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News Archive: April 2013 - August 2013
Zenit rocket resumes flights after February failure
An Israeli communications satellite successfully launched Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the first flight of a Zenit rocket since the same type of launcher lost control and crashed into the Pacific Ocean moments after liftoff in February.
FULL STORY
Heavy-lifting Ariane 5 delivers for three customers
An Ariane 5 rocket fired its clean-burning hydrogen-fueled main engine, passed an automated check of dozens of health parameters, and lit two tube-shaped solid rocket boosters to blast away from its launch pad in the Amazon jungle Thursday with two communications satellites to serve the Middle East, North Africa and India.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER IMAGES:ARIANE 5 ROLLOUT LAUNCH TIMELINE ARIANE 5 DIAGRAM OUR ARIANE ARCHIVE
First launch of new Japanese rocket scrubbed
Japanese officials say a computer aboard Japan's new Epsilon rocket detected a faulty sensor reading moments before it was supposed to lift off Tuesday, postponing the launch as engineers diagnose the cause of the last-minute glitch.
FULL STORY
Minotaur 5 topped off with addition of moon craft
Technicians lifted a NASA moon probe on top of a Minotaur rocket on Saturday, crowning an eight-story, five-stage booster set for an historic liftoff from Virginia on Sept. 6.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
Launch preparations begin for Gaia galaxy-mapper
Europeís new eye on the galaxy arrived in French Guiana on Friday, beginning three months of flight preparations before liftoff on a Soyuz rocket in November to commence a survey of a billion stars and chart their chaotic motion in the Milky Way galaxy.
FULL STORY
Dream Chaser takes captive-carry flight
One of the commercial vehicles vying to fill the void left by the retired space shuttles for carrying Americans into orbit from U.S. launch pads took to the skies over California's Edwards Air Force Base on Thursday for captive-carry testing.
FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers. Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution: VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS FROM CAPTIVE-CARRY TEST AT EDWARDS HDTV VIDEO:
DREAM CHASER GROUND TAXI TESTING HDTV SUBSCRIBE NOW
WISE approved for three-year asteroid survey
NASA will reactivate a hibernating satellite to scan the inner solar system for nearby asteroids and other objects, including potential destinations for human exploration, the space agency announced Wednesday.
FULL STORY
Soviet-era missile boosts South Korean satellite
A converted Russian ballistic missile rocketed out of an underground silo in southern Russia on Thursday and delivered a radar-equipped South Korean observing satellite to a 340-mile-high orbit, kicking off a five-year mission to collect high-resolution imagery to aid urban planners, emergency responders and environmental scientists.
FULL STORY
Next Atlas launch moved up
Continuing a year of frequent flights, the next United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is moving up on the calendar, a full week earlier than originally targeted, to deploy an Air Force communications satellite.
MISSION STATUS CENTER OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
Legendary former shuttle commander, test pilot dies
Former shuttle commander C. (Charles) Gordon Fullerton, veteran of two space missions who also flew NASA's B-52 launch aircraft and was one of only two non-Russians to fly the Tu-144 supersonic transport during a legendary 50-year career, died Wednesday. He was 76.
FULL STORY
NASA instroduces its new class of astronauts
NASA introduced eight new astronaut candidates to the public Tuesday, four men and four women who initially will focus on space station operations before possible assignment to future missions to the moon, near-Earth asteroids or, eventually, Mars.
FULL STORY
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BOLDEN INTRODUCES THE NEW ASTRONAUT CLASS PLAY VIDEO:
LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH CANDIDATE PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
India's GSLV return-to-flight facing lengthy delay
Indian engineers plan to return the country's largest rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, to its assembly building for checks and repairs after the launcher's second stage sprung a fuel leak during a countdown Monday.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH BROCHURE - (pdf download)
Video highlights from recent space events
For Spaceflight Now+Plus subscribers, here's some new HD video clips for download and high-quality viewing on the latest developments with taxi tests of the commercial Dream Chaser vehicle at Edwards Air Force Base, pre-launch assembly of NASA's Mars-bound MAVEN spacecraft, water recovery tests of the Orion spacecraft with the Navy in Virginia and the record-duration Russian spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
Additional coverage for subscribers. Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution: VIDEO:
DREAM CHASER GROUND TAXI TESTING PLAY VIDEO:
ORION WATER RECOVERY BY NAVY SHIP PLAY VIDEO:
RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS TAKE SPACEWALK PLAY VIDEO:
LARGE ANTENNA INSTALLED ON MAVEN SPACECRAFT PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Cosmonauts set spacewalk endurance record
Cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin returned to the safety of the International Space Station's Pirs airlock compartment Friday after a trouble-free spacewalk, setting a new Russian endurance record with a seven-hour 29-minute excursion.
