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
902 articles
NASA plans Artemis 1 moon rocket retest around June 19
NASA plans to haul its huge Space Launch System moon rocket back to the launch pad June 5-6 for a fourth attempt to load it with 730,000 gallons of supercold propellants in a dress-rehearsal countdown to clear the way for a maiden test flight later this summer, officials said Friday.

Nelson cites China’s growing space prowess, calls for sustained NASA funding
Holding up a photo taken by China's new Mars lander, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warned Congress Wednesday that his agency faces increasingly stiff competition on the high frontier and that sustained funding for a new moon lander, infrastructure upgrades and other critical programs is vital for America's space program.

China releases first pictures from Zhurong rover since Mars landing
China's space agency released the first pictures from the Zhurong Mars rover rover Wednesday, showing the six-wheel robot ready to drive down a ramp from its landing platform to begin exploring the Red Planet.

China lands its first probe on Mars
China’s space agency said Friday the country’s first Mars rover safely touched down and began sending data back to Earth, joining the United States as the only two nations to successfully land and operate a spacecraft on the surface of the Red Planet.

Chinese rover heads for landing on Mars
A Chinese rover outfitted with cameras, a weather station, and a sophisticated laser spectrometer could touch down on Mars as soon as Friday, a feat that would make China the second nation to successfully land and operate a spacecraft on the surface of the Red Planet.
VideoSpaceX outlines plans for Starship orbital test flight
SpaceX has revealed the flight plan for the first orbital test launch of the company's huge stainless steel Starship rocket, a 90-minute, around-the-world mission that will originate from South Texas and culminate with a controlled re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
VideoUpgraded Starship prototype makes first soft landing after test flight
SpaceX launched and landed an upgraded prototype for the company's next-generation Starship vehicle in South Texas on Wednesday, the company's first Starship test flight since winning a $2.9 billion NASA contract to use the craft to land astronauts on the Moon.

Core of NASA’s first Artemis moon rocket towed into Vehicle Assembly Building
A decade in the making, the core stage for NASA's first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket rolled into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center Thursday to join up with twin solid rocket boosters and an Orion capsule for an unpiloted test flight around the moon.

NASA barge delivers first SLS core stage to Kennedy Space Center
The core stage of NASA's first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday evening aboard a specially-built barge, completing a voyage by sea from a test site in Mississippi to begin final preparations for the first flight of NASA's Artemis Moon program. Ground crews plan to transport the core stage into the Vehicle Assembly Building beginning around 5:30 a.m. EDT (0930 GMT) Thursday to join its two solid rocket boosters.
VideoNASA’s Ingenuity helicopter aces first longer-range flight on Mars
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter flew farther and faster Sunday than the rotorcraft's first two test flights in the Martian atmosphere, traveling the length of a football field while exceeding distances and speeds achieved during testing on Earth, officials said.