Spaceflight - News About Space Travel and Exploration

Earth as seen by "First Light," the first of Rocket Lab's Photon satellite line to reach space. First Light launched atop an Electron rocket on Aug. 30, 2020.

Rocket Lab has launched its 1st homegrown Photon satellite

By Mike Wall

Rocket Lab now has a spacecraft in Earth orbit — the first of its Photon satellite line, which is designed to tote customer payloads to a variety of destinations, including the moon and Venus.

This false-color map, created using data from NASA's Terra satellite, shows the burn area of the River and Carmel fires in Monterey County, California, on Aug. 26, 2020. Vegetation is shown in red, and the burn area (dark blue/gray) is in the center of the image.

NASA satellites track California wildfire's smoke plumes and burn scars from space

By Elizabeth Howell

Scientists created maps and other data products to track the fires and smoke plumes and make predictions about which parts of California may be affected next.

SpaceX's Starship SN6 prototype is seen during a 500-foot-high (150 meters) test hop at the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility on Sept. 3, 2020.

SpaceX launches Starship SN6 prototype test flight on heels of Starlink mission

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX's Starship SN6 soared over Texas Thursday (Sept. 3) on a test flight just hours after a Starlink launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted this photo of the company's SN5 Starship prototype flying high on Aug. 4, 2020.

In photos: SpaceX's SN5 Starship prototype soars on 1st test flight

By Mike Wall

See stunning images of the first full-size Starship prototype making its debut flight in August 2020.

A SpcaeX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 Starlink internet satellite lifts off from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 3, 2020.

SpaceX launches 60 Starlink internet satellites, sticks rocket landing

By Amy Thompson

SpaceX delivered a new batch of its Starlink satellites into orbit today (Sept. 3) and nailed a rocket landing, following a few delays.

SpaceX's Starlink satellite megaconstellation launches in photos

By Space.com Staff

See photo's of SpaceX's Starlink missions to deploy thousands of small internet satellites into orbit.

Passengers float in microgravity aboard Zero-G's Aug. 16, 2020 flight.

Weightless wonder: Why people are choosing to fly with Zero-G in a pandemic

By Chelsea Gohd

In the middle of a pandemic, people are finding their personal safe haven in the sky, floating in "zero gravity."

An Arianespace Vega rocket topped with 53 small satellites launches from the Guiana Space Center on Sept. 2, 2020.

Vega rocket launches 53 satellites in return-to-flight mission

By Mike Wall

Europe's Vega rocket launched 53 satellites tonight (Sept. 2) on its first mission since suffering a major anomaly in July of last year.

In preparation for Europe's first rideshare mission, flight VV16, Vega's upper composite containing 53 satellites secured on the new Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser move to the launch zone for integration with the launch vehicle at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on June 12, 2020.

Vega rocket launching on return-to-flight mission tonight: Watch it live

By Samantha Mathewson

Arianespace's Vega rocket is scheduled to launch from the Guiana Space Center tonight (Sept. 2) at 9:51 p.m. EDT, carrying 53 satellites into orbit.

NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully completed the Flight Support Booster-1 (FSB-1) test of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket in Promontory, Utah, on Sept. 2, 2020.

NASA test-fires its SLS megarocket booster for future moon missions (video)

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket finished a full-scale flight support booster test Wednesday (Sept. 2) as the agency gets ready to fly astronauts to the moon one day.

Artist Jeff Hein, working in his studio, tests the paints and creative process to apply a mural to the exterior panel on a Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft.

Space art-ifact: Uplift Aerospace offers to paint murals on Blue Origin spacecraft

By Robert Z. Pearlman

A commercial spacecraft that has been designed to launch people on brief trips into space has inspired a new creative use — as a canvas for artwork.

Future of space station commercialization needs fresh ideas and support, panel finds

By Elizabeth Howell

The future of space station commercialization will require some serious support.

Alan Eustace during a skydive. The 2016 documentary "14 Minutes from Earth" documents Eustace's record-setting 2014 jump.

No 'Space Jump': How David Blaine's 'Ascension' compares to other balloon dives

By Mike Wall

David Blaine's recent aerial stunt may have been impressive and dramatic, but other ballooning skydivers have gone far higher.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the eleventh batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 18, 2020.

SpaceX will launch 60 new Starlink satellites Thursday. Here's how to watch live.

By Mike Wall

SpaceX plans to launch another 60 of its Starlink internet satellites on Thursday (Sept. 3), and you can watch the action live.

SpaceX's SN5 Starship prototype performs a 500-foot-high test flight on Aug. 4, 2020.

SpaceX makes Starship progress, despite test flight delays, Elon Musk says: Report

By Chelsea Gohd

SpaceX is "really making progress" with Starship production despite test flight delays, the company's CEO Elon Musk said Monday (Aug. 31.)

Artist's illustration of the planned Toyota/JAXA crewed rover on the moon.

Meet 'Lunar Cruiser': Japan's big moon rover for astronauts gets a nickname

By Mike Wall

The crewed lunar rover being developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Toyota now has a (nick)name.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 58 Starlink satellites and three Planet SkySats into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Aug. 18, 2020.

SpaceX delays launch of next 60 Starlink internet satellites to Thursday

By Mike Wall

SpaceX has pushed the launch of its next big batch of Starlink internet satellites back two days, to Thursday (Sept. 3).

NASA's Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 1, or OGO-1, is seen in orbit on Aug. 25, 2020. The satellite launched in September 1964 and fell to Earth on Aug. 29, 2020.

Vintage NASA satellite falls to Earth, meets fiery doom after 56 years in space

By Meghan Bartels

A long-retired NASA satellite burned up in Earth's atmosphere over the weekend, the agency has confirmed.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft approaches the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, on May 31, 2020.

Commercial crews and private astronauts will boost International Space Station's science

By Elizabeth Howell

A golden age may be coming for human spaceflight research as more astronauts than ever fly to the International Space Station aboard commercial crew vehicles and through private companies.

An artist's depiction of the Lucy spacecraft studying asteroids.

NASA asteroid mission Lucy begins spacecraft assembly before 2021 launch

By Meghan Bartels

NASA's Lucy spacecraft is one step closer to getting up close and personal with a host of strange space rocks as assembly begins.