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News Archive 2010: June
Resupply ship for the space station soars into orbit
A load of basic essentials for the International Space Station and its resident crew -- food, fuel and supplies -- launched aboard a Russian-made cargo freighter Wednesday. Docking is planned for Friday.
FULL STORY - updated! IMAGES:ROCKET ROLLOUT GALLERY
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Opportunity sends home clear view of distant crater
A sharp-eyed camera on the Opportunity rover has beamed home the best images yet of the rugged rim of Endeavour crater, the robot's next destination on its tour of the windswept plains of Mars.
FULL STORY
Satellite imagery illustrates reach of Gulf oil spill
A NASA spacecraft circling more than 400 miles above Earth has snapped a striking picture of oil streaming ashore in Mississippi, adding another photo to the growing catalog of satellite images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
FULL STORY
Probe swings by Earth for rendezvous with comet
NASA's intrepid comet explorer has used Earth as a gravitational slingshot, zipping by the planet to reshape its interplanetary trajectory and take aim toward its next target.
FULL STORY OUR DEEP IMPACT COVERAGE OUR LAUNCH ARCHIVE
New Obama policy seeks more partnerships in space
The White House unveiled a broad new national space policy Monday, calling for more international cooperation and preserving space for U.S., foreign and commercial interests.
FULL STORY
Station crew takes Soyuz for 'spin around the block'
The International Space Station's new docking module added by the shuttle Atlantis astronauts in May received its first vehicle Monday when the outpost's crew relocated a Soyuz capsule there.
FULL STORY
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This Week In Space
An exclusive interview with SpaceX's safety officer delves into the post-flight review of the Falcon 9 test launch. Also this week, the final shuttle missions slip out and John Glenn enters debate about the space program's future. Subscribe on iTunes to This Week in Space. Support This Week in Space by making a contribution to keep the show online. If you're interested in supporting This Week in Space through advertising, contact our team to find out how we can connect your organization with our viewers.
News Headlines
Photo gallery of Ariane 5 rocket's sunset blastoff
A European Ariane 5 rocket successfully launched a pair of satellites for customers in the Middle East and South Korea over the weekend. The commercial flight began with liftoff at sunset from the Guiana Space Center in South America.
PHOTO GALLERY
NASA, NOAA pick familiar design for new satellite
NASA plans to purchase a clone of a stopgap weather satellite to be the first member of a new civilian fleet of environmental platforms, but the future of U.S. climate-monitoring spacecraft hinges on congressional approval of a White House budget proposal to pay for the new program, a government official said Monday.
FULL STORY
Falcon rocket meets fiery end after historic test flight
After riding a flame into Earth orbit more than three weeks ago, the dormant upper stage of the first Falcon 9 rocket plunged back into the atmosphere this weekend, a fiery finale for the historic privately-developed spacecraft.
FULL STORY
U.S. military ready to use its new communications craft
Strategic Command has taken use of the military's newest Wideband Global SATCOM satellite that will bridge the Atlantic for communications between the U.S. and deployed forces overseas.
FULL STORY OUR LAUNCH ARCHIVE
Ariane 5 launches Arab and South Korean satellites
Europe's Ariane 5 commercial launcher carried out another uneventful trek to orbit Saturday night, successfully deploying a powerful broadcasting bird for the Arab world and a unique spacecraft to see and communicate with South Korea.
FULL STORY SCRUB STORY PREVIEW STORY OUR ARIANE ARCHIVE
Scientists peer inside Hayabusa asteroid capsule
Scientists inside a spotless clean room near Tokyo are carefully opening the drum-shaped capsule from the Hayabusa mission, beginning months of tedious evaluations to determine whether the $200 million mission returned dust grains from an asteroid.
FULL STORY
Exoplanet's superstorm
High-precision observations have allowed astronomers to make the first measurements of a storm raging on an exoplanet, as well as compute the planet's orbital speed and mass.
FULL STORY
NASA: China not invited to join space station program
NASA says the International Space Station partner countries have not invited China to join the orbiting lab complex, dismissing a Russian news story proclaiming the Russian space agency contacted the rising space power about signing on to the project.
FULL STORY
Comet-bound probe needs Earth to shape its trajectory
The NASA spacecraft made famous for firing a projectile into a comet five years ago is speeding back toward Earth to receive a critical boost Sunday that will send the satellite to another cometary rendezvous this November.
