Tag: NASA
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How Lockheed Martin, NASA will send a rocket to Mars to launch samples off the planet to a waiting European Orbiter
It’s an ask never before attempted: Launch samples off the surface of another planet for return to Earth — using a rocket you first have to launch from Earth using a bigger rocket and then land on Mars. Yet this is exactly the contract Lockheed Martin has won from NASA for their Mars Ascent Vehicle…
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Moondust buster? NASA funds far-out research projects, including four in Washington state
An artist’s conception shows astronauts at work on the moon. (NASA Illustration) How do you keep moondust from gumming up the works in NASA’s future spacesuits and spacecraft? That’s one of the issues addressed in the latest batch of projects backed by NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. “NASA is working on ambitious, groundbreaking missions…
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Starliner completes OFT-2 test flight with White Sands landing
After successfully rendezvousing and docking with the International Space Station (ISS), Boeing’s Starliner completed its mission, arriving back to Earth after a six-day-long mission in low Earth orbit. The spacecraft autonomously undocked from the forward-facing port at the Harmony module of the ISS at 2:36 p.m. today, wrapping up its stay at the orbiting laboratory.…
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Uncrewed Boeing Starliner capsule links up with space station after ‘excruciating’ wait
Boeing’s Starliner space capsule hangs in front of the International Space Station in preparation for docking. (NASA via Twitter) Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner space taxi docked with the International Space Station for the first time today during an uncrewed flight test, marking one more big step toward being cleared to carry astronauts to orbit. But it…
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Boeing’s Starliner space taxi begins second test flight to the space station (with a dummy on board)
An Atlas 5 rocket sends Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner capsule into space. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky) Two and a half years after an initial orbital flight test fell short, Boeing is trying once again to put its CST-100 Starliner space capsule through an uncrewed trip to the International Space Station and back. United Launch Alliance’s…
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NASA, Air Liquide continue working on Artemis 1 WDR issues
NASA’s Artemis 1 flight vehicle remains in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida while work to investigate and fix problems found in April at the launch pad continues. A series of issues were discovered during three attempts to perform the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) while the Orion spacecraft…
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James Webb telescope completes optical alignment, ready for final instrument calibration phase of commissioning
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has entered a new phase of its commissioning process as NASA announces that the observatory has completed its mirror alignment and focusing process and is ready to move into the instrument calibration ahead of full science operations later this year. “These remarkable test images from a successfully aligned telescope…
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Artemis 1 vehicle heads back to VAB while NASA discusses what to do next
NASA’s Artemis 1 flight vehicle is headed back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) after a month at Launch Pad 39B attempting to complete the final test before its first launch. The Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR), a countdown demonstration test with the integrated Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System…
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Astrobotic into testing of Griffin lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis program
Astrobotic, a Pittsburg-based lunar lander company, has fully assembled the test model for its largest lunar lander in development, the Griffin. A medium-class lander, Griffin is designed to deliver up to 625 kilograms to the lunar surface and survive for 14 days while providing communications and power to the payload if required. The fully loaded…
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NASA awards millions to SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper for satellite communications
An artist’s conception shows a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite in orbit. (NASA Illustration) Six satellite ventures — including SpaceX’s Starlink network and Amazon’s Project Kuiper — are due to receive a total of $278.5 million in NASA funding to demonstrate next-generation space communication services in Earth orbit. The Communications Services Project is intended…