FULL STORY
NASA seeks new use for crippled Kepler telescope
Engineers have concluded they will be unable to restore NASA's Kepler telescope to full form after two reaction wheel failures - effectively ending the mission's search for Earth-sized planets around other stars - but officials are seeking new ideas to use the craft's 3.1-foot telescope to search for alien worlds, asteroids, comets and supernovas, mission managers announced Thursday.
FULL STORY SFN+PLUS:KEPLER LAUNCH COVERAGE SFN+PLUS:HDTV VIDEO OF LAUNCH
Proton rocket to resume flights in September
Russia's Proton rocket is scheduled to resume launches in September after a fiery mishap of the expendable booster destroyed three Russian navigation satellites at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in July, the Proton's U.S.-based commercial sales firm announced Wednesday.
FULL STORY
United Launch Alliance preparing for 75th mission
Assembly of United Launch Alliance's next Atlas 5 rocket is underway in the towering integration facility at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 pad to deploy an ultra-secure U.S. communications satellite in September.
FULL STORY OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
ATK chosen to supply Stratolaunch rocket motors
Rocket-builder ATK will design and build first and second stage motors for an air-launched satellite booster under development by Stratolaunch Systems, a start-up launch firm established in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
FULL STORY
NASA's next Mars mission inside 100 days from launch
The team in charge of NASA's $671 million Mars orbiter due for liftoff in November says the project is on schedule and on budget for launch during an immovable 20-day interplanetary window this fall.
FULL STORY IMAGES:MAVEN TRANSPORTED TO FLORIDA
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Japanese cargo freighter arrives at space station
The International Space Station's robotic arm, under the control of astronaut Karen Nyberg, reached out and snared a Japanese resupply ship Friday after the unmanned cargo carrier completed a smooth laser-guided rendezvous with the 450-ton orbiting complex.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER RENDEZVOUS TIMELINE
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SPACE STATION ARM CAPTURES FREE-FLYING HTV 4 PLAY VIDEO:
HTV 4 CARGO CRAFT LAUNCHES TO SPACE STATION PLAY VIDEO:
H-2B ROCKET ROLLED OUT TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH-TO-CAPTURE OVERVIEW FOR HTV 4 PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
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THE DELTA 4 LAUNCHES WITH WGS 6 PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Asteroid sampling mission to launch on Atlas 5 rocket
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flying in its unique configuration with a single strap-on solid booster mounted to the first stage has been selected to send a NASA spacecraft to rendezvous with an asteroid and return samples to Earth. FULL STORY
Japan launches resupply mission to space station
A Japanese resupply freighter took off Saturday with nearly six tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station, bringing fresh food, experiments, spare parts and a charming humanoid robot name Kirobo to keep the outpost's six-person crew company.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH TIMELINE
Additional coverage for subscribers. Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution: VIDEO:
HTV 4 CARGO CRAFT LAUNCHES TO SPACE STATION PLAY VIDEO:
H-2B ROCKET ROLLED OUT TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY VIDEO:
LAUNCH-TO-CAPTURE OVERVIEW FOR HTV 4 PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Mars atmospheric mission travels to Florida launch site
A NASA spacecraft set to launch to Mars this fall took a cross-country plane ride Friday in the belly of a U.S. Air Force cargo jet, and we were invited along for the ride. Follow the journey of MAVEN with Spaceflight Now.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! MAVEN FACT SHEET - (pdf download) OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
New Navy satellite spreads wings, antennas in orbit
The massive U.S. Navy communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral two weeks ago has completed prescribed maneuvers to reach geosynchronous orbit and successfully unfurled its umbrella-like antenna reflectors.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - launch coverage! IMAGES:LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY IMAGES:ULA'S PHOTO GALLERY IMAGES:VIEW FROM PLAYALINDA BEACH
Delta 4 rockets readied for two launches in August
The payloads are attached and final preparations are underway for two national security satellites heading for different orbits aboard United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rockets in August, one from Cape Canaveral, the other at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
FULL STORY OUR DELTA ARCHIVE
Cargo freighter takes 4-orbit sprint to space station
Launching at the precise moment to satisfy orbital mechanics, a Russian resupply ship took just four orbits from liftoff to docking Saturday for a linkup on autopilot with the International Space Station.
