NASA – Page 8 – Spaceflight Now

NASA pushes Crew-9 launch to September amid uncertainty of Starliner’s return timeline

August 6, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The adjustment of the launch manifest is in line with NASA’s desire to have a direct handover between its two long-duration crews on the International Space Station.

Cygnus completes two-day journey to the International Space Station

August 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Northrop Grumman engineers were able to create a new burn plan for the spacecraft after it missed two attempts to perform its “targeted altitude burn.” Capture using the robotic Canadarm2 happened at 3:11 a.m. EDT (0711 UTC) on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut crew named, begins training in Houston

August 5, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Ax-4 will mark the first time an astronaut from India or Poland visits the International Space Station. The mission will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, making her second trip to the ISS on behalf of Axiom Space.

NASA and SpaceX launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station

August 3, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The mission, dubbed NG-21, was the second out of three planned launches of a Cygnus spacecraft onboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff happened on Sunday, Aug. 4, at 11:02 a.m. EDT (1502 UTC).

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 return to flight mission from the Kennedy Space Center

July 26, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The rocket launched more than 340 times successively and successfully before it encountered an issue with its upper stage on July 11. Liftoff of the Starlink 10-9 mission happened at 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 UTC).

Make-or-break tests on tap for Boeing’s Starliner capsule

July 26, 2024 William Harwood

Critical tests are on tap this weekend to confirm Boeing’s Starliner capsule can safety carry its two-person crew back to Earth despite unexpected helium leaks and degraded maneuvering thrusters, officials said Thursday.

As it happened: NASA, Boeing provide update on the Starliner Crew Flight Test mission

July 25, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The update comes after NASA said it and Boeing completed ground hot fire testing of a reaction control system (RCS) to better understand some of the in-flight anomalies seen during the spacecraft’s rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station.

NASA prepares to roll Artemis 2 core stage to the Vehicle Assembly Building

July 24, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

The massive 212-foot-long core stage of the Space Launch System rocket arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center late Tuesday morning. Rollout to the VAB is set to begin around 9 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.

NASA plans for space station’s demise with new SpaceX ‘Deorbit Vehicle’

July 18, 2024 William Harwood

The ISS Deorbit Vehicle, or DV, will be a custom-built, one-of-a-kind spacecraft needed to make sure the space station re-enters the atmosphere at the precise place and in the proper orientation to insure any wreckage that survives the 3,000-degree heat of re-entry will crash harmlessly into the sea.

NASA cancels half-billion dollar water-ice-seeking VIPER Moon rover

July 18, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Much of the rover was complete and it was going through a series of testing when the project was scrapped. NASA said Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, which was supposed to carry VIPER to the Moon’s South Pole, will still proceed with its mission.