News – Page 540 – Spaceflight Now

May 11, 2025

Breaking News

[ May 11, 2025 ] Live coverage: 28 Starlink satellites to launch on Falcon 9 booster making record breaking 28th flight Falcon 9
[ May 10, 2025 ] Rocket Lab to debut point-to-point cargo transportation capability on 2026 Air Force mission Mission Reports
[ May 10, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 900th Starlink satellite of 2025 during Saturday morning flight Falcon 9
[ May 9, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Falcon 9
[ May 8, 2025 ] White House taps former Air Force colonel for NASA Deputy Administrator role News

Video: When Juno launched to begin 5-year trek to Jupiter

July 3, 2016 Justin Ray

Juno left the Earth atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on Aug. 5, 2011, beginning its journey to Jupiter atop the most powerful Atlas variant with five side-mounted boosters. It arrives at the gas giant on Monday.

Pluto probe’s extended mission approved, but new Dawn destination denied

July 2, 2016 Stephen Clark

NASA managers formally approved the New Horizons mission another speedy encounter with an object at the frontier of the solar system, but denied a request from scientists to redirect the Dawn spacecraft to visit a third destination in the asteroid belt, opting to keep it in orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, officials said Friday.

Scientists to land, and switch off, Rosetta comet probe in September

July 2, 2016 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission will end Sept. 30 with a dicey descent to the core of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, a risky, but potentially rewarding finale punctuated by commands to automatically safe the probe’s rocket thrusters and turn off its radio transmitter.

Juno switched to autopilot mode for Jupiter final approach

June 30, 2016 Stephen Clark

Four days out from arriving at the solar system’s biggest planet, NASA’s Juno spacecraft received a final uplink of commands Thursday governing the robotic probe’s high-velocity braking maneuver Monday to steer into orbit around Jupiter.

With Juno on Jupiter’s doorstep, Hubble eyes glowing Jovian auroras

June 30, 2016 Stephen Clark

Peering a half-billion miles across the solar system, the Hubble Space Telescope has caught a glimpse of brilliant auroras flashing over Jupiter’s north pole as NASA’s Juno orbiter speeds toward the gas giant for a close-up look.

NASA must decide soon on Dawn mission’s next act

June 30, 2016 Stephen Clark

NASA managers face a July 12 deadline to decide whether to send the Dawn spacecraft on an unplanned visit to a third object in the asteroid belt or keep the probe at dwarf planet Ceres until it runs out of fuel next year, officials said this week.

Chinese intelligence-gathering satellite launched by Long March 4B rocket

June 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Long March 4B rocket lifted off from a remote launch base in the Gobi Desert Wednesday and placed a secretive spacecraft in orbit 375 miles above Earth, likely adding a new electronic surveillance station to the Chinese government’s growing satellite fleet.

Photos: SLS test booster ignited in Utah

June 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

Pushing out a brilliant plume of nearly 5,000-degree exhaust, a test booster for NASA’s Space Launch System fired for more than two minutes Tuesday to verify the upgraded space shuttle-era solid rocket motor is ready to help send astronauts into deep space.

Juno’s British-built engine readied for all-important firing at Jupiter

June 29, 2016 Stephen Clark

Ground controllers pressurized the Juno spacecraft’s propulsion system Tuesday to prep for a July 4 rocket firing by the probe’s UK-made rocket engine that will steer the spinning, solar-powered robot into orbit around Jupiter.

Space Launch System booster fired in final preflight qualification test

June 28, 2016 Stephen Clark

A solid-fueled rocket motor mounted horizontally on a Utah hillside ignited and powered up to more than 3 million pounds of thrust Tuesday in a final full-up test-firing before a similar booster helps propel NASA’s huge Space Launch System away from Earth on a demonstration flight in 2018.