Tag: NASA
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Ars Live: Three space journos pick apart NASA’s Mars plans
I’m incredibly excited, as part of the Ars Live series, to host a conversation with some of the very best space reporters in the business this afternoon, May 29, at 3 pm EDT about the future of NASA and its deep space exploration ambitions. You can watch Ars Live here. Joining me in a virtual…
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SpaceX may have solved one problem only to find more on latest Starship flight
SpaceX made some progress on another test flight of the world’s most powerful rocket Tuesday, finally overcoming technical problems that plagued the program’s two previous launches. But minutes into the mission, SpaceX’s Starship lost control as it cruised through space, then tumbled back into the atmosphere somewhere over the Indian Ocean nearly an hour after…
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Launch preview: SpaceX to launch its Starship-Super Heavy rocket on its 9th test flight
A SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy rocket stands stacked at Pad A at Starbase, Texas, ahead of the Starship Flight 9 mission. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is gearing up for a critical flight test for its Starship program. Launch teams are preparing to send the world’s largest rocket on its ninth test flight for the fully integrated vehicle…
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China Boosts Space Activity with Long March 7A and Ceres-1 Sea Launches
China has intensified its space launch schedule with two recent missions, deploying a Long March 7A rocket to geosynchronous orbit and a Ceres-1 solid rocket from a sea platform into low Earth orbit, marking the country’s 28th and 29th orbital launch attempts this year. A Long March 7A lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch…
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FAA Clears SpaceX Starship for Flight After March Mishap, Expands Safety Zones
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday granted approval for SpaceX to proceed with its next Starship test flight following an investigation into a March explosion, expanding airspace safety zones and signaling strengthened international coordination with countries along the rocket’s flight path. The green light paves the way for Starship Flight 9 to launch…
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Senate Sets Early June Vote on Jared Isaacman for NASA Administrator
The U.S. Senate is poised to vote in early June on the confirmation of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator, following a procedural move by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to advance the nomination. Thune filed for cloture on May 22, paving the way for a full Senate vote after the chamber returns from the…
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NASA Weighs Reducing ISS Crew and Research Amid Budget Constraints
NASA is considering scaling back the size of its International Space Station (ISS) crew and limiting research activities due to ongoing budget pressures, even before proposed cuts outlined in the U.S. government’s fiscal year 2026 request take effect. Speaking at a May 20 press briefing about the upcoming Ax-4 private astronaut mission, Dana Weigel, ISS…
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Axiom Mission 4 delayed due to Dragon capsule readiness
[Left] Ax-4 Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski [Right] have been training to live and work aboard the space station for the past eight months in preparation for their mission, which is targeted to launch no earlier than June 8, 2025. Image: Axiom Space The debut…
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Rocket Report: Rocket Lab to demo cargo delivery; America’s new ICBM in trouble
Welcome to Edition 7.43 of the Rocket Report! There’s been a lot of recent news in hypersonic testing. We cover some of that in this week’s newsletter, which is just a taste of the US military’s appetite for fielding its own hypersonic weapons, and conversely, the Pentagon’s emphasis on the detection and destruction of an…
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Rocket Report: Rocket Lab to demo cargo delivery; America’s new ICBM in trouble
Welcome to Edition 7.43 of the Rocket Report! There’s been a lot of recent news in hypersonic testing. We cover some of that in this week’s newsletter, which is just a taste of the US military’s appetite for fielding its own hypersonic weapons, and conversely, the Pentagon’s emphasis on the detection and destruction of an…