FULL STORY
Study suggests water was a global occurrence on Mars
Two probes circling the Red Planet have discovered evidence that water was once present in the northern hemisphere of Mars, a sign the planet's entire surface may have been habitable billions of years ago.
FULL STORY
Lawmakers want NASA to speed up heavy-lift rocket
A letter to President Obama from a bipartisan group of 62 members of the U.S. House of Representatives proposes a compromise plan to immediately develop a heavy-lift rocket, saying it would preserve jobs and America's leadership in human spaceflight.
FULL STORY
NASA begins review of shuttle launch date changes
NASA managers Tuesday asked shuttle engineers to assess retargeting the final two space shuttle missions, moving launch of a mid-September flight with Discovery to Oct. 29 and a late November flight by Endeavour to Feb. 28. The changes would give engineers more time to optimize payloads bound for the International Space Station and avoid launch conflicts with other flights to the lab complex. FULL STORY
Europe's new weather satellites clear political snag
Europe's meteorological satellite agency finally resolved a lengthy dispute Monday between France and Germany over their roles in the next-generation weather satellites to cover the continent. FULL STORY
NASA gives Taurus another chance to launch OCO craft
NASA is again turning to the Taurus rocket to loft a replacement carbon-sniffing observatory after a mishap doomed the first try to launch the crucial environmental satellite. The second Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission could launch as early as February 2013. FULL STORY OUR TAURUS ARCHIVE
New Israeli spy satellite blasts off into the night
Israel successfully launched a top secret spy satellite into low Earth orbit Tuesday from an air base along the Mediterranean coast, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. FULL STORY
This Week In Space
This Week In Space: Miles O'Brien has an exclusive interview with former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin about SpaceX and the space program's new direction. Subscribe on iTunes to This Week in Space. Support This Week in Space by making a contribution to keep the show online. If you're interested in supporting This Week in Space through advertising, contact our team to find out how we can connect your organization with our viewers.
News Headlines
Cassini makes dramatic dive in the name of science
The Cassini spacecraft pulled off its latest drama-packed performance Sunday night, braving to skim deeper into the outer atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon than it had ever attempted before in hopes of discovering a magnetic field around Titan.
FULL STORY
Hubble's bubbles and stars
A new Hubble Space Telescope image delving into the N11 region of the Large Magellanic Cloud reveals bright bubbles of glowing gas and a region of frenetic star birth. FULL STORY
Radar mapping spacecraft launched into Earth orbit
A new German satellite rocketed into orbit from Kazakhstan early Monday, reinforcing a program to create the most precise civilian three-dimensional maps of Earth using dual high-resolution radars. FULL STORY VIDEO:RUSSIAN LAUNCH FOOTAGE
Cassini scientists await results from new adventure
The Cassini spacecraft headed toward its closest encounter with the mysterious world of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, during a daring flyby Sunday night that scientists hoped would answer a key question.
PREVIEW STORY
International Space Station welcomes new residents
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut for the International Space Station docked to the outpost Thursday evening at 6:21 p.m. EDT (2221 GMT). Doug Wheelock, Shannon Walker and Fyodor Yurchikhin now begin a half-year mission aboard the station.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! STORE:EXPEDITION 24 CREW PATCH
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POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY VIDEO:
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On this date in history: Sally Ride's launch
The seventh flight of the space shuttle is remembered for breaking the gender barrier for U.S. spaceflight. Sally Ride flew into space and the history books with her historic June 1983 mission, becoming America's first woman astronaut. VIDEO COVERAGE STORE:STS-7 CREW PATCH
Mysterious flash on Jupiter left no debris cloud
An impact on Jupiter that was captured on camera by amateur astronomers Anthony Wesley and Christopher Go was apparently nothing more than a giant meteor, according to the latest Hubble Space Telescope observations of the gas giant.
FULL STORY
Discovery gets three main engines for last launch
Three main engines were attached to the shuttle Discovery earlier this week to power the orbiter's last launch this fall. Spaceflight Now captured these views of the task of installing the hydrogen-fueled engines on the back of the shuttle.
IMAGES:ENGINE BOLTED TO SHUTTLE IMAGES:DISCOVERY RECEIVES FINAL ENGINE
SpaceX wins lion's share of Iridium launch services
On the heels of its first Falcon 9 rocket flight less than two weeks ago, SpaceX has inked a $492 million deal to launch a new fleet of Iridium mobile communications satellites beginning in 2015.
