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VideoULA test-fires first Vulcan rocket at Cape Canaveral
United Launch Alliance's first Vulcan Centaur rocket completed a critical test-firing of its Blue Origin-built BE-4 main engines Wednesday night, clearing one of two remaining technical hurdles before the launcher is cleared for its inaugural flight later this year.
Technical snags force another delay for Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule
Boeing and NASA officials said Thursday the first launch of astronauts on Boeing's delay-prone Starliner crew capsule won't happen in July after engineers recently discovered a problem with the spacecraft's parachute system and identified flammable tape around wiring harnesses inside the vehicle.
ULA delays Vulcan test-firing to troubleshoot engine ignition system
United Launch Alliance called off a test-firing of the company's first flight-rated Vulcan Centaur rocket at Cape Canaveral Thursday to troubleshoot a problem with the booster's engine ignition system.
NASA awards Blue Origin $3.4 billion Artemis moon lander contract
Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build an Artemis lunar lander that will provide a downstream alternative to the Starship variant already being developed by SpaceX, the agency announced Friday.
First Vulcan rocket rolls back to hangar for ‘adjustments’ prior to test-firing
United Launch Alliance's first Vulcan rocket was filled with methane and liquid oxygen propellants at Cape Canaveral last week for a tanking test, but managers decided to move the rocket back inside a hangar for a few adjustments before proceeding with an engine test-firing.
SpaceX launches largest rocket ever built, but test flight ends in explosion
After years of anticipation, SpaceX launched the first test flight of its full-scale Starship rocket Thursday from South Texas, but the mission ended four minutes later as the vehicle veered out of control and self-destructed over the Gulf of Mexico following multiple engine failures.
VideoLive coverage: SpaceX’s Starship rocket explodes on test flight from Texas
SpaceX launched the first full-scale Starship and Super Heavy rocket from South Texas at 8:33 a.m. CDT (9:33 a.m. EDT; 1333 UTC Thursday). The nearly 40-story-tall rocket, the largest ever built, lifted off from the Starbase launch complex and flew downrange before veering out of control and exploding about four minutes into the flight.
VideoVideo from Starbase: SpaceX prepares for second Starship launch attempt
Spaceflight Now's Stephen Clark reports from Starbase in South Texas as SpaceX prepares the largest rocket in history for a second launch attempt after calling off a launch attempt Monday due to a valve problem.
Elon Musk’s success criteria for Starship test flight: “Don’t blow up the launch pad”
Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, did his best to set low expectations heading into the first test flight of the gargantuan Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket this week. "Just don’t blow up the launch pad," Musk said.
SpaceX’s Starship test flight delayed until Thursday after valve problem
SpaceX scrubbed the first test launch of its huge new rocket Monday due to a frozen valve in the pressurization system on the 33-engine Super Heavy booster, delaying the widely-anticipated flight from South Texas until at least Thursday.