July 2019
SpaceX points to leaky valve as culprit in Crew Dragon test accident
Investigators believe a leak of propellant inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft’s propulsion system led to the capsule’s explosion April 20 during a ground test at Cape Canaveral, and a senior SpaceX official said Monday that delays are making it “increasingly difficult” to fly astronauts on the commercial spaceship before the end of the year.
Final assembly and test milestones on tap for NASA’s first Orion moon ship
The pressurized crew module and European-built service module for NASA’s first Orion spacecraft to travel to the moon will be joined together for the first time in the coming weeks at the Kennedy Space Center, with preparations — at least for Orion — on a pace to be ready for launch on an unpiloted test flight next year.
Live coverage: Indian moon launch scrubbed
Indian officials postponed the launch Sunday of the Chandrayaan 2 moon mission from a spaceport on the country’s southeastern coast with the Bay of Bengal. The robotic Chandrayaan 2 mission will lift off aboard the GSLV Mk.3, India’s most powerful rocket, but officials have not announced a new target launch date.
