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Artemis 1 back on Earth after near-flawless 25-day moon mission
NASA’s Orion spacecraft parachuted to a gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean Sunday west of Baja California, ending an unpiloted test flight to the moon that spanned 25-and-a-half days and 1.4 million miles, proving out a new rocket and capsule to carry astronauts back to Earth’s celestial companion.
VideoLive coverage: NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashes down after moon mission
NASA's unpiloted Orion spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound Sunday, surviving a fiery-hot descent before deploying parachutes and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California at 12:40 p.m. EST (1740 GMT). The Orion capsule successfully completed NASA's Artemis 1 mission, a precursor to future astronaut missions on the spacecraft.
Repairs and upgrades await SLS mobile launcher before crewed lunar mission
The mobile launch platform for NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center Friday for inspections and repairs after liftoff of the Artemis 1 moon mission last month, setting the stage for upgrades to the 380-foot-tall structure before the first crewed Artemis moon flight scheduled for 2024.
Artemis 1 capsule beams back spectacular farewell views of the moon
Flying just 80 miles off the lunar surface, NASA's Orion capsule fired its main engine Monday to slingshot around the moon and set a course for splashdown Dec. 11 in the Pacific Ocean to complete the Artemis 1 test flight. The unpiloted spacecraft relayed home ethereal real-time views of the moon's cratered surface and a crescent Earth suspended in the blackness of space a quarter-million miles away.
VideoLive coverage: Orion spacecraft completes return powered flyby of the moon
NASA's Orion spacecraft successfully fired its main engine for three-and-a-half minutes at 11:43 a.m. EST (1643 GMT) Monday as it flew 80 miles from the surface of the moon, redirecting the capsule's trajectory for the return trip to Earth to wrap up the Artemis 1 test flight.
Astronauts install new solar array outside International Space Station
NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio headed outside the International Space Station Saturday for a seven-hour spacewalk to install and unfurl a new roll-out solar array recently delivered by a SpaceX cargo ship.
Orion capsule leaves lunar orbit, heads for moon flyby and return to Earth
Continuing a "drama-free" test flight, NASA's unpiloted Orion spacecraft is set to fire its main engine Thursday to leave a distant orbit around the moon, heading for a flyby close to the lunar surface next week to swing onto a trajectory bringing it back to Earth for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11.
SpaceX supply ship docks at space station
A day after launching from Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule approached the International Space Station for an automated docking Sunday with more than 7,700 pounds of supplies and experiments.
SpaceX launches Dragon cargo ship to deliver new solar arrays to space station
SpaceX launched an all-new Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo capsule Saturday from Kennedy Space Center on a mission to deliver new roll-out solar arrays, belated Thanksgiving treats, CubeSats, and a cornucopia of experiments to the International Space Station.
VideoLive coverage: Falcon 9 lifts off with Dragon cargo capsule
After a launch attempt earlier in the week was scrubbed due to bad weather, SpaceX sent a Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station Saturday with nearly four tons of supplies and experiments. Liftoff on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center occurred at 2:20 p.m. EST (1920 GMT).