FULL STORY
Something strange is happening on Titan
New findings on Saturn's hydrocarbon-shrouded moon Titan reveal anomalies that although are likely explained by chemical processes, still leave the room open for the possibility of life. FULL STORY
Three-person international crew launched into space
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched as scheduled Tuesday to ferry two NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station, boosting the lab's crew from three to six. Liftoff occurred at 5:35 p.m. EDT (2135 GMT) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
FULL STORY PREVIEW STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! STORE:EXPEDITION 24 CREW PATCH
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FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY VIDEO:
ENTIRE EXPEDITION 24 LAUNCH BROADCAST PLAY VIDEO:
CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY VIDEO:
VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY VIDEO:
CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY VIDEO:
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY VIDEO:
POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA OFFICIAL PLAY VIDEO:
ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY VIDEO:
CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY VIDEO:
PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY VIDEO:
CEREMONIAL VISIT TO RED SQUARE IN MOSCOW PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Space sensor coaxed to life following bleak troubles
Calling it a miracle recovery after early troubles left engineers wondering if the instrument could ever be activated, scientists have unveiled the first picture from the Solar X-ray Imager aboard the nation's newest weather satellite.
FULL STORY LAUNCH COVERAGE
Dnepr rocket launches on mission for France, Sweden
A Soviet-era ballistic missile blasted off from southern Russia on Tuesday with a French spacecraft to observe the sun and a Swedish experiment to demonstrate orbital formation flying with two satellites.
FULL STORY
Research satellite orbited by Chinese launcher
China successfully shot a scientific research satellite into orbit on a Long March rocket Monday, marking the country's fourth space launch of the year. Liftoff occurred at 0139 GMT (9:39 p.m. EDT).
FULL STORY
This Week In Space
Japan's robotic roundtrip mission to visit an asteroid beats the odds and returns home, South Korea's new rocket has a bad day and Mars rover Spirit produces another discovery. Subscribe on iTunes to This Week in Space. Support This Week in Space by making a contribution to keep the show online. If you're interested in supporting This Week in Space through advertising, contact our team to find out how we can connect your organization with our viewers.
News Headlines
Asteroid capsule recovered from Australian outback
Japanese and Australian officials retrieved the Hayabusa re-entry capsule from the desert floor Monday, beginning months of tedious examinations to determine whether the container holds precious dust samples from the surface of an asteroid.
FULL STORY IMAGES:WORKERS RECOVER CAPSULE
Japanese craft plunges back to Earth after asteroid visit
Cutting across the night sky at more than 27,000 mph, a small Japanese capsule returned to Earth from the surface of an asteroid Sunday and landed in the remote Australian outback. Touchdown occurred just after 1400 GMT (10 a.m. EDT), and a helicopter spotted the craft less than an hour later.
RE-ENTRY OVER AUSTRALIA IMAGES:HAYABUSA's FIERY HOMECOMING HAYABUSA RELEASES CAPSULE COMPREHENSIVE PREVIEW STORY
Air Force deems TacSat craft ready for operations
U.S. Air Force officials were planning to hand over a small experimental imaging satellite to Space Command on Saturday, the first time one of the Pentagon's low-cost responsive missions has been thrust into an operational role.
FULL STORY
Major satellite launch next on Cape Canaveral schedule
Now that last week's Falcon-mania has subsided at Cape Canaveral, attention turns to preparations for the Florida spaceport's next launch of the Atlas 5 rocket to place a crucial national security communications satellite into space.
FULL STORY OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
Japanse mission unleashes solar sail in deep space
Japan's space agency confirmed Friday its Ikaros mission successfully unfurled a solar sail nearly 5 million miles from Earth, but it could be much longer before officials confirm whether the craft is being accelerated by the power of sunlight.
FULL STORY
New GPS signal for civil users being put to the test
The next-generation Global Positioning System satellite launched two weeks ago has begun testing the new civilian navigation signal debuting operationally on this spacecraft.
FULL STORY LAUNCH COVERAGE
South Korea says rocket likely exploded after liftoff
A half-Russian, half-Korean rocket likely exploded a few minutes after liftoff Thursday, dealing a second blow to South Korea's $400 million program to develop its own satellite launcher. Liftoff was at 0801 GMT (4:01 a.m. EDT).
