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NASA’s moon rocket scores an ‘A+‘ on critical engine test
The core piece of NASA's first huge Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket designed to carry astronauts back to the moon fired its main engines more than eight minutes Thursday in southern Mississippi, acing a crucial test before the it ships to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for liftoff.
VideoLive coverage: NASA completes eight-minute Space Launch System hot fire test
NASA fired up four hydrogen-fueled main engines on the core stage of the first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket Thursday in on a test stand in Mississippi, a redo of a crucial hot fire test that was cut short in January by technical issues. The engines burned more than eight minutes in an apparently successful test.
NASA’s moon rocket set for second test-firing Thursday
Two months after a first test-firing ended prematurely, NASA plans to ignite the core stage of the first Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket again Thursday for an eight-minute burn to confirm it is ready for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.
Russia looks to China as new space exploration partner
Russia's decision to partner with China on a planned lunar research station, and not join the U.S.-led Artemis moon program, was disappointing after more than two decades of cooperation on the International Space Station, says NASA's top human spaceflight official.
Stacking complete for SLS boosters
The twin 177-foot-tall solid-fueled boosters for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System have been stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center to await arrival of the rocket's cryogenic core stage, which is set for a second engine test on a firing stand in Mississippi later this month.
Boeing’s next Starliner test flight delayed after SpaceX crew rotation
An unpiloted test flight of Boeing's Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station will be delayed from its previous target launch date of April 2 until at least May, after the arrivals of Russian Soyuz and SpaceX Crew Dragon ships bringing fresh crew members to the orbiting complex, NASA officials said Monday.
Stuck propulsion valve delays second SLS test-firing
A troublesome liquid oxygen valve on the Space Launch System's first flight-rated core stage will keep NASA from performing a second test-firing of the rocket's four main engines this week.
Launch of Starliner test flight slips to no earlier April 2
The launch of the next test flight of Boeing's Starliner crew capsule has been delayed to no earlier than April 2 after workers replaced spacecraft avionics units damaged in a power surge during testing.
Biden backs Artemis moon program; watchdog says it’ll cost $86 billion
The Biden administration supports continuing NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts back to the moon, the White House said last week, without stating whether it will back away from the program’s already-in-doubt schedule for a lunar landing by the end of 2024.
SpaceX wins contract to launch first pieces of NASA’s Gateway lunar outpost
NASA announced Tuesday it has awarded SpaceX a $331 million contract to launch the first two pieces of the Gateway lunar outpost in 2024 using a modified version of the Falcon Heavy rocket to hurl the massive core of the deep space station toward the moon.