Spaceflight - News About Space Travel and Exploration

NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 38 flight engineer, poses for a photo with his Thanksgiving meal in the Unity node of the International Space Station, on Nov. 28, 2013.

How NASA tech helped make your Thanksgiving food safe (and your family Zoom sessions, too)

By Samantha Mathewson

Space technology and prepared foods developed for astronauts will also help keep Americans safe this Thanksgiving, as many prepare for a socially distanced meal.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover showcases some cornbread dressing on the International Space Station, part of the Expedition 64 crew's Thanksgiving dinner, in a video of the astronauts' holiday meal.

A very space Thanksgiving for 2020: Here's what astronauts will eat in space (video)

By Doris Elin Urrutia

In a new video, five of the spacefarers living on the orbiting laboratory share what packaged food they would be eating.

An artist's depiction of the UAE's Hope Mars orbiter.

Hope, the UAE's first interplanetary mission, has its eye on bonus science on way to Mars

By Meghan Bartels

The United Arab Emirates' first foray beyond Earth's orbit is going so smoothly that the nation's Hope Mars mission will tackle some bonus observations before it reaches its destination.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 60 Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Nov. 24, 2020. It was the 100th Falcon 9 launch overall and the seventh mission for this particular rocket's first stage.

SpaceX rocket launches for record 7th time, nails landing at sea in 100th Falcon 9 mission

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX just launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets for a record seventh time. The booster carried a stack of 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit and then nailed a landing at sea.

SpaceX's SN8 Starship prototype performs a static fire test at the company's South Texas facility on Nov. 24, 2020.

SpaceX's Starship SN8 prototype fires engines ahead of major test flight

By Mike Wall

SpaceX's latest Starship prototype fired its engines for the fourth time on Tuesday evening (Nov. 24), keeping the vehicle on track for a landmark test flight next week.

Astroscale's ELSA-d mission will launch in March 2021 to test space junk-removal tech.

Astroscale to test space junk cleanup tech with 'ELSA-d' launch in 2021

By Mike Wall

Technology that could help humanity get a handle on the growing space-junk problem will get an orbital test early next year.

Rocket Lab recovered the first stage of its Electron booster for the first time ever during the “Return to Sender” mission, which launched on Nov. 19, 2020.

Rocket Lab on road to reusability after successful booster recovery

By Mike Wall

Rocket Lab is now confident that its reusability dreams can come true.

Assembly of the Chang’e 5 orbiter-return capsule.

Chang'e 5: China launches sample return mission to the moon — is it winning the new space race?

By John Bridges

China has been the only country to land on the Moon for over 40 years – since the Soviet Luna programme.

A Chinese Long March 5 rocket launches the Chang'e 5 moon sample-return mission into orbit from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island in southern China on Nov. 24, 2020 Beijing time (Nov. 23 EST).

China launches historic Chang'e 5 mission to collect the first moon samples since 1976

By Mike Wall

The first lunar sample-return mission since the 1970s is underway.

NASA compiled images taken from the agency's Juno spacecraft to recreate a Jupiter flyby.

Fly over Jupiter in this stunning video from NASA's Juno spacecraft

By Kasandra Brabaw

What if you could hop a ride on NASA's Juno spacecraft?

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket makes its sixth flight to launch a fleet of Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Aug. 18, 2020. The same rocket booster will launch another Starlink mission on Nov. 23, 2020.

SpaceX scrubs Starlink satellite launch on record 7th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX called off the launch of its next Starlink satellite fleet late Sunday (Nov. 22), delaying a potentially record-setting flight for the mission's Falcon 9 rocket.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean-mapping satellite sits atop Space Launch Complex 4E at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base ahead of a Nov. 21, 2020 launch.

SpaceX could launch back-to-back rocket missions from two coasts this weekend. Here's how to watch.

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX is gearing up for a potential launch double header this weekend. Here's how to watch them live.

Illustration of the MMX Rover moving on the Mars moon Phobos.

Rover that will explore Mars moon Phobos starts landing tests

By Mike Wall

The first rover to explore the moon of another planet has started practicing for its landing, even though that historic touchdown is at least six years away.

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is pictured before being encapsulated in its Falcon 9 rocket fairing, on Nov. 3, 2020.

SpaceX will launch the Sentinel-6 ocean-mapping satellite Saturday. Watch it live!

By Elizabeth Howell

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Saturday (Nov. 21) at 12:17 p.m. EST (1717 GMT). Watch it live!