FULL STORY - updated! PREVIEW STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE IMAGES:KSLV ROLLS TO PAD
Hayabusa on course for Australia landing zone
Five days before it will fall into the Australian outback, Japan's returning Hayabusa asteroid mission finished targeting the landing site Tuesday in a final planned ion engine burn. FULL STORY
ESA needs to 'tighten the belt' amid budget crisis
The European Space Agency's spending freeze is not delaying missions yet, but all options will be on the table as the cash-strapped agency prepares for even tighter budgets in 2011 and 2012, the organization's top financial official said.
FULL STORY
Pegasus rocket picks up new NASA launch order
NASA has chosen the air-launched Pegasus rocket to deploy its solar observatory designed to study how the Sun's atmosphere is energized.
FULL STORY OUR PEGASUS ARCHIVE
This Week In Space
In this special edition of This Week in Space, SpaceX boss Elon Musk speaks to Miles O'Brien about the successful flight of his Falcon 9 rocket and hits back at critics of the rocket's role in the Obama space plan. Subscribe on iTunes to This Week in Space. Support This Week in Space by making a contribution to keep the show online. If you're interested in supporting This Week in Space through advertising, contact our team to find out how we can connect your organization with our viewers.
News Headlines
Prisma satellites will begin high-flying dance next week
Two Swedish satellites are snugly packed inside the nose of a Ukrainian rocket for blastoff next week, when the duo will commence a risky test of new formation-flying and rendezvous technologies on a shoestring budget.
FULL STORY
Falcon 9 launch video in standard and high definition
Spaceflight Now captured the Falcon 9 rocket's maiden blastoff from three locations: Kennedy Space Center's press site, the NASA Causeway and atop the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building. The video is presented here for Spaceflight Now+Plus subscribers.
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
FALCON LAUNCH AS SEEN FROM NASA CAUSEWAY PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
VIEW FROM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PRESS SITE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
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MORE FROM THE VAB ROOF PLAY | HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Astronaut Hall of Fame inducts its 2010 class
The first African-American astronaut, a spacewalking woman and two shuttle-turned-station commanders now leading competing commercial spaceflight programs at Orbital Sciences and SpaceX were honored Saturday. Guy Bluford, Kathy Thornton, Frank Culbertson and Ken Bowersox were inducted as the Astronaut Hall of Fame's class of 2010. The ceremony is presented here for Spaceflight Now+Plus subscribers.
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SpaceX shuffles Dragon cargo flights to station
SpaceX hopes to move forward its bid to deliver supplies to the International Space Station to the second test flight of the Dragon capsule next spring, foregoing an extra mission to prove out the cargo ship's rendezvous capabilities. FULL STORY
Russian rocket hauls satellite to orbit for Arabsat
The primary operator of communications satellites in the Arab world has launched the first of two powerful new spacecraft, beginning a major orbital upgrade using competing commercial rockets to get the birds aloft this month. FULL STORY - updated
SpaceX keeping Falcon 9's flight plan hush-hush
The Falcon 9 rocket is standing tall on the Cape Canaveral skyline after rolling out of its hangar Wednesday, but SpaceX is purposely keeping the booster's flight plan under wraps to dodge instant analysis from armchair quarterbacks. FULL STORY
China sends Beidou navigation satellite to orbit
China launched another satellite Wednesday toward an orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth, marking another step in building the country's own space navigation system. FULL STORY
Soyuz brings international crew back to Earth
The Soyuz TMA-17 crew capsule, carrying outgoing space station commander Oleg Kotov, Timothy Creamer and Soichi Noguchi, settled to a safe parachute-and-rocket-assisted landing in Kazakhstan after a descent from the International Space Station. Touchdown occurred at 11:25 p.m. EDT Tuesday. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
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CREW BOARDS SOYUZ AND CLOSES HATCHWAY PLAY VIDEO:
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Japanese satellite begins flight to test space parts
The Rockot launcher, a modified Russian ballistic missile, lifted off Wednesday with a Japanese satellite running on off-the-shelf components designed to prove the utility of everyday parts in space. FULL STORY
Plasma rocket could revolutionize space travel
Inside an unsuspecting warehouse in suburban Houston, hidden behind a streetcorner strip mall, a team of elite engineers and enterprising physicists is busy developing a high-tech plasma rocket designed to carry humanity to the stars.
FULL STORY
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PROGRESS 38P FREIGHTER LAUNCHED 
