NASA – Page 14 – Spaceflight Now

Roscosmos scrubs Soyuz crew launch 20 seconds before liftoff

March 21, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The MS-25 mission was scrubbed on Thursday, but the root cause is still under investigation. The earliest that liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome can now occur is Saturday, March 23, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Dragon soars from Cape Canaveral’s pad 40 on SpaceX’s 30th cargo mission to the Space Station

March 20, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The Commercial Resupply Services-30 (CRS-30) mission featured the first launch of a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS from pad 40 since the final first-generation SpaceX cargo ship flew in March 2020.

Crew-7 returns home following six-month stay at the International Space Station

March 11, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The crew spent 197 days docked at the ISS and welcomed seven visiting vehicles while on orbit. Splashdown off the coast of Florida is anticipated around 5:50 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 12.

News from the Press Site: A roundup of the week’s space news

March 8, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Join us for a roundup of the week’s space news with reporters covering the big stories. Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Irene Klotz, Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, and Richard Tribou, Space Reporter and Senior Content Editor for The Orlando Sentinel.

SpaceX launches its 50th person to space on ISS-bound Crew-8 mission

March 2, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission to the orbiting outpost featured three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut who will spend roughly 180 days on the space station. Liftoff occurred at 10:53 p.m. EST (0353 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX tests new emergency escape system to certify pad 40 at Cape Canaveral for astronaut missions

February 27, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The slide system differs notably from the slide wire basket system used over at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials said pad 40 will be ready for astronaut launches this year.

Astronauts, cosmonaut arrive at Kennedy Space Center ahead of NASA, SpaceX Crew-8 launch

February 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The quartet touched down at the Launch and Landing Facility around 1:45 p.m. EST (1845 UTC). They’re set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, March 1, at 12:04 a.m.

SpaceX successfully launches NASA’s PACE mission on polar orbit flight

February 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission is the first of the year for NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 rocket is lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 UTC) on Feb. 8.

NASA’s PACE mission aims to vastly increase understanding of the oceans, atmosphere

February 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The spacecraft named PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) has a nominal operating life of three years with the amount of fuel to potentially have it last a decade. It’s set to launch onboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

First astronaut missions to the Moon since 1972 delayed due to heat shield questions, hardware readiness

January 10, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced on Tuesday that Artemis 2 will be delayed until Sept. 2025 and Artemis 3 until Sept. 2026. The additional time is needed both from a hardware readiness perspective as well as to answer outstanding questions about the heat shield.