News Archive
Browse every article published on Spaceflight Now, from launch reports and mission previews to spacecraft development coverage. Use the filters to narrow by topic or search by keyword.
Matching Articles
134 articles
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.
VideoLive coverage: Orion capsule completes distant retrograde orbit insertion burn
Another major engine burn on NASA's Artemis 1 mission placed the Orion spacecraft into a distant retrograde orbit around the moon, where it will spend six days performing more tests and demonstrations before returning to Earth. The 88-second burn by Orion's main engine occurred at 4:52 p.m. EST (2152 GMT) Friday.
VideoLive coverage: Orion spacecraft slingshots by the moon
NASA's Orion spacecraft fired its main engine at 7:44 a.m. EST (1244 GMT) Monday and flew just 81 miles from the lunar surface in a maneuver designed to set up for the capsule's insertion into a distant retrograde orbit around the moon later this week.

NASA triumphs in successful debut launch of huge SLS moon rocket
NASA's huge Space Launch System moon rocket finally took off from Florida early Wednesday after a decade in development, sending an unpiloted Orion crew capsule toward lunar orbit on a 25-day test flight to lay a path for astronauts to return to the moon for the first time since 1972.
VideoLive coverage: NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission finally underway
NASA's oft-delayed Artemis 1 lunar test flight finally got off the ground at 1:47 a.m. EST (0647 GMT) Wednesday with the inaugural blastoff of NASA's huge Space Launch System moon rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The unpiloted demonstration mission will pave the way for future human missions to the moon.
VideoWatch live: Hurricane force wind gusts detected at Artemis 1 launch pad
Hurricane Nicole made landfall on Florida's east coast south of Kennedy Space Center early Thursday, while NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket rode out the storm on pad 39B. We're streaming live views from Kennedy Space Center.

First launch of NASA’s Artemis moon rocket slips to Nov. 16
NASA said Tuesday the launch of its Artemis 1 moon rocket will be delayed from Nov. 14 to no earlier than Nov. 16 as approaching Tropical Storm Nicole interrupts preflight processing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Subtropical Storm Nicole delays SpaceX launch; Artemis 1 rocket stays on pad
SpaceX has pushed back the flight of its next Falcon 9 rocket from Tuesday to Saturday as Subtropical Storm Nicole threatens the east coast of Florida, officials said Monday. But NASA is keeping its Artemis 1 moon rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for a launch attempt next week.

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket back on pad 39B for nighttime launch attempt
NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket arrived back on its Florida launch pad Friday, ready for a series of overnight launch opportunities beginning Nov. 14 to start a crucial, long-delayed test flight that officials hope will set the stage for future lunar missions with astronauts.
VideoNASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket ready for ride back to launch pad
After replacing and recharging batteries in the Vehicle Assembly Building, NASA ground teams plan to roll the more than 30-story-tall Space Launch System rocket back to its launch pad early Friday at Kennedy Space Center for another try Nov. 14 to send the Artemis 1 test flight around the moon.