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket early Sunday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography

SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo capsule from Florida on a thundering predawn launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, kicking off the company’s 23rd commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station.

Stormy weather at the Kennedy Space Center prevented launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday. Credit: NASA / Spaceflight Now

Thunderstorms moving onshore at Cape Canaveral prevented SpaceX from launching a Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday, forcing a one-day delay to the start of the company’s 23rd resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Astra’s launch vehicle, designated LV0006, stands on its launch mount at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Credit: Astra

The private space company Astra plans its third orbital launch attempt from Alaska as soon as Friday, using a relatively compact two-stage launcher sized to haul small satellites into space.

A Cargo Dragon capsule sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket on pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX

Forecasters on Friday predicted a 60% chance bad weather on Florida’s Space Coast could prevent the scheduled launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday to begin an automated resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral with SpaceX’s 23rd operational Dragon resupply flight to the International Space Station. This is the third flight of SpaceX’s upgraded Cargo Dragon vehicle. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.



A Long March 3B rocket takes off with the TJS 7 satellite. Credit: CASC

China launched another military satellite Tuesday aboard a Long March 3B rocket, just four hours after liftoff of a different Chinese launcher with multiple prototype spacecraft for a planned constellation of orbiting internet relay nodes.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft stand on pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in florida on Wednesday. Credit: SpaceX

On the cusp of ending a two-month SpaceX launch drought, ground crews raised a Falcon 9 rocket vertical Wednesday on its launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for an engine test-firing and final cargo loading before liftoff Saturday on a resupply flight to the International Space Station.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We are streaming a live view of pad 41 as ULA rolls out a Vulcan pathfinder booster for cryogenic tanking tests.

A Long March 2C with, with an enlarged payload fairing, lifts off Tuesday from the Jiuquan space base. Credit: CASC

China launched two test payloads Tuesday for a planned constellation of internet satellites, a step that could lead to launches of thousands more Chinese spacecraft to match similar commercial networks already being deployed by SpaceX and OneWeb.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station Tuesday was postponed after NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei was diagnosed with a pinched nerve, which NASA described as a “minor medical issue.”