Tag: NASA
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FAA: ‘Regional power outage’ causes last-minute scrub of NASA’s TRACERS mission
NASA’s two TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) are encapsulated along with five other satellites ahead of launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Image: NASA Update July 23, 2:30 p.m. EDT: Launch occurred at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT, 1813 UTC). Update July 22, 6 p.m.…
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Launch Roundup: Russian and European science missions launched during busy week
Seven launches took place this week. Four of these are Falcon 9s, with SpaceX launching two customer missions and two Starlink missions. Internationally, Russia and Europe have both launched science payloads, while, in Australia, Gilmour Space intended to attempt to launch its Eris rocket once again, but has delayed again, into next week. In China,…
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Final ML-2 tower module added as Artemis and SLS Block 1B receive a funding reprieve
Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), the launch tower and platform to be used by the Block 1B variant of the Space Launch System (SLS), recently had its tenth and final tower module stacked on July 2. Module 10 will support the Orion crew access arm and related systems, and its installation brings the ML-2 tower’s height…
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The ISS is nearing retirement, so why is NASA still gung-ho about Starliner?
After so many delays, difficulties, and disappointments, you might be inclined to think that NASA wants to wash its hands of Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft. But that’s not the case. The manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, Steve Stich, told reporters Thursday that Boeing and its propulsion supplier, Aerojet Rocketdyne, are moving forward with several…
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NASA, SpaceX target July 31 for Crew-11 launch to the ISS
The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station are pictured inside SpaceX’s Hangar X at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui. Image: SpaceX The next four-person crew heading to…
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Parker Solar Probe takes images close to the Sun as primary mission winds down
On Dec. 24, 2024, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe traveled closer to the Sun than any spacecraft had before. During this close approach, or perihelion, the spacecraft’s four instruments observed the Sun’s atmosphere from inside. This week, NASA released images collected by the spacecraft’s Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) instrument. Since the close approach in…
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Axiom Space, Oakley partner on spacesuit visor for Artemis missions
Axiom Space’s Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit features a visor system provided through a partnership with Oakley. Image: Axiom Space The next humans to walk on the South Pole of the Moon will sport a truly unique visor, courtesy of Oakley. The high-end sunglasses designer is the newest announced partner to join Axiom Space…
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NASA, JAXA astronauts discuss upcoming Crew-11 launch to ISS
NASA has updated the launch date for the next crew launch to the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff of the Crew-11 mission is now scheduled for 12:09 PM EDT (16:09 UTC) on July 31st from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With their launch now fast approaching, the crew is…
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President Trump names Sean Duffy as acting NASA administrator
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening the appointment of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as NASA’s interim administrator, replacing Janet Petro, who had been serving as Acting Administrator since Jan. 20. Duffy’s appointment comes more than a month after President Trump rescinded his earlier nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman. Isaacman, an entrepreneur, pilot,…
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy picked as Interim NASA Administrator
Acting NASA Associate Administrator Vanessa Wyche, left, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro, right, react as they watch the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splash down with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Nick Hague, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, from the Space Operations Center at the Mary…