FULL STORY
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Europe's Ariane 5 blasts off with two satellites
An Ariane 5 rocket lifted off from French Guiana on Thursday with a sophisticated European communications satellite to test new broadcast technologies and an Indian weather satellite.
MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH TIMELINE ARIANE LAUNCH ARCHIVE
Images of Earth taken by distant NASA spacecraft
Captured from opposite ends of the solar system Friday, two NASA spacecraft turned their cameras on planet Earth, capturing our bright beacon in the black expanse of space.
FULL STORY
This is the United Launch Alliance highlights film from Friday's Atlas 5 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral that deployed a massive communications satellite for the U.S. Navy, becoming the second in a series that will ring the planet and create a new cellular-like mobile network for calls and data transmissions between U.S. military forces.
Photo gallery: Powerful Atlas 5 rocket blasts off
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, fitted with five strap-on solid-fuel boosters for maximum thrust, successfully hauled a massive communications satellite into orbit for the U.S. Navy on Friday from Cape Canaveral.
IMAGES:UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE PHOTO GALLERY
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Earth's gold came from colliding dead stars
We value gold for many reasons: its beauty, its usefulness as jewelry, and its rarity. Gold is rare on Earth in part because it's also rare in the universe. Unlike elements like carbon or iron, it cannot be created within a star. Instead, it must be born in a more cataclysmic event - like one that occurred last month known as a short gamma-ray burst.
FULL STORY
Spacewalk aborted by spacesuit water leak
A dangerous leak resulting in a large blob of water weightlessly sloshing inside Luca Parmitano's space helmet forced NASA to abort a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk Tuesday, sending the Italian astronaut, struggling to hear and see clearly, back to the safety of the International Space Station's Quest airlock.
FULL STORY EARLIER STORY
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Hubble Space Telescope finds new Neptune moon
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting distant Neptune, the 14th known to be circling the giant gas planet. The moon, merely 12 miles across, is the smallest known moon in the Neptunian system.
FULL STORY
Hubble finds true blue planet
The Hubble Space Telescope has deduced a planet orbiting another star 63 light-years away, known as planet HD 189733b, is blue in color.
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2020 rover to look for signs of past life on Mars
A team of scientists studying possible mission scenarios for a planned 2020 Mars mission modeled on NASA's Curiosity rover has recommended a spacecraft equipped with instruments designed to look for traces of past life in the red planet's frigid crust, agency managers said.
FULL STORY
Spacewalk completed at International Space Station
Astronauts Christopher Cassidy and Luca Parmitano took a six-hour spacewalk from the International Space Station on Tuesday to replace a Ku-band communications transceiver; to install cabling needed by an upcoming Russian laboratory module; to retrieve a pair of science experiments; mount radiator servicing attachment fittings; and carry out routine maintenance.
FULL STORY EARLIER STORY
Next Proton payload put in storage during failure probe
A European television satellite that was scheduled to ride a Russian Proton rocket into orbit later this month has been placed into an extended storage mode, its launch date now unknown in the wake of the disastrous liftoff and crash of a similar booster last week.
FULL STORY
Navy satellite hoisted aboard Atlas 5 rocket
The second satellite in the orbital assembly of the U.S. Navy's new mobile communications network was loaded atop its United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket booster Monday at Cape Canaveral.
FULL STORY LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE GROUND TRACK MAP
Hubble sees comet ISON bringing holiday fireworks
This July Fourth the solar system is showing off some fireworks of its own.
Superficially resembling a skyrocket, comet ISON is hurtling toward the sun presently at a whopping 48,000 mph.
FULL STORY
PROTON ROCKET CRASHES
A Russian Proton rocket went out of control and slammed into the steppes of Kazakhstan mere moments after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Monday night. The booster was carrying three navigation satellites on the ill-fated mission. Live video showed the Proton gyrating left and right as it ascended off the pad before going into a nose dive and plummeting into a massive fireball.
