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
691 articles
Military officials committed to keeping Cape Canaveral open for launches
The military-run Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral remains ready to support upcoming launches — including an Atlas 5 flight Thursday — amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday.
NASA confirms work stoppage on James Webb Space Telescope
NASA and Northrop Grumman are "suspending integration and testing operations" on the James Webb Space Telescope in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision that officials said is likely to delay the mission's scheduled launch date in March 2021.
Astronaut’s family won’t attend launch next month due to coronavirus threat
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy's family will be watching remotely from halfway around the world when he blasts off April 9 from Kazakhstan to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station.
Facing pandemic, NASA shutters rocket factory, halts SLS and Orion testing
NASA announced Thursday that work on the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew capsule at facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi is being halted due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, a stoppage that could force further delays on the already behind-schedule and over-budget programs. Meanwhile, NASA officials are making plans to continue working on the agency's next Mars rover to keep it on schedule for launch later this year, even if the virus forces further closures.
Apollo astronaut Al Worden dies at 88
Former astronaut Al Worden, who orbited the moon and performed the first spacewalk in deep space in 1971, died Wednesday in Texas. He was 88.
NASA institutes mandatory agency-wide telework policy
All NASA centers and facilities will begin a mandatory telework policy for agency and contractor employees effective immediately, except for "mission-essential" personnel, to combat the threat from the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Tuesday.
SpaceX selected to launch Intelsat telecom satellite, NASA pollution monitor
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch an Intelsat communications satellite with a NASA-funded air pollution monitor to be positioned over the Americas in 2022, officials announced Tuesday.
NASA no longer counting on Gateway for 2024 moon landing
NASA is modifying plans to send astronauts back to the moon in 2024 by taking the Gateway -- a mini-space station to be assembled in lunar orbit -- out of the critical path in favor of a simplified architecture, according to the agency's chief of human spaceflight.
NASA to consider WFIRST launch options after mission passes key review
NASA expects to select a launch vehicle next year to carry the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope -- a multibillion-dollar flagship astrophysics observatory targeted for cancellation by the Trump administration -- into space in 2025 after the mission passed a key review last month, agency officials said.
Photos: Falcon 9 launches and lands at Cape Canaveral
A Falcon 9 rocket fired into a late-night sky Friday night over Cape Canaveral with a Dragon supply ship bound for the International Space Station. Eight minutes later, the booster returned to Florida’s Space Coast for SpaceX’s 50th landing of a Falcon first stage.