NASA – Page 14 – Spaceflight Now

Rocket Lab launches NASA, Korean payloads on Electron flight

April 23, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) will test materials and a deployable system for a solar sail-style propulsion system. Liftoff from New Zealand happened at 10:32 a.m. NZT on April 24 (6:32 p.m. EDT, 2232 UTC on April 23).

Boeing, ULA roll Starliner spacecraft out to pad 41 ahead of Crew Flight Test launch in May

April 16, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The rollout operation on Tuesday followed a day of evaluations using Boeing’s weight and center-of-gravity machine to determine the final measurements on the spacecraft. Launch is still targeting May 6 at 10:34 p.m. EDT (0234 UTC).

NASA unveils three teams to compete for crewed lunar rover demonstration mission

April 4, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA awarded the so-called ‘Lunar Terrain Vehicle Service’ contract and classified it as an “indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, milestone-based LTVS contract with firm-fixed-price task orders.” The agency said it “has a combined maximum potential value of $4.6 billion for all awards.”

Boeing, NASA target May 1 for first crewed flight of Starliner to the space station

March 26, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Assuming a May 1 launch, the Starliner spacecraft would dock with the ISS on May 2. The spacecraft will launch on the 100th flight of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket.

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.