FULL STORY
Atlas and Delta rockets get new batch of launch orders
United Launch Alliance has received a seven-launch order for Atlas and Delta rockets to carry out missions for the U.S. Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office.
FULL STORY
NASA's GALEX mission concludes after a decade
NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, a diminutive satellite launched 10 years ago with the monumental goal of mapping the history of star formation in a million galaxies, completed its mission and was turned off last week. FULL STORY
India's first navigation satellite launched by PSLV
India's first navigation satellite launched Monday aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, beginning a program to provide autonomous positioning services for users over Indian territory.
FULL STORY
Photo galleries: Atlantis attraction now open
With more than 40 astronauts in attendance, including at least one member of every Atlantis flight crew, the space shuttle attraction launched at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Saturday morning.
PHOTOS:OPENING DAY FESTIVITIES PHOTOS:TAKE TOUR OF ATLANTIS FACILITY
Fourth space shuttle retirement home opens
Two years after the final space shuttle launch, the sentimental sendoff to put the retired orbiters on public display around the country was finished Saturday with the opening of the extravagant Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex attraction showcasing Atlantis.
FULL STORY PHOTOS:ATLANTIS READY FOR OPENING DAY OUR ATLANTIS ARCHIVE
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GRAND OPENING FESTIVITIES PLAY VIDEO:
ATLANTIS EXHIBIT OPENS WITH PYROTECHNICS HI-DEF VIDEO:
PAYLOAD BAY DOORS OPENED PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
DOOR OPENING TIME LAPSE: IN FRONT PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
DOOR OPENING TIME LAPSE: OVERHEAD PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
SHIP CLEANED AFTER WRAPPING REMOVED PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ATLANTIS UNWRAPPED FROM PLASTIC COVERING PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LOOK BACK TO EARLY CONSTRUCTION PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ARRIVAL AND FIREWORKS AT RETIREMENT HOME PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
AERIAL VIEWS OF SHUTTLE ATLANTIS PARADE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
RETIRED SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LEAVES COMPLEX 39
PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
PAYLOAD BAY DOORS CLOSED IN THE HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
REPLICA DOCKING SYSTEM INSTALLED PLAY | HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Pegasus launch puts solar research craft in orbit
The newest spacecraft to launch in NASA's oldest program -- the Explorer project that dates back to America's first satellite -- was propelled into Earth orbit Thursday night by an air-launched rocket off the coast of California.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER PHOTOS:TOUR OF L-1011 AND PEGASUS
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PEGASUS ROCKET SOARS WITH IRIS HI-DEF VIDEO:
PEGASUS ROCKET PREPARED FOR FLIGHT HI-DEF VIDEO:
NARRATED PEGASUS LAUNCH ANIMATION HI-DEF VIDEO:
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Chinese astronauts conclude 15-day spaceflight
After a 15-day mission in which astronauts taught physics lessons to students and completed rendezvous and docking trials, three crew members aboard China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft returned to Earth on Tuesday night.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
Soyuz launches broadband beacon for developing world
Four satellites soared into space Tuesday on top of a Soyuz rocket launched from the jungle of South America, beginning the assembly of a fleet of spacecraft equipped to beam broadband connectivity to billions of people beyond the reach of affordable high-speed Internet services.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER PREVIEW STORY COUNTDOWN TIMELINE LAUNCH TIMELINE
Russian imaging satellite in orbit after Soyuz launch
Russia launched a civil remote sensing satellite aboard a Soyuz rocket Tuesday, lofting a spacecraft with a modernized high-resolution digital camera to collect imagery of Earth for Russian government agencies and international customers.
FULL STORY
Russian spacewalk paves way for new lab module
Cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin staged a successful six-hour 34-minute spacewalk Monday, installing cable clamps, attaching handrails and testing rendezvous equipment to help pave the way for installation of a new Russian laboratory module later this year.
FULL STORY EARLIER STORY
Armstrong honored by crewmates and co-workers
Neil Armstrong's crewmates and co-workers honored the first man to walk on the moon during a memorial service at the Johnson Space Center Thursday, recalling the extraordinary competence and quiet dignity that have come to represent the "human face and the human spirit of the Apollo program."
