Items tagged with rocket

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 program following an incident this week where an engine failure left Starlink satellites on a shallow orbital path. SpaceX reported the satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, during which the satellites should burn up entirely. On July 11... Read more...
The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for the mainden launch of its Ariane 6 rocket on July 9, 2024, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Europe’s new 203-foot-tall (62-meter) rocket will be capable of a wide range of missions, and able to carry launch payloads of up to 11.5 tons into geostationary... Read more...
A Chinese rocket crashed into a mountainside this weekend, scattering parts of the rocket and causing a large fire near the city of Gongyi City. Beijing Tianbing Technology, also known as Space Pioneer, was performing a static fire test of the Tianlong-3, when it unexpectedly lifted off. According to a statement by... Read more...
NASA will attempt to launch Boeing’s Starliner for its historic first crewed mission to the International Space Station later this morning. This launch follows two other attempts that were thwarted close to liftoff because of issues, but as they say, the third time is the charm. Today’s launch attempt of the Boeing... Read more...
NASA and Boeing are scheduled to launch the first Starliner crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) later today. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard a ULA Launch Atlas V rocket, along with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams at approximately 12:25pm ET. It has been a rough go for... Read more...
North Korea’s attempt to launch a second spy satellite into space ended in a fireball. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which is North’s official news agency, reported the rocket blew up because of a suspected engine problem. The failed launch came just hours after leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan met... Read more...
SpaceX recorded its 51st orbital mission of 2024 in spectacular fashion, as the launch produced a jellyfish-like effect in the evening skies above Florida. The launch was also the Falcon 9 booster’s record setting 21st flight, with two other boosters close behind with 20 launches under their belt. SpaceX launched... Read more...
China launched its Chang’e-6 mission, which is headed to the far side of the Moon. The probe onboard the rocket is expected to return up to two kilograms of lunar soil samples to Earth. Until now, China has focused on bringing soil samples from the Moon back to Earth with previous missions. Chang’e-6, however, will... Read more...
Millions of people across North America are preparing to view the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. NASA is also preparing to host a media briefing with other government agencies to discuss what scientific experiments the agency will conduct during the event, as well as provide viewers with information on... Read more...
Russia aborted the launch of three astronauts aboard its Soyuz rocket just seconds before it was scheduled to blast off into space. The three astronauts, who all reported to be safe, were headed to the International Space Station before an automatic safety system nixed the launch with about 20 seconds left on the... Read more...
SpaceX’s third flight test of Starship is deemed a huge success by the company, even though the spacecraft was lost during reentry. The intent was never to recover Starship, but the hopes were it would survive reentry and then be destroyed as it slammed into the Indian Ocean. Starship launched from SpaceX’s... Read more...
A Japanese launch service provider’s attempt to become the first private entity in Japan to launch a satellite into orbit ended abruptly, mere seconds after liftoff. Space One’s solid-fuel Kairos rocket executed an abort command after detecting an issue, leading to a spectacular explosion. Just five seconds after... Read more...
The first lunar landing mission to launch from the United States since 1972 has successfully lifted off carrying an assortment of payloads, including cremated human remains and dog hair. Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One contains 265 capsules with human remains, including the creator and several members of the... Read more...
Early last year, an obsolete part of a Chinese space rocket crashed into the lunar surface, leaving behind two visible craters. A team of researchers from the University of Arizona found definitive proof it caused the duo of craters and that it also had an undisclosed payload. The event was unique in that most... Read more...
SpaceX shared phenomenal footage of its latest round of test fires on its massive upper-stage rocket, Starship. The Elon Musk-owned space agency is still waiting to receive clearance from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for a second test flight of its Super Heavy rocket. The footage of the test fire was posted... Read more...
SpaceX successfully test-fired its Super Heavy booster ahead of Elon Musk's space company's next Starship launch. The booster, designated as Booster 9, was static-fired at SpaceX's Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas. Starship met a dreadful fate on its inaugural test launch on April 20, 2023, as the spacecraft... Read more...
Faster space travel has been the holy grail of space agencies for decades and a UK-based aerospace company says it might have a viable solution in the form of nuclear fusion. If all goes well, a working fusion prototype could happen as soon as 2027. Pulsar Fusion, a UK aerospace startup is claiming that it's in the... Read more...
NASA is slated to launch an Antares rocket later this evening from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A on Wallops Island, Virginia. The rocket launch may be viewable for residents throughout the mid-Atlantic region depending on how clear the night sky is, as well as online. Astronauts onboard the... Read more...
SpaceX is scheduled to launch a broadband satellite into low-Earth orbit (LEO) for Hughes Network Systems. Jupiter 3, a 10-ton, 28-foot-long spacecraft and the largest commercial communications satellite ever built, is designed to deliver higher data transfer speeds to those using Hughes internet service. Hughes... Read more...
A strange spiral spotted over Alaska, which some described as an alien spaceship or a portal to an alternate universe, actually has a fairly mundane explanation. The spiral was made even more spectacular as it accompanied an aurora borealis late Friday night into early Saturday morning. Reports of the strange... Read more...
Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch its Virginia Is For Launches mission later this evening. It will be the company's first launch from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. While this will not be the first launch of Rocket Lab's Electron booster... Read more...
A new study claims that Santa's sleigh could indeed fly with some Boeing 747 wings and a Saturn V rocket engine, without the aid of any Christmas spirit. Physics students found their inspiration for the study from the 2003 Elf movie, where Santa has to use a jet engine to power his sleigh. It is that time of year... Read more...
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