Watch NASA’s huge SLS rocket for the Artemis 1 moon mission come together in this epic time-lapse video

We love it when a rocket comes together. In October 2021, NASA finished stacking the huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for its Artemis 1 moon mission inside the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. That was a big milestone for the agency and its moon-exploration plans, and a newly … Read more

China’s Tianwen 1 Mars mission marks 1st full year in orbit

It’s been a year since China’s first-ever independent interplanetary mission reached Mars, and in that time, Tianwen 1 has made major achievements while also delivering a number of surprises. The Tianwen 1 spacecraft entered orbit around the Red Planet on Feb. 10, 2021. Shortly after, the China National Space Administration released epic footage of the … Read more

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission rocket faces new delays

NASA’s first Artemis moon mission will have to wait to launch.  The rollout for the agency’s Artemis 1 mission, the first flight of its Artemis program that will ultimately return humans to the moon, has been pushed back. NASA announced Wednesday (Feb. 2) that the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and Orion capsule won’t … Read more

SpaceX’s next Starlink mission may fly Wednesday, setting up rocket launch doubleheader

SpaceX appears to be targeting Wednesday (Feb. 2) to fly its next batch of Starlink satellites, setting up what could be a coast-to-coast launch doubleheader for the private spaceflight company.  According to a forecast from the U.S. Space Force’s Delta 45 weather squadron, SpaceX’s next Starlink mission (called Starlink 4-7) is now expected to launch … Read more

A Long March 8 rocket has arrived at the coastal Wenchang spaceport for the second mission of what is planned to be China’s first reusable launch vehicle.

A Long March 8 rocket has arrived at the coastal Wenchang spaceport for the second mission of what is planned to be China’s first reusable launch vehicle.  The Long March 8 will launch in late February or early March and will be carrying 22 satellites for Chinese commercial space companies, including optical and radar Earth … Read more

How NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope project chief used Jimmy Buffett quotes to thank mission team

Turns out that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope project manager is a self-described “parrot head.” The term is a playful reference to fans of calypso singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who project manager Bill Ochs recently quoted when congratulating the Webb Space Telescope team. (For his part, Buffett was said to once call his fans “parrot heads” … Read more

Japanese company ispace delays its second private moon mission to 2024

A Japanese company targeting the moon pushed back its second moon mission by a year to 2024. The Tokyo-based company ispace is planning a series of robotic moon missions with the first, called M1, expected to visit Earth‘s celestial companion at the end of this year. In an update Monday (Jan. 25), however, ispace said … Read more

Europe’s sun mission flew through the tail of Comet Leonard

As Comet Leonard bid farewell to Earth and flew past Venus, a sun-studying spacecraft flew through the comet’s long tail, giving humans a new perspective on the icy wanderer. Discovered last January and also known as Comet C/2021 A1, Comet Leonard was perhaps the most spectacular visitor for skywatchers in 2021. The object put on … Read more