Space News & Blog Articles

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (left) meets with members of the “red crew” after they repaired a hydrogen leak at the Artemis 1 moon rocket’s launch pad. The red crew members, from left to right, were Billy Cairns, cryogenic engineering technician; Chad Garrett, safety engineer; and Trent Annis, cryogenic engineering technician. Credit: NASA/Sam Lott

NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket relied on advanced guidance algorithms, powerful cryogenic engines, and millions of lines of software code to get it off the ground for the first time Wednesday. But “there are also times when you’ve just got to put a wrench on a nut,” NASA’s Artemis ground systems program manager said.

NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket lifts off with 8.8 million pounds of thrust from two powerful solid rocket boosters and four core stage engines. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography

NASA’s huge Space Launch System moon rocket finally took off from Florida early Wednesday after a decade in development, sending an unpiloted Orion crew capsule toward lunar orbit on a 25-day test flight to lay a path for astronauts to return to the moon for the first time since 1972.

Live coverage of the countdown and maiden flight of the Space Launch System on NASA’s Artemis 1 mission. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION

ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket horizontal at Launch Pad 3C at Alaska Aerospace’s Pacific Spaceport Complex. Credit: ABL Space Systems

ABL Space Systems could launch the first test flight of its one-ton class RS1 rocket from Alaska as soon as this week, after securing a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, the company said Sunday.

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION

ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 3-East at Vandenberg Space Force Base with NOAA’s JPSS 2 weather satellite and NASA’s LOFTID re-entry tech demo experiment. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

The 301st and final Atlas rocket to launch from California blasted off Thursday with a NOAA weather satellite and a first-of-its-kind re-entry tech demo experiment, clearing the way for modifications to ready the Atlas launch pad for United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket.

Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch Intelsat’s Galaxy 31 and 32 geostationary communications satellites. Follow us on Twitter.

Credit: NASA

NASA’s $4.1 billion Artemis moon rocket, exposed to the elements atop its Kennedy Space Center launch pad, was rocked by high winds and driving rain early Thursday as Hurricane Nicole roared ashore just south of the spaceport.

Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with the JPSS 2 weather satellite for NOAA, and the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, re-entry tech demo experiment for NASA and United Launch Alliance. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.

Live coverage of pre-launch preparations for NASA’s Artemis 1 mission. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft in the grasp of the International Space Station’s Canadian-built robotic arm Wednesday. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now

A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, overcoming a deployment failure on one of its two power-generating solar arrays to deliver 4.1 tons of cargo and experiments to the complex.

NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket on pad 39B. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA said Tuesday the launch of its Artemis 1 moon rocket will be delayed from Nov. 14 to no earlier than Nov. 16 as approaching Tropical Storm Nicole interrupts preflight processing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station before launch with the SES 22 communications satellite. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

SpaceX has pushed back the flight of its next Falcon 9 rocket from Tuesday to Saturday as Subtropical Storm Nicole threatens the east coast of Florida, officials said Monday. But NASA is keeping its Artemis 1 moon rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for a launch attempt next week.

Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket fires off its launch pad in Virginia to begin the NG-18 resupply mission. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

Using its second-to-last Antares rocket with Russian engines before a redesign to rely on all-U.S. propulsion, Northrop Grumman sent a Cygnus supply ship into orbit from Virginia on Monday to deliver spacewalk equipment, experiments, and fresh treats for the crew on the International Space Station.

A Chinese Long March 3B rocket takes off with the Chinasat 19 communications satellite. Credit: CASC

China launched a high-power communications satellite Saturday on a mission to connect airline passengers, maritime vessels, and other users across China, Southeast Asia, and remote routes between the Asia-Pacific region and North America.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International space Station on May 20. Credit: NASA

The first test flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule with astronauts has been delayed from February to April 2023, moving the mission after a busy stretch of crew and cargo missions to the International Space Station, and allowing more time for engineers to address problems discovered on an unpiloted test flight earlier this year, NASA said Thursday.

Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle takes off from Mahia Peninsula with the Swedish MATS research satellite. Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher placed a small Swedish atmospheric research satellite into an on-target polar orbit Friday, but an attempt to recover a booster stage with a helicopter was aborted after a brief telemetry loss from the rocket on descent.

Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Antares rocket from Virginia with Northrop Grumman’s 18th operational Cygnus resupply flight to the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.

Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, powered by two Russian RD-181 engines and a Ukrainian first stage, rolled to the launch pad in Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Credit: NASA

Northrop Grumman is set to launch the penultimate flight of its current Antares rocket configuration — with Russian engines and a Ukrainian first stage structure — to begin a resupply mission Sunday delivering more than four tons of cargo to the International Space Station.