TENERIFE, CANARY ISLANDS — The Artemis II astronauts may have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth to the moon, but they made sure the rest of us didn’t miss out on the adventure. Now, their efforts to bring the wonders of space exploration back down to Earth have earned them one of…
On Oct. 17, 2016, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Space Systems) returned to flight, successfully launching a cargo shipment to the International Space Station (ISS) after its previous cargo mission failed to launch. The private spaceflight company was contracted by NASA to fly cargo to the ISS, and stakes were high for this launch. Orbital…
The astronauts of SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station wish that we could all see Earth as they just did. An orbital view reveals the immense beauty of our blue planet, the only world we know of that hosts life. But it also highlights how fragile that life is, tethered to our lonely…
In the California desert, as NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 paused between its 11th and 12th flights, mechanic Jonathan Reynaga climbed a ladder to the top of the aircraft. Reynaga strode down the plane’s wing until he reached the distinctive air inlet that leads to its engine and stuck his head in. And then he dove…
Five spacecraft are docked at the International Space Station following the arrival of a cargo-packed SpaceX Dragon on Thursday. The Expedition 75 crew members have begun unloading Dragon and are activating new science experiments to benefit life on and off the Earth. Dragon completed its automated docking to the orbital outpost’s space-facing port on the…
On Oct. 16, 1975, NASA launched the first operational GOES satellite! GOES-A was the first in a series of weather satellites that NASA jointly operated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The name is short for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. GOES-A launched on a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. GOES satellites all…
Your invitation to revisit the Space Age has arrived. Whether you miss the days when people got dressed up to fly or you wish your “other” ride was a rocket, Mission: 60s has a *space* reserved for you. “This is a three-day celebration of Apollo, aviation, space exploration and 1960s culture,” reads a promo for…
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Rocket Lab’s next-gen launcher fly. The California-based company just announced that it’s pushing the debut of its powerful, partially reusable Neutron rocket from late 2026 into 2027 due to a manufacturing issue. “We believe Neutron is going to be a game-changer, and taking the time now…
Northrop Grumman’s robotic Cygnus XL spacecraft departed the International Space Station today (Oct. 9) after a six-month stay. Northrop Grumman’s uncrewed Cygnus XL freighter was released by the station’s huge Canadarm2 robotic arm today at 12:44 p.m. EDT (1644 GMT), while the duo flew 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean. The departing vehicle…
NASA launched two scientific balloon missions from the agency’s Fort Sumner, New Mexico, launch facility Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. This marks the first time two scientific balloons were launched on the same day since 2011. The JPL-Remote mission launched at 10:12 a.m. EDT (8:12 a.m. MDT) Sept. 14, 2025. The balloon and payload reached a…
