News – Page 497 – Spaceflight Now

February 4, 2026

Breaking News

[ February 3, 2026 ] NASA waves off February launch for Artemis II moon mission; now targeting early March Mission Reports
[ February 1, 2026 ] SpaceX experiences Falcon 9 upper stage anomaly following Starlink deployment Falcon 9
[ February 1, 2026 ] Countdown underway for critical moon rocket fueling test Monday Mission Reports
[ January 30, 2026 ] Cold weather delays earliest Artemis 2 launch opportunity Falcon 9
[ January 30, 2026 ] SpaceX launches overnight Starlink flight as it unveils new ‘Stargaze’ space situational awareness system Falcon 9

Preview: Cygnus ship sending abundance of science to ISS

April 15, 2017 Justin Ray

Carrying more science research gear to the International Space Station than ever launched before by U.S. commercial logistics vehicles, the next Orbital ATK Cygnus freighter takes flight Tuesday.

Videos: Atlas 5 rocket stacked to launch Cygnus

April 14, 2017 Justin Ray

This is video footage documenting stacking activities for the two-stage United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, standing 194 feet tall, to boost the commercial Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo freighter to the International Space Station. Activities occurred at Cape Canaveral’s Vertical Integration Facility.

Atlas 5 rocket aims for Tuesday morning launch of supplies to space station

April 14, 2017 Justin Ray

Air Force meteorologists on this Good Friday have released their initial forecast for Tuesday’s launch of a cargo ship to the International Space Station, predicting favorable conditions to fly the Atlas 5 booster on a commercial mission.

New discoveries raise prospects for life on moons of Jupiter and Saturn

April 13, 2017 Stephen Clark

Scientists announced Thursday that measurements from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft detected hydrogen gas, a key energy source for microbial life, in a plume gushing from a vast liquid water ocean buried beneath the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Science: Cygnus to make science-enabling delivery to the space station

April 12, 2017 Justin Ray

Loaded with investigations into chemotherapy drugs with reduced side effects and radiation detectors for homeland security, a plant-growing chamber to promote future food harvesting in space and a technology demonstration for sample-return capsules, a commercial Cygnus cargo vessel will be sent to the International Space Station next week.

China’s highest-capacity communications satellite launched into orbit

April 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Chinese Long March 3B rocket fired into space Wednesday with Shijian 13, also known as Chinasat 16, to deliver Internet connectivity to remote parts of China, airline travelers and high-speed trains.

Musk wants to make Falcon rockets fully reusable

April 11, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said last week he is “fairly confident” his company’s Falcon rockets can be made fully reusable within a couple of years, suggesting a renewed emphasis on outfitting upper stages for a scorching re-entry after engineers shelved the idea to focus on landing the launcher’s bigger booster stage.

Photos: Soyuz MS-02 spaceship lands in Kazakhstan

April 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

Carrying three space station crew members back home after 173 days in orbit, the Russian Soyuz MS-02 landing craft touched down in Kazakhstan on Monday after a parachute-assisted descent through clear skies.

Video: Expedition 50 landing

April 10, 2017 Justin Ray

Remarkable video shot near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, shows the Soyuz capsule descending under parachute for an on-target landing. The touchdown safely capped the three-man Expedition 50 crew’s 173-day mission to the International Space Station.

U.S. military orders two more surveillance satellites to roam geosynchronous orbit

April 10, 2017 Stephen Clark

Orbital ATK started work on two more surveillance satellites for the U.S. Air Force’s geosynchronous neighborhood watch program late last year as the military aims to expand its ability to track and investigate other objects in the heavily-trafficked belt more than 22,000 miles over the equator.