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House bill threatens $1 billion in NASA funding cuts
A draft NASA authorization bill floated by the House Science, Space and Technology Committee would eliminate funding for the Obama administration's proposed asteroid retrieval mission and cut overall agency spending by about $1 billion, lawmakers said Wednesday.
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Air-launched Pegasus rocket mated to L-1011 jet
The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket was attached to the L-1011 carrier jet that will ferry the launcher off the coast of California next Wednesday evening and release the 55-foot-long booster to fire into orbit.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
Two engine rivals merge into Aerojet Rocketdyne
Two commercial suppliers of rocket power in the U.S. have completed their merger and "launched" into business under the new banner Aerojet Rocketydyne, promising the government it will reduce costs.
FULL STORY
New class of NASA astronauts selected
NASA has selected eight new candidates -- four men and four women -- to join the ranks of its astronaut corps. for missions to the International Space Station and beyond.
FULL STORY
Ariane 5 rocket upgrades could be accelerated
Arianespace's new leader is pushing to accelerate modifications to the Ariane 5 rocket to match a trend toward larger communications satellites equipped with electric propulsion systems, company leaders said.
FULL STORY
ATV cargo ship arrives at International Space Station
A European resupply spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Saturday, using a laser-guided autopilot system to make a precision rendezvous and deliver seven tons of fuel and supplies for the lab's six-person crew.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER DOCKING TIMELINE
SpaceX signs framework for military launch deal
The U.S. Air Force and SpaceX have signed an agreement allowing the commercial space transportation firm to eventually compete for launch contracts of the military's most expensive and sensitive satellites.
FULL STORY
Shenzhou 10 docks with Chinese space lab in orbit
China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft flew an automated rendezvous with the Tiangong 1 space lab Thursday, docking with the prototype space station and delivering three astronauts for nearly two weeks of experiments.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Atlas 5 stacked for Navy satellite launch in July
The most powerful version of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket has been assembled at Cape Canaveral to deploy the second satellite in the Navy's new mobile communications system.
FULL STORY
Weather satellite reactivated after outage
NOAA returned the GOES 13 weather satellite to service Monday after investigators found a micrometeoroid likely struck the spacecraft in late May, putting the satellite into standby mode for three weeks.
FULL STORY
Successful start for China's fifth human spaceflight
Three Chinese astronauts, led by a veteran of a previous space mission, soared into orbit Tuesday to begin a 15-day voyage to China's Tiangong 1 space lab, a flight officials say will further prove the capabilities of the country's manned space program.
FULL STORY IMAGES:LAUNCH IMAGERY MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH PREVIEW
Progress leaves station, clearing way for ATV
A Russian Progress cargo ship departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, clearing a docking port for the arrival of Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle on Saturday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
Chris Hadfield retiring from Canadian Space Agency
Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station and a viral Internet sensation for his music video shot aboard the complex, announced his retirement Monday just a month after returning to Earth.
FULL STORY
Atlantis showcase on track for June 29 opening day
It's T-minus 3 weeks and counting until the grand opening of the space shuttle Atlantis attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, just miles from where the orbiter was processed and launched on 33 missions.
PHOTO GALLERY OUR ATLANTIS ARCHIVE
Russian spy payload in orbit after launch from Plesetsk
Russia launched a Soyuz rocket from the country's northern space base Friday, successfully placing a military spy satellite into orbit to collect high-resolution imagery for Russia's strategic forces and intelligence agencies.
FULL STORY
Spectacular scenes of Ariane 5's sunset launch
Cameras aboard the Ariane 5 rocket recorded dazzling views of the launcher's ascent into space with Europe's fourth cargo freighter bound for the International Space Station, and photographers around French Guiana launch site captured the power and majesty of the heavy-lifter's liftoff Wednesday.
VIDEO:ARIANE 5 ROCKETCAM IMAGES:LAUNCH VIEWS FROM TOUCAN IMAGES:ESA'S REMOTE CAMERA PHOTOS
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Mars rover Curiosity poised for trek to Mount Sharp
Ten months after a spectacular landing in Gale Crater, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is wrapping up a second drilling campaign, mission managers said Wednesday, and the science team is gearing up to begin the long trek to Mount Sharp, a towering mound of layered rock 5 miles away that is expected to shed new light on the red planet's history and habitability. FULL STORY
Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to launch soon
Chinese engineers transferred a 191-foot-tall Long March rocket to the launch pad Monday as officials gear up for liftoff of China's next human spaceflight in mid-June, state media reported.
