News – Page 711 – Spaceflight Now

March 20, 2026

Breaking News

[ March 19, 2026 ] Live coverage: NASA to roll its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2 Artemis
[ March 18, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ March 16, 2026 ] Space launches 29 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket on St. Patrick’s Day morning Falcon 9
[ March 16, 2026 ] SpaceX reaches 10,000 simultaneous Starlink satellites in orbit following Falcon 9 launch from California Falcon 9
[ March 14, 2026 ] NASA Administrator teases further Artemis program updates in one-on-one interview Artemis

Branson vows to press ahead, NTSB investigation begins

November 2, 2014 William Harwood

Richard Branson, the charismatic leader of Virgin Galactic and a driving force in the push to commercialize space travel, vowed to find out what caused the fatal crash of his company’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, to learn from the tragedy and to press ahead with plans to carry paying customers into space.

VIDEO: NTSB news conference on start of SpaceShipTwo investigation

November 2, 2014 Spaceflight Now

The NTSB’s Acting Chairman Christopher Hart holds a news conference to discuss the start of the investigation into the loss of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane over the Mojave Desert.

Military communications satellite launched from Russia

November 1, 2014 Stephen Clark

A Russian military communications relay platform blasted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, riding a Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage into an egg-shaped orbit reaching nearly 25,000 miles above Earth.

Chinese probe returns from flight around the moon

November 1, 2014 Stephen Clark

Completing an eight-day test flight around the moon to verify technologies for a planned lunar sample return mission, an unpiloted Chinese space capsule re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at blazing speed and parachuted to a successful landing.

VIDEO: First NTSB briefing on Virgin Galactic accident

November 1, 2014 Spaceflight Now

Acting NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart briefs the news media on Saturday, soon after arriving at the Mojave Air & Space Port to begin an investigation into the loss of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

First stage propulsion system is early focus of Antares investigation

October 31, 2014 Stephen Clark

The first sign of failure during the doomed launch of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket from Virginia came from the rocket’s first stage about 15 seconds after liftoff.

Pilot dies in crash of Virgin Galactic rocket plane

October 31, 2014 Stephen Clark

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashed during a powered test flight over California’s Mojave Desert on Friday, leaving one pilot dead and another seriously injured.

Initial damage assessment shows Antares pad intact

October 31, 2014 Stephen Clark

Initial inspections of the Antares rocket’s launch pad in Virginia revealed the facility escape major damage after sustaining nearly a direct hit from the booster as it fell to the ground in flames seconds after liftoff.

Orbital Sciences hopes to quickly find cause of rocket failure

October 30, 2014 William Harwood

A day after an explosion that destroyed an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket carrying a space station cargo ship, officials said Wednesday they hope to zero in on the likely cause of the mishap within a week or so, based on a detailed review of telemetry, analysis of video and inspection of debris.

An eyewitness account: Wallops Island is burning

October 30, 2014 Stephen Clark

First, you see the rocket sputter, then pause suspended in mid-air and crash back to Earth in a blinding ball of flame. If you still have your wits, you brace for the blast wave.