Spaceflight

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NASA astronauts Doug Hurley (foreground) and Bob Behnken brief mission controllers about their experience aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, on June 1, 2020, shortly after arriving at the International Space Station aboard the private vehicle on SpaceX's Demo-2 test flight.

Watch 2 pioneering former NASA astronauts receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor today

By Mike Wall published

Two trailblazing former NASA astronauts will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Tuesday (Jan. 31), and you can watch the ceremony live.

NASA astronauts Scott Kelly (right) and Kjell Lindgren (center) with Kimiya Yui of JAXA snack on freshly harvested space-grown red romaine lettuce as part of the Veggie experiment.

Space diet rich in veggies and fish could boost astronaut health

By Charles Q. Choi published

An enhanced in-space diet augmented with fruits, vegetables and fish could help boost astronaut health and performance, a new study finds.

lego rendition of vulcan centaur rocket

Lego fan renders Vulcan Centaur ahead of ULA rocket's debut flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

A Lego fan rendered ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket in brick form to celebrate its expected debut launch in the first quarter of 2023.

Artist's illustration of Sony's Star Sphere-1 satellite in orbit.

Cubesat that launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will test water-based propulsion

By Andrew Jones published

A Japanese propulsion company developing water-based thrusters is set to test its system on a Sony nanosatellite launched earlier in January.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie looking down at one of 10 sample tubes deposited at the sample depot it created in an area nicknamed Three Forks. This image was taken by the WATSON camera on the rover’s robotic arm on Jan. 20, 2023, the 684th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

Perseverance Mars rover stashes final sample, completing Red Planet depot

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover just dropped its 10th sample tube, completing a backup depot of material for future return to Earth.

moon with spacecraft in foreground

NASA Artemis 2 moon-bound astronaut rumors name American, Canadian candidates: report

By Elizabeth Howell published

While two names are cited repeatedly as top candidates for Artemis 2, a four-person moon mission, no official confirmation will come until at least late spring.

polaris dawn crew members in black jumpsuits pose in front of spacex starship hardware

Polaris Dawn: The trailblazing commercial mission of the Polaris Program

By Elizabeth Howell published

Reference Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions of the Polaris Program. The mission will fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and be commanded by Jared Isaacman.

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The Lucy mission will study the Trojan asteroids in a bid to shed light on the formation of the solar system.

Lucy mission: NASA's journey to the Trojan asteroids

By Adam Mann, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference NASA’s Lucy mission is the first to visit the Trojan asteroids. Lucy will help answer questions about the formation of the solar system.

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Rocket Lab's Electron booster launches three HawkEye 360 satellites into orbit from its Launch Complex 2 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Jan. 24, 2023.

I drove 10 hours to watch a 9-minute Rocket Lab launch from Virginia and it was glorious

By Tariq Malik published

It's not every day you watch a rocket streak into space over Virginia's Eastern Shore, acing its first-ever liftoff from American soil.

artist's impression of rover on the moon's surface with rocks in behind

UAE lunar rover will test 1st artificial intelligence on the moon with Canada

By Elizabeth Howell published

Canadian company Mission Control Space Services has an interplanetary test forthcoming: Proving its artificial intelligence on a moon rover mission.

sally ride floating in the space shuttle cockpit beside controls and windows

NASA astronaut Sally Ride statue to be unveiled in Los Angeles on July 4

By Elizabeth Howell published

The first U.S. woman in space will be honored with a monument outside the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum. The same team made another Ride statue in 2022.

The European Space Agency (ESA) made it easier to use its logo and mission patches to create merchandise for sale.

European Space Agency seeks more use of logo, mission patches on merchandise

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

The European Space Agency wants to see its logo on your t-shirt, cap or collectible. The intergovernmental organization has now made it easier to gain permission to use the ESA brand.

Artist's illustration of Astrobotic's Peregrine lander on the surface of the moon.

Private Peregrine moon lander completes testing ahead of landmark lunar launch

By Elizabeth Howell published

Astrobotic's Peregrine moon lander wrapped up testing to prepare for spaceflight and is now waiting to be shipped to its Florida launch site.

An illustration of Earth orbit overcrowded with space junk and orbital debris.

2 big pieces of space junk nearly collide in orbital 'bad neighborhood'

By Brett Tingley published

Satellite monitoring and collision detection firm LeoLabs spotted a near-miss between a defunct Soviet rocket body and dead spy satellite that passed within about 20 feet (6 meters) of one another.

engine firing flame with cooling water streaming nearby

Watch NASA test potentially revolutionary 3D-printed rocket engine (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

This futuristic engine could save lots of propellant on interplanetary journeys, perhaps allowing NASA to explore the solar system more efficiently.

The European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft entering thermal testing.

Europe's JUICE mission to Jupiter's moons preparing for April 14 launch

By Andrew Jones published

Europe's mission to explore three icy moons of Jupiter is all set to begin its voyage to the outer solar system.

China's Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft and a Long March-2F rocket being transferred to the launching area at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on November 21, 2022 in Jiuquan, Gansu Province of China.

China wants to launch over 200 spacecraft in 2023

By Andrew Jones published

China last year performed 64 orbital rocket launches and finished building its own space station, but the country is planning an even busier year for 2023.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in its deployed form as seen in an artist's illustration.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates

By Elizabeth Howell published

Read the latest news about NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

A team prepares NASA's Psyche spacecraft for launch inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Dec. 8, 2022. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from KSC's Launch Complex 39A in October 2023.

NASA to launch Psyche asteroid probe in October 2023 after delays

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Psyche asteroid mission is targeting an October 2023 launch, after a one-year delay due to software issues.

The Jupiter moon Europa harbors a huge, potentially habitable ocean beneath its icy shell.

NASA funds nuclear probes for icy moons, huge new space telescopes and other far-out tech ideas

By Andrew Jones published

NASA has funded a new set of visionary concepts for space exploration that could one day prove useful — and perhaps even transformative.