News – Page 286 – Spaceflight Now

May 2, 2026

Breaking News

[ May 1, 2026 ] SpaceX marks May Day, National Space Day with Starlink mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ April 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ April 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 6-ton ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on Falcon Heavy rocket Falcon Heavy
[ April 28, 2026 ] Launch preview: SpaceX seeks second attempt at Falcon Heavy launch following weather scrub on Monday Falcon Heavy
[ April 27, 2026 ] ULA launches 29 Amazon Leo satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Atlas 5

Cygnus departs space station, beginning extended experimental mission

May 11, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Cygnus supply ship built by Northrop Grumman departed the International Space Station Monday, beginning an extended mission in orbit to deploy a pair of CubeSats and perform a NASA-sponsored fire experiment.

Launch preparations continue for NASA’s next Mars rover

May 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

On track for launch from Cape Canaveral in July, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been secured to its rocket-powered descent stage and back shell, part of the protective shield that will safeguard the robot when it arrives at Mars next year.

U.S. military tracking unguided re-entry of large Chinese rocket

May 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Chinese rocket measuring around 100 feet long that launched earlier this month will likely plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere some time Monday, becoming the most massive object in decades to fall out of orbit in an uncontrolled manner.

Video: Demo-2 crew training reel

May 8, 2020 Stephen Clark

This video reel offers insights into the training of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley for their launch on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Spy satellite launch on Delta 4-Heavy rocket delayed to August

May 8, 2020 Stephen Clark

The next flight of United Launch Alliance’s triple-barrel Delta 4-Heavy rocket has been delayed from June to late August, military officials said Friday.

Dragon astronauts wrap up training, prepare to enter quarantine

May 8, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley completed their final training sessions in Houston this week before their scheduled May 27 liftoff on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center, the first launch of humans from the Florida spaceport since 2011.

China’s next-generation crew spacecraft lands after unpiloted test flight

May 8, 2020 Stephen Clark

A next-generation Chinese capsule designed to carry astronauts to the country’s planned space station, and eventually the moon, wrapped up a nearly three-day unpiloted orbital test flight Friday with a landing in northwestern China.

Arianespace to resume launch preparations in French Guiana

May 7, 2020 Stephen Clark

Targeting a pair of satellite launches in June and July, ground teams will resume work at the Guiana Space Center in South America next week after a nearly two-month pause in Arianespace’s launch campaigns due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Payloads revealed for next flight of X-37B military spaceplane

May 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

The next flight of the U.S. military’s reusable X-37B spaceplane — scheduled for liftoff May 16 from Cape Canaveral — will carry more experiments into orbit than any of the winged ship’s previous missions, including two payloads for NASA and a small deployable satellite built by Air Force Academy cadets.

SpaceX test-fires Raptor engine on Starship test rocket

May 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

A test-firing of a Raptor engine on the latest in a series of Starship test rockets Tuesday night in Texas moved SpaceX closer to performing a low-altitude “hop” to gather data on the vehicle’s launch and landing characteristics.