News – Page 204 – Spaceflight Now

June 13, 2026

Breaking News

[ June 12, 2026 ] SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral as stock trades on the Nasdaq for first time Falcon 9
[ June 11, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Falcon 9
[ June 10, 2026 ] NASA chief defends selection of all-male Artemis 3 crew Artemis
[ June 9, 2026 ] NASA names four-man crew to Artemis 3 mission Artemis
[ June 9, 2026 ] Preview: NASA to unveil Artemis 3 crew, provide updates on mission Artemis

In battle with Russian lab module, space station ‘brought a knife to a gun fight’

August 2, 2021 William Harwood

Playing it safe, the seven-member crew of the International Space Station moved into the U.S. segment of the outpost Friday, closed hatches and window shutters and stood by while Russian flight controllers vented helium pressurization lines in the newly arrived Nauka lab module.

GAO dismisses lunar lander contract protests

August 2, 2021 William Harwood

The Government Accountability Office ruled Friday that NASA did not violate procurement law or regulations when it awarded a single $2.9 billion moon lander contract to SpaceX, denying appeals from competitors Dynetics, a Leidos company, and Blue Origin, owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos.

Live coverage: Launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft scrubbed

August 2, 2021 Stephen Clark

The planned liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was scrubbed Tuesday. The unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station is a prerequisite for launching astronauts on the next Starliner mission. The next launch attempt is expected at 12:57 p.m. EDT (1657 GMT) Wednesday.

Ariane 5 rocket launches two geostationary communications satellites

July 30, 2021 Stephen Clark

A European Ariane 5 rocket launched from French Guiana Friday, succeeding on its first flight in nearly a year to deploy a pair of geostationary communications satellites for commercial operators in Brazil and France.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches from French Guiana

July 30, 2021 Stephen Clark

An Ariane 5 rocket launched at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) from Kourou, French Guiana, on the first mission for Europe’s heavy-lift launcher in nearly a year. The rocket successfully deployed two large communications satellites for Embratel and Eutelsat.

High drama as Russian lab module tilts space station with errant thruster firings

July 29, 2021 William Harwood

A heavyweight Russian laboratory module that experienced a variety of problems after launch last week docked at the International Space Station Thursday, but in a moment of unexpected drama, inadvertent thruster firings briefly knocked the sprawling complex out of its normal orientation.

Live coverage: Newly-arrived Russian module causes problems at space station

July 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Russia’s Nauka science module docked with the International Space Station at 9:29 a.m. EDT (1329 GMT) Thursday. Hours later, unexpected thruster firings caused the station to temporarily lose attitude control. Nauka is the largest addition to the complex in more than a decade.

Rocket Lab returns to service with “flawless” launch for U.S. military

July 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Resuming launches after a mission failure two months ago, Rocket Lab successfully placed a small U.S. military research and development satellite into orbit Thursday following a fiery liftoff from New Zealand on a flight that was originally supposed to launch from the company’s new pad in Virginia.

Live coverage: Rocket Lab launches return-to-flight mission

July 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab’s first mission since a launch failure in May blasted off from New Zealand at 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT) Thursday. The company’s Electron rocket launched the small Monolith tech demo satellite for the U.S. military.

Rocket Lab set to resume launches Thursday after failure in May

July 28, 2021 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab is set to launch a small U.S. military technology demonstration satellite from New Zealand Thursday on the company’s first mission since a second stage failure doomed a commercial mission in May.