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SpaceX test-fired the eight SuperDraco launch abort engines on its Crew Dragon spacecraft in a successful ground test on a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The system is designed to keep astronauts safe in a launch emergency.

SpaceX to Launch Critical Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test No Earlier Than Jan. 4

By Tariq Malik

The private spaceflight company SpaceX will launch a critical launch escape system test for its Crew Dragon spaceship to no earlier than Jan. 4, NASA announced Friday (Dec. 6).

The seventh and last marned lunar landing and return to Earth mission, the Apollo 17, carrying a crew of three astronauts: Mission commander Eugene A. Cernan, Lunar Module pilot Harrison H. Schmitt, and Command Module pilot Ronald E. Evans, lifted off on December 7, 1972.

On This Day in Space! Dec. 7, 1972: NASA Launches Apollo 17, Last Crewed Moon Mission of 20th Century

By Hanneke Weitering, Elizabeth Howell

On Dec. 7, 1972, NASA launched the last crew to land on the moon with the Apollo 17 mission. See how it happened in our On This Day in Space video series!

Astronauts Luca Parmitano (in foreground) and Drew Morgan work outside the International Space Station on Dec. 2, 2019. Parmitano, positioned at the end of the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, is holding the new pump module for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer cosmic ray detector.

NASA Spacewalk Schedule Squeeze May Delay Repairs on $2 Billion Cosmic Ray Detector

By Elizabeth Howell

With limited crew time available, NASA's fourth spacewalk to fix an ailing dark-matter experiment may have to wait.

This composite image combines data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the NSF's Karl Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). Chandra observed powerful X-rays (red) produced by hot gas circling around a black hole at the center of a galaxy located 9.9 billion light-years from Earth. The VLA was used to detect radio-wave emissions (blue) emitted by the jet of high-energy particles streaming from the black hole.

Space Photos: The Most Amazing Images This Week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

Here are our picks for the most amazing space photos of the week.

Boeing's first CST-100 Starliner spacecraft stands atop its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket during a "wet-dress" launch day rehearsal on Dec. 6, 2019.

Boeing's 1st Starliner Test Launch Now Set for Dec. 20 After SpaceX Dragon Delay

By Meghan Bartels

Boeing, United Launch Alliance and NASA have completed a key test as the Starliner capsule approaches its first flight, which is now scheduled for Dec. 20.

SpaceX fired a Crew Dragon's escape engines in preparation for a milestone test.

Watch SpaceX Test-Fire Its Crew Dragon Abort Engines in This Up Close Video

By Elizabeth Howell

As SpaceX prepares for a crucial Crew Dragon abort flight this month, you can watch the results of another recent spacecraft test in a video. Just remember to turn on the volume first.

Boeing in Space

By Space.com Staff

See the latest Boeing Starliner images, videos and other Boeing space news here.

NASA astronauts, from left, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will fly aboard the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station in the upcoming Demo-2 mission. During the Aug. 13, 2019 rehearsal.

In Photos: NASA Practices Emergency Astronaut Recovery with SpaceX, Boeing

By Christine Lunsford

In 2019, NASA practiced ways to extract astronauts from SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner space capsules. See photos of those very different emergency services here.

A Russian Soyuz rocket launches a robotic Progress 74 cargo spacecraft toward the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 6, 2019.

Russian Cargo Craft Launches Toward Space Station

By Mike Wall

The liftoff came less than 24 hours after SpaceX's Dragon freighter began its own journey to the station.

A Rocket Lab Electron booster prepares to rise off the pad on Dec. 6, 2019, kicking off the company's 10th mission, which is called "Running Out of Fingers."

Rocket Lab Launches 7 Satellites, Guides Booster Down toward Earth

By Mike Wall

Rocket Lab just launched seven satellites to orbit, and learned a thing or two about bringing boosters back down to Earth for reuse.

The CIMON 2 (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) robot is a new robotic companion for astronauts on the International Space Station.

New, Emotionally Intelligent Robot CIMON 2 Heads to Space Station

By Mike Wall

The little droid can assess astronauts' emotional states.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches a used Dragon cargo ship on its third NASA cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Dec. 5, 2019.

SpaceX Launches Dragon Cargo Ship to Space Station for NASA, Sticks Rocket Landing

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX successfully launched an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft for NASA today (Dec. 5) on the company's final cargo mission of the year. They aced a rocket landing, too!

A view of Earth from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during the launch of a Dragon cargo ship on the CRS-19 delivery mission Dec. 5, 2019.

Webcast Replay: SpaceX Launches Dragon Cargo Capsule toward Space Station

By Space.com Staff

SpaceX launched its Dragon CRS-19 cargo ship from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Dec. 5 at 12:29 p.m. EST (1229 GMT). Watch it again here.

This past week (Nov. 27-28) in Seville, Spain, European ministers in charge of space activities along with participants from Canada and the European Union gathered for the ESA's Council at Ministerial Level, or Space19+, to allocate funding for the space science programs they have planned for the 2020s.

ESA Gets Its Biggest Budget Ever, Supports Reusable Spaceship and ISS Extension

By Chelsea Gohd

The ESA announced its largest budget ever — $15.9 billion (14.4 billion-euro).

Apollo 16 lunar module pilot Charles Duke salutes the American flag while standing on the moon in April 1972.

Apollo 16 Moonwalker is First Astronaut to be Named Texan of the Year

By Robert Z. Pearlman

Charles Duke has been named the 2020 Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference.

Russia's Soyuz MS-10 descent module, which in 2018 executed an in-flight abort, is now on display as a monument to mission safety at Roscosmos' headquarters in Moscow, Russia.

Soyuz Space Capsule That Flew Emergency Abort Lands on Display in Moscow

By Robert Z. Pearlman

A Russian space capsule that carried its crew to a landing after the rocket it was atop broke apart mid-flight has touched down in Moscow as a monument to mission safety.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a used Dragon cargo ship filled with NASA supplies for the International Space Station atop its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site in Florida ahead of a Dec. 4, 2019 launch.

SpaceX Delays Dragon Cargo Launch for NASA Due to High Winds

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX postponed the launch of a Dragon cargo ship filled with NASA supplies Wednesday (Dec. 4) due to high winds in the upper atmosphere, as well as at sea.

Douglas Loverro (left) shakes hands with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine after being sworn in to his new position as the associate administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, on Dec. 2, 2019.

NASA's New Human Spaceflight Chief Optimistic for Moon 2024 Goals

By Hanneke Weitering

NASA just appointed a new leader for its human spaceflight program, and he’s dead set on making sure the agency puts astronauts on the moon in 2024.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the CRS-18 mission to the International Space Station at 6:01 p.m. EDT on July 25, 2019.

SpaceX to Launch Beer Experiment, 'Mighty Mice' and More for NASA Today. How to Watch

By Chelsea Gohd

SpaceX is about to launch beer, "mighty mice" and much, much more to the International Space Station.

SpaceX test-fired the eight SuperDraco launch abort engines on its Crew Dragon spacecraft in a successful ground test on a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The system is designed to keep astronauts safe in a launch emergency.

SpaceX Aiming to Launch Crucial Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test This Month

By Mike Wall

SpaceX's Crew Dragon astronaut taxi will get off the ground again this month, if all goes according to plan.