FULL STORY
Proton flies to high orbit with commercial satellite
Taking an exceptionally long climb into exceptionally high orbit, a Russian Proton rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Monday on a 15-hour flight that successfully deployed a commercial communications satellite.
FULL STORY
Boeing's crew craft tested for launch environment
Boeing's CST-100 human-rated commercial crew capsule has moved two steps closer to reality with the successful completion of aerodynamic testing in a wind tunnel and a propellant plumbing system for the craft's Atlas 5 launch vehicle, NASA and Boeing announced Friday.
FULL STORY
Healthy Hubble telescope raises hopes of longer life
Four years after a final shuttle servicing mission, the Hubble Space Telescope is operating like a fine watch, with no major technical problems that would prevent it from continuing its trail-blazing observations through the end of the decade -- 30 years after launch -- project officials say.
FULL STORY
Aging Hubble still focused on astronomical frontier
Despite steady advances in ground-based astronomy, the Hubble Space Telescope, with its famously flawed mirror, its equally famed redemption and more than two decades as an icon of world-class science, is more productive today than at any point in its history, scientists say.
FULL STORY
Radiation shields, new engines mandatory for Mars
A detector on NASA's Curiosity rover has confirmed previous research findings on the hazards of space radiation on the way to Mars, scientists announced Thursday, and future astronauts making the trip will need protection from the danger.
FULL STORY
New Landsat commences Earth-monitoring mission
Control of the new Landsat spacecraft to continue adding to the four decades of uninterrupted Earth-resources data was signed over to the U.S. Geological Survey from NASA on Thursday, completing the space agency's job of developing, launching and certifying the satellite.
FULL STORY EARLIER LAUNCH COVERAGE
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LAUNCH OF ATLAS 5 WITH LANDSAT 8 HI-DEF VIDEO:
REPLAYS OF VARIOUS LAUNCH VIEWS HI-DEF VIDEO:
PAD GANTRY RETRACTED FOR LAUNCH HI-DEF VIDEO:
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Photos of vivid nighttime Soyuz launch from Baikonur
Look back on this week's launch of three new residents bound for the International Space Station with these photos showing the middle-of-the-night launch of a Soyuz rocket from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome.
IMAGES:NIGHTTIME LIFTOFF OF SOYUZ
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LAUNCH OF EXPEDITION 36 HI-DEF VIDEO:
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GET TO KNOW THE THREE-PERSON SOYUZ CREW HI-DEF VIDEO:
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED OUT FOR EXPEDITION 36 HI-DEF VIDEO:
NASA AND ESA VIP COMMENTS AFTER ROLLOUT HI-DEF VIDEO:
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Cassini finds hints of activity at Dione
From a distance, most of the Saturnian moon Dione resembles a bland cueball. Thanks to close-up images of a 500-mile-long mountain on the moon from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, scientists have found more evidence for the idea that Dione was likely active in the past. It could still be active now.
FULL STORY
Soyuz reaches space station with crew of three
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a four-orbit, six-hour trek to the International Space Station to deliver three fresh crew members -- a veteran Russian cosmonaut, an Italian test pilot and an American shuttle veteran -- to the International Space Station.
PREVIEW STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live streaming video! STORE:EXPEDITION 36 CREW PATCH
Curiosity tasked with hunting for Martian organics
Back in action after a month out of contact with Earth, NASA's Curiosity rover is renewing its quest to excavate a definitive signal of organic molecules - the building blocks of life - from the red planet's regolith and bedrock after a first taste of Martian soil turned up inconclusive results.
FULL STORY INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO CURIOSITY'S MISSION
This is the United Launch Alliance highlights film from Friday's Delta 4 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral that deployed a new military communications satellite.
Delta 4 launch photo gallery
Friday night's Delta 4 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral with an Air Force satellite aboard was captured in spectacular images by United Launch Alliance photographer Pat Corkery.
LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
NOAA turns to backup after weather satellite glitch
A week before the official start of a potentially active Atlantic hurricane season, the primary U.S. weather satellite keeping watch over the tropics has stopped collecting imagery, NOAA officials said Thursday.
