Spaceflight - News About Space Travel and Exploration

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity captured this photo if its shadow on the Martian surface during its second flight on April 22, 2021.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity flies higher and longer on Red Planet in 2nd flight

By Mike Wall

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter took to the skies above Mars' Jezero Crater again early this morning (April 22), just three days after making history with its first Red Planet flight.

Artist's illustration of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane.

On This Day in Space! April 22, 2010: X-37B space plane launches on 1st top-secret mission

By Hanneke Weitering

On April 22, 2010, the U.S. Air Force launched the super-secret X-37B space plane on its first spaceflight. See how it happened in our "On This Day In Space" series!

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon Endeavour stands atop Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 18, 2021. It will launch the Crew-2 astronauts to the International Space Station on April 23.

Fly around SpaceX's Crew-2 rocket at the launch pad with this drone video

By Elizabeth Howell

SpaceX's next astronaut launch is just a day away from liftoff and you can catch a close-up look at the launch pad in a new drone video.

An image captured by the Ingenuity Mars helicopter shows the vehicle's shadow on the surface of the Red Planet.

So a helicopter flew on Mars for the first time. A space physicist explains why that's such a big deal

By Gail Iles

It marks a milestone in the story of human space exploration.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is seen during its first flight on Mars on April 19, 2021, in this view from the Perseverance rover's Navigation Camera, or Navcam.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity will attempt its 2nd flight Thursday

By Hanneke Weitering

The Mars helicopter will attempt its second flight above the Red Planet on Thursday (April 22) at 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT).

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (3.9 meters) from the rover. on April 6, 2021.

NASA's Perseverance rover makes oxygen on Mars for 1st time

By Mike Wall

NASA's Perseverance rover just notched another first on Mars, one that may help pave the way for its human overlords to explore the Red Planet someday.

An astronaut walking across the lunar surface with Earth on the horizon.

How long would it take to walk around the moon?

By Harry Baker

Walking around the moon could be faster than we originally thought, but actually doing it would require some serious planning.

The obverse and reverse designs for the 2022 American Women quarter dollar coin honoring astronaut Sally Ride, as recommended by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC).

Sally Ride coin designs recommended for 2022 American Women quarter

By Robert Z. Pearlman

Astronaut Sally Ride will be depicted on a U.S. coin looking out a spacecraft window at Earth, if the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury agrees with the recommendations made by two advisory panels.

There's a lot going in space this year. Check out our up-to-date space launch schedule and calendar here!

Space calendar 2021: Rocket launches, sky events, missions & more!

By Hanneke Weitering

Here's a guide to all the rocket launches and astronomical events in 2021, as well as milestones for space missions, anniversaries and conferences.

NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins celebrating the announcement in August 2018 that he would be flying to the International Space Station on the first full-fledged mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon.

Michael Hopkins: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew Dragon commander

By Sarah Wild

A brief summary of Michael Hopkins' career in the Air Force and at NASA.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has generally been a strong advocate of NASA in committee hearings, like this one in 2012.

Watch live now: NASA Administrator nomination hearing for Bill Nelson

By Space.com Staff

NASA will livestream the nomination hearing of former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) to be the next NASA Administrator and you can watch it live here,

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-2 mission, on April 19, 2021, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX, NASA delay Crew-2 astronaut launch to Friday due to weather

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX and NASA have delayed the Crew-2 launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station.

An enhanced image captured by the Perseverance rover shows the dust kicked up by the Ingenuity helicopter's blades during its first flight on Mars on April 19, 2021.

Watch NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity kick up dust on its 1st flight (video)

By Meghan Bartels

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity really kicked up some dust during its historic first flight on the Red Planet, which took place on Monday (April 19).

The crew for SpaceX's upcoming Crew-2 mission is all smiles as we get closer to launch. The four astronauts are set to launch to the International Space Station April 22 and there will meet up with the Crew-1 astronauts who have been living up on the orbiting laboratory. From the left is European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

SpaceX's Crew-2 astronaut mission for NASA: Live updates

By Space.com Staff

Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASA’s new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is seen during a demonstration of the suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA will continue to develop its xEMU suit while working with commercial partners on spacesuit and spacewalk technology.

NASA reaches out to commercial partners for new spacesuits and spacewalk tech

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA is looking to commercial partners to help develop the next generation of spacesuits and spacewalk technology.

Apollo 13 astronauts raise a toast to their recovery with new statue

By Robert Z. Pearlman

From left to right: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide sit inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon "Endeavour."

SpaceX's Crew-2 astronauts will conduct more than 200 science experiments in space

By Amy Thompson

The astronauts will launch on the Crew-2 mission to the orbiting lab in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft this Thursday (April 22).

NASA identified 80 issues for Boeing to fix on Starliner following the capsule's first unmanned test flight, which failed to reach the International Space Station in December 2019 (Credit: Boeing)

Boeing pushes second Starliner test flight to late summer

By Tereza Pultarova

The second test flight for Boeing's Starliner crew capsule, known as the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, won't lift off until late this summer.

A Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are prepared for the launch of the Crew-2 mission, on launchpad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on April 19, 2021.

NASA, SpaceX declare Crew-2 astronaut mission 'go' for Thursday launch

By Amy Thompson

NASA has given SpaceX the official go-ahead for the launch of its next crew mission to the International Space Station.

An artist's rendering of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launching Amazon's Kuiper satellites to low Earth orbit.

Amazon's 1st Kuiper megaconstellation satellites will launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket

By Elizabeth Howell

Amazon has selected United Launch Alliance (ULA) to start launching its megaconstellation of internet satellites to space.