Space Station – Page 4 – Spaceflight Now

April 16, 2026

Breaking News

[ April 16, 2026 ] Blue Origin hot fires its first previously flown booster, prepares for weekend launch Mission Reports
[ April 15, 2026 ] Blue Origin one step closer to launching New Glenn from Vandenberg Space Force Base New Glenn
[ April 15, 2026 ] West Coast SpaceX Falcon 9 mission launches 25 Starlink satellites Falcon 9
[ April 14, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026 on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ April 10, 2026 ] NASA confident Artemis 2 heat shield will protect crew during re-entry Artemis

As it happened: Boeing’s Starliner returned to Earth, marking the end of the Crew Flight Test mission

September 6, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The spacecraft will journey back to Earth without the two astronauts it launched with back on June 5. Undocking is set for 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 UTC) with landing just after midnight on Saturday.

NASA bumps two astronauts from SpaceX flight to make room for Starliner crew

August 30, 2024 Spaceflight Now

NASA has bumped two female astronauts, including the commander, from the next SpaceX crew rotation flight to the international space station, freeing up two seats to give the agency’s Starliner astronauts a ride home next February.

NASA rules out bringing astronauts home on Boeing’s Starliner

August 24, 2024 William Harwood

After weeks of debate, NASA has ruled out bringing two astronauts back to Earth aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule because of lingering concerns about multiple helium leaks and degraded thrusters, both critical to a successful re-entry, officials said Saturday.

NASA to announce final determination on how to conclude Starliner Crew Flight Test

August 24, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is set to discuss the agency’s decision following a rare mid-mission, agency-level flight readiness review. A press conference will begin no earlier than an hour following the conclusion of the discussion.

NASA ‘getting more serious’ about backup plan to bring Starliner astronauts home if needed

August 7, 2024 William Harwood

As NASA debates the safety of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in the wake of multiple helium leaks and thruster issues, the agency is “getting more serious” about a backup plan to bring the ship’s two crew members back to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, officials said Wednesday.

NASA pushes Crew-9 launch to September amid uncertainty of Starliner’s return timeline

August 6, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The adjustment of the launch manifest is in line with NASA’s desire to have a direct handover between its two long-duration crews on the International Space Station.

As it happened: NASA holds briefings on Crew 9 mission as SpaceX nears return to flight

July 26, 2024 Spaceflight Now

Watch live as NASA holds briefings at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on the upcoming Crew 9 mission and SpaceX rolls out a Falcon 9 as it prepares to return to flight with its workhorse rocket.

Make-or-break tests on tap for Boeing’s Starliner capsule

July 26, 2024 William Harwood

Critical tests are on tap this weekend to confirm Boeing’s Starliner capsule can safety carry its two-person crew back to Earth despite unexpected helium leaks and degraded maneuvering thrusters, officials said Thursday.

As it happened: NASA, Boeing provide update on the Starliner Crew Flight Test mission

July 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The update comes after NASA said it and Boeing completed ground hot fire testing of a reaction control system (RCS) to better understand some of the in-flight anomalies seen during the spacecraft’s rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station.

NASA plans for space station’s demise with new SpaceX ‘Deorbit Vehicle’

July 18, 2024 William Harwood

The ISS Deorbit Vehicle, or DV, will be a custom-built, one-of-a-kind spacecraft needed to make sure the space station re-enters the atmosphere at the precise place and in the proper orientation to insure any wreckage that survives the 3,000-degree heat of re-entry will crash harmlessly into the sea.