FULL STORY
Space station power system restored to full operations
Convinced an emergency spacewalk fixed the problem, engineers have restored complete functionality to the International Space Station power system that sprung a coolant leak May 9, NASA officials said Wednesday.
FULL STORY
British astronaut assigned to space station mission
The UK's first astronaut to officially represent Queen and country has been assigned to a six month stay aboard the International Space Station. Timothy Peake, a former test pilot and major in the British Army Air Corps, was named to the Expedition 46/47 mission, scheduled to fly to the orbiting outpost in 2015. FULL STORY
This is the United Launch Alliance highlights film from Wednesday's Atlas 5 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral that deployed a new GPS satellite.
SpaceX testing Falcon for commercial satellites
The payload fairing for SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket, set to debut this summer on a launch from California, is being tested inside the world's largest vacuum chamber in Ohio as the burgeoning space transportation company breaks in to the commercial launch market.
VIDEO:PAYLOAD FAIRING TEST
Atlas 5 launch gallery
United Launch Alliance's photographer Pat Corkery captured Wednesday's stunning Atlas 5 rocket launch with cameras around Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.
IMAGES:LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
Lockheed to build two more GOES weather satellites
NOAA has ordered two more GOES geostationary weather satellites from Lockheed Martin Corp. for launch in 2019 and 2024, officials said Wednesday.
FULL STORY
Kepler's planet-finding mission may be at an end
NASA's planet-hunting Kepler telescope, stationed 40 million miles from Earth, has lost the ability to precisely point toward stars, and scientists fear the mission's quest to identify rocky planets around other stars is over, officials said Wednesday.
FULL STORY
Proton rocket lifts off with Eutelsat broadcast satellite
A Russian Proton rocket soared into space Tuesday with the Eutelsat 3D broadcasting satellite, carefully maneuvering the 6-ton spacecraft into a high-altitude transfer orbit during a 9-hour flight.
MISSION STATUS CENTER IMAGES:SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF PROTON IMAGES:PROTON ON THE PAD
Fourth ATV attached to Ariane 5 launcher
Europe's next Automated Transfer Vehicle, set for launch in June to the International Space Station, was hoisted atop an Ariane 5 launcher in French Guiana on Friday.
FULL STORY
Soyuz capsule brings three-man crew to safe landing
A Russian cosmonaut, a NASA physician-astronaut and outgoing Canadian space station commander Chris Hadfield, whose deft use of social media turned him into an orbital superstar, undocked and plunged back to Earth Monday to close out a five-month stay in space.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
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HATCH OPENED FOR EGRESS PLAY VIDEO:
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Orion crack repair under scrutiny in loads testing
Engineers are putting NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule, set to fly in orbit in 2014, through tests to stress the capsule's structural shell and check repairs to cracks in the pressurized module's aluminum bulkhead.
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Atlantis' payload bay doors swing open for display
The clamshell payload bay doors of space shuttle Atlantis swung open this week at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex as the retired ship is configured to mimic her flying days in orbit.
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Europe to build satellite for pioneering carbon mission
The European Space Agency gave the green light on Tuesday to a satellite mission to measure the weight of Earth's forests, helping scientists factor the role of woodlands in the carbon cycle and climate change.
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Shuttle veteran to pilot Virgin Galactic's spaceship
Veteran space shuttle commander Rick Sturckow has joined Virgin Galactic to pilot the company's suborbital passenger spaceship, officials announced Tuesday.
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21st anniversary of Endeavour's maiden launch
21 years ago Tuesday, the shuttle Endeavour set sail on her maiden voyage into space, a daring mission to rescue the stranded Intelsat 603 communications satellite.
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First flight of Cygnus cargo craft delayed to September
Orbital Sciences Corp. says the first full-up test flight of its Cygnus cargo resupply ship to the International Space Station will probably slip to September due to a combination of factors, including an engine replacement on the mission's Antares rocket and a scheduling conflict with a Japanese logistics spacecraft.
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The birth of American human spaceflight
Sunday marks the 52nd anniversary of Alan Shepard's momentous 15 minutes of flight, becoming the first American to travel into space. Launching on May 5, 1961 at 9:34 a.m., a Redstone rocket sent Freedom 7 capsule on a ballistic trajectory 116 miles high before splashing down in the Atlantic.
