News – Page 251 – Spaceflight Now

September 20, 2025

Breaking News

[ September 17, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ September 16, 2025 ] NASA, Northrop Grumman postpone Cygnus XL arrival to ISS following propulsion issue Mission Reports
[ September 16, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from California following back-to-back weather scrubs Falcon 9
[ September 15, 2025 ] Northrop Grumman’s 1st Cygnus XL spacecraft launches on cargo run to the space station Falcon 9
[ September 14, 2025 ] Launch preview: SpaceX to launch new, improved Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL resupply ship to the space station Falcon 9

Virgin Orbit traces cause of LauncherOne engine failure to propellant line

July 25, 2020 Stephen Clark

An engine failure that cut short the first test flight of Virgin Orbit’s air-dropped LauncherOne rocket in May was caused by a faulty propellant feed line, the company’s CEO said this week.

U.S. officials say Russia tested a new anti-satellite weapon

July 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

U.S. and British government officials said Thursday they have evidence that Russia tested a space-based anti-satellite weapon, citing an event July 15 when analysts say a Russian military satellite launched a mysterious projectile into orbit at high speed.

Progress supply ship docks with space station after last-minute misalignment

July 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

Completing a fast-track, three-hour pursuit of the International Space Station, a Russian Progress supply ship overcame a last-minute misalignment and autonomously linked up with with orbiting research complex Thursday with nearly three tons of fuel, food and supplies.

Astra ships next small satellite launcher to Alaska spaceport

July 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

Astra’s next small satellite launcher has shipped to Kodiak Island in Alaska for final preparations ahead of a test flight planned in early August, five months after the company’s first orbital rocket faltered before getting off the ground.

China launches robotic mission to orbit, land, and drive on Mars

July 23, 2020 Stephen Clark

A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket propelled China’s first Mars landing mission toward the Red Planet on Thursday after launching from a seaside spaceport on Hainan Island, the second of three international Mars probes expected to depart planet Earth this month.

Plutonium power source installed on NASA’s next Mars rover

July 22, 2020 Stephen Clark

The nuclear power generator for NASA’s Perseverance rover has been installed on the spacecraft atop an Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral, and mission managers gave a green light Wednesday to continue preparations for the rover’s July 30 launch toward Mars.

SpaceX shares video of first double fairing catch

July 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s two fast-maneuvering payload fairing recovery vessels were in the right place at the right time Monday to catch both halves of the nose shroud jettisoned by a Falcon 9 rocket climbing into orbit with South Korea’s Anasis 2 military communications satellite.

Soyuz rocket raised on Baikonur launch pad for space station resupply flight

July 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket rolled out to a launch pad Monday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ready for final inspections, checkouts and fueling before liftoff Thursday with a Progress supply ship bound for the International Space Station.

China moves massive rocket into place for ambitious Mars shot

July 21, 2020 Stephen Clark

China’s heaviest rocket has rolled to its launch pad for liftoff Thursday with the country’s first Mars landing mission, an ambitious attempt to place an orbiter around the Red Planet and a robotic rover on the Martian surface in early 2021.

Spacewalkers prep space station for future upgrades

July 21, 2020 William Harwood

Space station commander Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken floated back outside Tuesday for their fourth spacewalk in less than a month, completing preparations for future upgrades including the eventual installation of an airlock that will allow commercial experiments to be moved into and out of vacuum as required.