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VideoScientists thrilled with first look at asteroid sampler in action
The first images beamed back to Earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft after it briefly landed an asteroid buoyed expectations Wednesday that the probe collected enough samples to meet the mission’s minimum requirement for return to Earth.
SpaceX test-fires Starship prototype with three engines
SpaceX fired three Raptor engines on a prototype of the company’s Starship vehicle Tuesday, accomplishing another milestone on the road toward testing of the methane-fueled rocket at higher altitudes.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft lands on asteroid in bid to collect samples
A robotic arm extended from NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly contacted the rugged surface of asteroid Bennu Tuesday to gobble up pristine samples, a climactic moment in the $1 billion mission to bring asteroid material back to Earth in 2023.
VideoLive coverage: OSIRIS-REx makes touch and go landing on asteroid
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft made a touch and go landing on asteroid Bennu at 6:12 p.m. EDT (2212 GMT) Tuesday. The craft aimed to collect samples from the asteroid's gravely surface for return to Earth in 2023 for scientists to search for clues about the origins and evolution of the solar system.
VideoHow OSIRIS-REx will snag a sample from asteroid Bennu
Mars rovers go through seven minutes of terror when they plunge into the Martian atmosphere at hypersonic speed. NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will take a more glacial approach to its asteroid target Tuesday, and the event will be more akin to four-and-a-half hours of mild anxiety for ground teams, according to the mission's operations manager.
VideoAfter four-year journey, NASA spacecraft ready to touch an asteroid
Flying on autopilot more than 200 million miles from Earth, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is on track for a daring touch and go landing on an asteroid Tuesday to grab a sample for return to scientists eager to scan the specimens for clues about the history of the solar system.
NASA selects proposals to demonstrate in-space refueling and propellant depot tech
NASA has selected 14 companies for contracts of more than $370 million to advance technology for human missions to the moon and Mars. Most of the money will support flight demonstrations by SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and other companies that could lead to in-space refueling and propellant depots for reusable lunar landers and deep space transportation vehicles.
Mercury-bound spacecraft gets an assist from Venus
The European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft flew by Venus late Wednesday, using the planet's gravity to help redirect the probe toward its ultimate destination of Mercury.
Juno team planning close flybys of Jupiter’s moons
NASA's Juno spacecraft could perform the first close flybys since the early 2000s of three of Jupiter's largest moons, including Europa, if the space agency grants the mission an extension, Juno's lead scientist said recently.
China’s Mars-bound probe returns self-portrait from deep space
China's space agency has released images captured by a small camera ejected from the country's first Mars-bound spacecraft, showing the probe in deep space as it nears the halfway point of its seven-month journey from Earth to the Red Planet.