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
2,239 articles
Mars helicopter needs a software update before attempting first flight
NASA said Monday the Ingenuity helicopter needs a software update to resolve a problem that cut short the drone's rotor startup sequence on Mars last week, postponing the craft's first flight in the Red Planet's atmosphere until later this month.

Soyuz crew welcomed aboard International Space Station
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two cosmonauts blasted off from Kazakhstan Friday and docked with the International Space Station after a two-orbit chase, the first step in a record crew rotation requiring two launches and two landings with four different spacecraft in just three weeks.
VideoLive coverage: Soyuz launches with next space station crew
Veteran Russian commander Oleg Novitskiy, rookie flight engineer Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei launched into orbit Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:42 a.m. EDT (0742 GMT). The crew members rode a Soyuz capsule in pursuit of the International Space Station, where docking occurred at 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 GMT).

NASA astronaut, two cosmonauts set for launch to space station
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two Russian cosmonauts will ride a Soyuz ferry ship to the International Space Station early Friday, the first step in a record crew rotation requiring two launches and two landings with four different spacecraft in just three weeks.

NASA’s Mars helicopter ready for pre-flight checkouts
Mission controllers plan to unlock the blades on NASA's Ingenuity helicopter and spin them up to more than 2,000 rpm for a test later this week, a bit of "calisthenics" before the rotorcraft's first flight in the atmosphere of Mars as soon as this weekend, the helicopter's operations lead said Monday.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule swaps docking ports on space station
In the home stretch of nearly a half-year on the International Space Station, four astronauts suited up and rode their SpaceX-owned Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship to a new docking port outside the orbiting research lab Monday, a first-of-its kind maneuver for the new generation of commercial crew spaceships.

Musk says methane leak doomed latest Starship test flight
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday that a "relatively small" methane leak caused the explosion of the company's latest Starship test rocket last week on an experimental flight over South Texas.
VideoLive coverage: SpaceX crew capsule moves to new space station docking port
Four astronauts strapped into their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Monday and rode along for an automated maneuver to relocate the capsule to a different docking port outside the International Space Station. The relocation maneuver, which concluded with a link-up with the new docking port 7:08 a.m. EDT (1108 GMT), was the first of its kind for a Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Station astronauts prep for relocation of SpaceX crew capsule
Commander Mike Hopkins and his three crewmates will board their Crew Dragon "Resilience" capsule Monday for a first-time maneuver to relocate the SpaceX-owned spaceship to a new docking port outside the International Space Station.

Perseverance rover’s zoomable camera checks out on Red Planet
Scientists have confirmed the first zoomable camera on Mars is in top-top shape since arriving aboard NASA's Perseverance rover in February, adding a long-distance survey capability to the robot's scientific toolkit. The camera is now ready to capture high-definition video of the Ingenuity helicopter's first flight in the Martian atmosphere later this month.