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
2,715 articles
Starliner crew confident spacecraft will bring them safely home
Helium leaks and thruster issues prompted NASA to extend their stay aboard the space station indefinitely -- Wednesday marked their 35th day in orbit -- while engineers carry out tests and analysis to better understand what caused the problems and to make sure the spacecraft can safely being Wilmore and Williams home.

Starliner landing now on indefinite hold for more tests, but NASA insists crew not ‘stranded’ in space
The problem for NASA and Boeing is that the Starliner's service module, which houses the helium lines, thrusters and other critical systems, is discarded before re-entry and burns up in the atmosphere. Engineers will not be able to study the hardware after the fact and as a result, they want to collect as much data as possible before NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams head home.

NASA again delays Starliner undocking, return to Earth
NASA and Boeing managers have again decided to extend the Starliner crew capsule's stay at the International Space Station, passing up a June 26 re-entry to allow more time for analysis and testing to make sure helium leaks and thruster failures are fully understood, officials said late Friday.

FAA, NASA seek public input on SpaceX Starship launches at the Kennedy Space Center
The public scoping on Starship missions at Launch Complex 39A offer community input through in-person and virtual information sessions. The open house-style meetings come about a month following the conclusion of an environment review on a 100-acre SpaceX expansion at KSC.
VideoStarliner crew welcomed aboard space station
Working around multiple helium leaks and thruster problems, the crew of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft wrapped up a challenging rendezvous and a delayed-but-successful docking with the International Space Station Thursday in a major milestone for the new ship's first piloted test flight.
VideoSpaceX accomplishes first soft splashdown of Starship, Super Heavy Booster on Flight 4 mission
The development mission includes fewer additional mission milestones compared to the third flight with a focus on demonstrating the reusability model that Starship promises. Liftoff happened at 7:50 a.m. CDT (8:50 a.m. EDT, 1250 UTC), near the opening of a 120-minute window.
VideoThird time’s the charm for the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test
The launch of two NASA astronauts dealt with two previous scrubs due to a valve issue on the Atlas 5 rocket and then a ground system issue at the launchpad. Liftoff happened at 10:52 a.m. EDT (1452 UTC) on Wednesday, June 5.
VideoSpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites on 14th anniversary of the first Falcon 9 launch
The flight marked the first launch of Direct to Cell-capable Starlink satellites from Florida. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 10:16 p.m. EDT (0216 UTC) on Tuesday.

Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko reaches 1,000 cumulative days in space
The milestone comes just four months after Kononenko broke the world record for the most accumulative time spent in space. The 59-year-old will continue racking up days on orbit until his return to Earth in September.
VideoNews from the Press Site: Business of Starlink and Boeing’s Starliner prepares to launch – News from the Press Site
In this week's edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now's Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Mike Wall, Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com; and Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space.