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Delta 4-Heavy rocket moved to Vandenberg launch pad
United Launch Alliance and the Air Force are readying the next Delta 4-Heavy rocket, the largest booster in the U.S. arsenal that is responsible for launching the nation's elite surveillance satellites.
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Television broadcasting satellite launched by China
China launched a state-owned communications satellite into orbit Wednesday to beam television and data to commercial customers across Asia, Africa and Australia for the next 15 years.
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NASA buys six more seats on Russian Soyuz craft
Uncertain when U.S. commercial spaceships will be ready for the job, NASA has signed a $424 million contract extension with the Russian space agency to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station through June 2017, the space agency announced Tuesday.
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NASA says space station's batteries safer than 787's
NASA officials are confident lithium-ion batteries due to launch to the International Space Station in 2016 will not overheat like the batteries that grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner earlier this year.
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Herschel observatory goes dark after four-year mission
The Herschel telescope ended a nearly four-year campaign watching the cosmos Monday, when the telescope lost its sharp infrared vision as the last of a reservoir of liquid helium coolant evaporated into space - an expected ending to Herschel's stellar mission.
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SpaceShipTwo's first rocket flight breaks sound barrier
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane lit its engine for the first time in flight Monday, powering through the speed of sound and moving a step closer to spaceflight for the masses.
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After Antares, Orbital sets sights on space station
Buoyed by a flawless test launch of the Antares rocket, the heavy-lifting part of its commercial cargo resupply system for the International Space Station, Orbital Sciences Corp. has its eye on a summer demonstration flight of the company's Cygnus resupply freighter.
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Sea Launch rocket failure blamed on hydraulic pump
Sea Launch closed the investigation into a Feb. 1 rocket failure Thursday, concurring with the conclusion of Russian and Ukrainian experts that the mishap was caused by a faulty hydraulic pump used to steer the Zenit 3SL booster in flight.
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Form-fitting plastic cover removed from Atlantis
The space shuttle Atlantis, now a museum piece at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, has emerged from the protective plastic cocoon that had encased the spacecraft since November.
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Third Soyuz launch in a week bolsters Glonass
Russia successfully launched a Soyuz rocket Friday for the third time in less than a week, deploying a satellite to sustain the country's Glonass navigation network and extend the system's global reach.
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Progress cargo craft arrives at space station
A Russian cargo ship hobbled by a jammed navigation antenna glided into its port on the International Space Station early Friday, completing a dramatic automated rendezvous. After final checks to make sure the stowed antenna would not interfere with an airtight structural seal, the ship was safely locked in place.
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PhoneSats set mark for first smartphone satellites
Three tiny satellites are pioneering the innovative, inexpensive use of off-the-shelf cell phone technology to control space missions just days after launching aboard the test flight of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket.
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Four satellites launched on China's Long March rocket
A Chinese Long March rocket blasted off from a remote desert launch base Friday with a high-resolution Earth imaging payload and Ecuador's first satellite.
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Sun probe arrives at launch site for mating to booster
A solar observatory designed to study how the Sun's atmosphere is energized has been trucked to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the ground base where the air-launched Pegasus rocket booster will be readied to propel the NASA satellite into orbit in June.
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Russians launch space station resupply ship
It was a throwback of sorts Wednesday as a Russian Progress cargo craft launched on a two-day track in pursuit of the International Space Station, reverting to the old rendezvous style instead of the six-hour sprints employed recently, but one of its navigation antennas did not immediately deploy.
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Dazzling photos record start of flawless Antares test
Sunday's test flight of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket was mission of many firsts, proving a new launch pad and launch vehicle to serve the needs of the International Space Station. This collection of photos document the blastoff from all angles.
IMAGES:NASA's UP-CLOSE LAUNCH PHOTOS IMAGES:ORBITAL'S REMOTE CAMERA SHOTS IMAGES:SPECTACULAR AERIAL VIEWS IMAGES:LIFTOFF FROM THE PRESS SITE
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Antares rocket aces test launch from Virginia coast
Soaring into a brilliant blue sky from a new launch pad on the Virginia coastline, an Antares rocket owned by Orbital Sciences Corp. blasted off on a successful test flight Sunday, inaugurating a new launch system to resupply the International Space Station.
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