News – Page 696 – Spaceflight Now

August 7, 2026

Breaking News

[ August 6, 2026 ] Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion New Glenn
[ August 6, 2026 ] NASA, Northrop Grumman repurpose Gateway elements for Moon Base demo missions Artemis
[ August 5, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 3 AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ August 4, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ July 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office Falcon 9

Video: Delta 2/SMAP pre-launch news conference

January 28, 2015 Justin Ray

NASA, United Launch Alliance and Air Force officials hold the pre-launch news conference for the Delta 2 rocket with the agency’s SMAP environmental satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Jan. 27.

Boeing expected to win first operational space taxi order

January 27, 2015 Stephen Clark

Boeing is poised to win NASA’s first order for operational commercial missions to send up astronauts to the International Space Station, a NASA official said Monday.

All systems ‘go’ for Delta 2 rocket launch of SMAP

January 27, 2015 Justin Ray

The SMAP observatory to map soil moisture distribution from 426 miles in space and its workhorse booster have been cleared for launch Thursday morning from California.

SpaceX confirms first Crew Dragon flights will return to ocean landings

January 27, 2015 Stephen Clark

The human-rated Crew Dragon spacecraft being developed by SpaceX will return to Earth under parachutes for splashdowns in ocean, and not execute helicopter-like propulsive touchdowns on land, a SpaceX official confirmed Monday.

Boeing, SpaceX on track for commercial crew flights to station in 2017

January 27, 2015 William Harwood

NASA expects to spend some $5 billion underwriting development of commercial spacecraft built by Boeing and SpaceX to carry astronauts to and from the space station, ending reliance on the Russians for crew flights and lowering the average cost per seat to around $58 million.

Weather looking good for Delta 2 launch

January 27, 2015 Justin Ray

The weather outlook is 80 percent favorable for launch of the Delta 2 rocket early Thursday morning from California, with cloud thickness posing the only worry, meteorologists report.

New discoveries from Rosetta put comet 67P in focus

January 26, 2015 Stephen Clark

Scientists have released new findings from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, adding fresh pages to a catalog of comet data that officials promise will swell with more discoveries over the rest of the year.

Preview story: Launch of Delta 2 rocket with NASA probe Thursday

January 25, 2015 Justin Ray

From weather forecasting to agricultural benefits, a new NASA mission launching this week will provide unprecedented resolution, accuracy and coverage of soil moisture on a world-wide basis every three days for the next three years.

Former Atlas launch pad gets a new tenant

January 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

A decommissioned launch facility at Cape Canaveral where some of America’s first interplanetary missions left Earth will now be used as a test site for a commercial moon lander.

Europe, China issue call for joint science mission

January 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

Europe and China are planning a joint robotic space mission for launch in 2021, and officials are asking scientists to propose projects aimed at research in astronomy, exploring the solar system, or investigations in fundamental physics.