Russia’s Soyuz MS-24 crew capsule could launch to the International Space Station sooner than planned to replace a potentially unsafe spacecraft slated to return three astronauts back to Earth, Russian media reported. Upsettingly, the potentially unsafe spacecraft is MS-23, a replacement craft sent to the ISS to…
Say cheese: a newly deployed Starlink V2 satellite unknowingly posed for an orbital snapshot captured by a satellite imaging company. The photo revealed the new look of the miniature satellites in action, which SpaceX is hoping will increase the broadband capacity of its internet constellation.
Japan’s H3 rocket failed to reach orbit on Monday, so instead of celebrating the debut of a flagship launch vehicle, Japan’s space agency is scrambling to understand what went wrong and what it means for Japanese space policy going forward. There’s also a backlash afoot, with a former astronaut rightly asking why a…
It’s been more than 50 years since astronauts first left their dusty footprints on the lunar surface, but humanity is finally going back to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. A lot has changed since the days of Apollo, which will likely be reflected in the new suits donned by those making the trip to the Moon…
In 1962, John Glenn became the first U.S. citizen to orbit the Earth, riding into space on board the Friendship 7 capsule, which took off from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14. More than 60 years later, that same old launchpad will be put to new use after being assigned to a private space venture to launch its…
Update: 3:38 p.m. ET: Relativity Space gave it a royal try today, but ultimately chose to forgo the attempt. No reason was given for today’s scrub, nor do we know when the company might try again.
Orion set several records during the Artemis 1 mission to the Moon, in addition to surviving 5,000-degree Fahrenheit temperatures during atmospheric reentry. The spacecraft’s innovative heat shield made this possible, but NASA’s follow-up analysis of the protective layer has revealed levels of wear and tear that…
Earlier this week, the International Space Station was forced to adjust its orbit to avoid an encroaching commercial satellite. The object is likely one of many Earth-observing satellites that are falling into and aligning with the space station’s orbital path, according to experts.
Elon Musk doesn’t have a great track record of saying things that then come true. Or, put another way, he loves to make promises and then break them. Or, put yet another way: the man is full of it. For instance, he’s repeatedly said his biotech device company, Neuralink, is nearing human trial approval. Spoiler…
Most computer glitches can be resolved with a simple question, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” It seems this simple instruction also applies to computers on board spacecraft orbiting thousands of miles away.
