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Intuitive Machines lunar lander healthy, but apparently on its side
A commercially built moon lander built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines landed near the moon's south pole Thursday, but telemetry indicated it ended up on its side. The lander is "alive," officials said, but it's not yet known what mission objectives might still be met.
Starship upper stage lost in second mishap in a row
SpaceX launched its huge Starship rocket on the program's eighth test flight Thursday, but a malfunction of some sort triggered multiple upper stage engine shutdowns and for the second flight in a row, the vehicle failed to reach its planned sub-orbital altitude and broke apart in a shower of debris.
Trump nominates Jared Isaacman to serve as next NASA administrator
If confirmed, Isaacman, 41, would be the fifth NASA administrator with spaceflight experience, replacing former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who flew into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia in early 1986.
One astronaut hospitalized in Pensacola after splashdown; crewmates flown back to Houston
The astronaut "is in stable condition under observation as a precautionary measure," NASA said in a statement 10 hours after the Crew Dragon's landing. "To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition or identity will not be shared."
VideoSpaceX pulls off mid-air launch pad capture of descending Super Heavy booster
In one of the most dramatic, high-risk space flights to date, SpaceX launched a gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship rocket on an unpiloted test flight Sunday and then used giant "mechazilla" robot arms on the pad gantry to pluck the returning first stage out of the sky in an unprecedented feat of engineering.
VideoULA launches second Vulcan flight, encounters strap-on booster anomaly
United Launch Alliance fired off a next-generation Vulcan rocket Friday in the second of two "certification" test flights needed before the new launcher can be used to carry high-priority national security payloads for the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. One of two solid-propellant strap-on boosters provided by Northrop Grumman suffered an anomaly of some sort. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said it will be investigated.
VideoSpaceX launches two to space station, giving Starliner astronauts a ride home in February
SpaceX launched a reduced two-man crew on a flight to the International Space Station Saturday, along with supplies and a pair of empty seats for two Starliner astronauts waiting to hitch a ride home in February after an unexpected eight-and-a-half-month stay in orbit.
Soyuz brings two cosmonauts, NASA astronaut back to Earth after record-setting mission
Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, now the world's most experienced spaceman, first-time flier Nikolai Chub and NASA veteran Tracy Dyson undocked from the International Space Station and returned to Earth Monday, closing out a record-setting mission with a picture-perfect landing in Kazakhstan.
Polaris Dawn crew returns to Earth with splashdown in Gulf of Mexico
The Polaris Dawn crew closed out a record-setting commercial spaceflight with a pre-dawn splashdown early Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico northwest of Key West, Florida. Splashdown occurred at 3:37 a.m. EDT (0737 UTC).
First non-government spacewalk goes off without a hitch for Polaris Dawn crew
In another SpaceX milestone, billionaire Jared Isaacman and company crew trainer Sarah Gillis took turns floating just outside their Crew Dragon capsule early Thursday in the first privately-financed spacewalk in the history of space exploration.