News – Page 342 – Spaceflight Now

March 13, 2026

Breaking News

[ March 13, 2026 ] Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Falcon 9
[ March 13, 2026 ] Live coverage: SpaceX resets Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral for Saturday Falcon 9
[ March 10, 2026 ] NASA inspector general assesses agency’s management of moon lander risk Artemis
[ March 9, 2026 ] SpaceX launches direct television satellite for EchoStar Falcon 9
[ March 7, 2026 ] NASA contract confirms selection of ULA’s Centaur 5 as new upper stage for the SLS rocket Artemis

Chinese space station testbed ends mission with controlled re-entry

July 19, 2019 Stephen Clark

A prototype space lab module for China’s planned space station re-entered the atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean Friday to end a nearly three-year mission that included a visit from Chinese astronauts and an in-orbit refueling demonstration.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 ignited for test-firing ahead of launch next week

July 19, 2019 Stephen Clark

After several delays earlier this week, SpaceX conducted a hold-down test-firing of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Friday evening in a key test before launch next week on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Soyuz crew vehicle arrives at launch pad in Kazakhstan

July 18, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket rolled out to a launch pad in Kazakhstan early Thursday in preparation for liftoff Saturday with a Russian commander, Italian flight engineer and U.S. astronaut heading for the International Space Station.

Indian moon launch rescheduled for Monday

July 18, 2019 Stephen Clark

India’s robotic Chandrayaan 2 moon mission is set for liftoff Monday after a technical snag last weekend halted the launch from a spaceport on the Indian coast, ISRO said Thursday.

Delta 4 launch delayed as ULA probes supplier concern

July 17, 2019 Stephen Clark

Concerns over an unspecified part flying on the upper stages of United Launch Alliance’s rockets have delayed the launch of a GPS satellite on a Delta 4 booster from July 25 to no earlier than Aug. 22. The same issue has also delayed an Atlas 5 launch.

NASA boss pleads for funding to ensure 2024 moon landing

July 17, 2019 William Harwood

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told a Senate panel Wednesday that a budget impasse and subsequent spending freeze later this year would be “devastating” to the agency’s goal of sending the first woman and next man to the moon by the end of 2024.

China set to deorbit disused Tiangong 2 space lab

July 16, 2019 Stephen Clark

China’s Tiangong 2 space lab, a precursor to the country’s planned space station, is scheduled to fall out of orbit Friday and plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere for a destructive re-entry.

SpaceX points to leaky valve as culprit in Crew Dragon test accident

July 15, 2019 Stephen Clark

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

July 15, 2019 Stephen Clark

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.

Launch of Indian moon lander postponed by ‘technical snag’

July 14, 2019 Stephen Clark

Indian engineers called off the launch of the Chandrayaan 2 lunar landing mission Sunday after observing a “technical snag” during the final hour of the countdown, India’s space agency said.