Tag: NASA
-
NASA picks Masten Space Systems to deliver science to the moon’s south pole
An artist’s conception shows Masten Space Systems’ XL-1 lander on the moon. (Masten Space Systems Illustration) NASA has selected California-based Masten Space Systems to deliver eight science payloads to the moon’s south pole in 2022 on its XL-1 lunar lander. Seattle-based Olis Robotics has a role in getting one of those payloads, a robotic arm,…
-
SpaceX Dragon cargo craft leaves space station and splashes down in Pacific amid virus outbreak
SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule is prepared for departure from the International Space Station. (NASA Photo) The International Space Station bid farewell to a robotic SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule, with measures being taken at mission control to protect against COVID-19 infection. The Dragon was set loose after spending a month hooked up to the space station,…
-
Boeing says it’ll redo uncrewed flight test of Starliner space taxi to space station
An artist’s conception shows Boeing’s Starliner space taxi in orbit. (Boeing Illustration) Boeing says it will redo the uncrewed test flight of its Starliner space taxi to the International Space Station, after months of reviewing what went wrong during a flight that fell short of the mark. NASA said it supported Boeing’s decision. Last December’s…
-
NASA goes back to the future and revives its formerly forbidden ‘worm’ logo
The NASA “worm” logo appears on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that’s due to launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft as early as next month. (SpaceX Photo) NASA is restoring a squiggly graphic representation of its acronym, known as “the Worm,” to a place of prominence, 28 years after it was consigned to the dustbin of space…
-
Soyuz MS-16 on track for April launch amid COVID-19 response
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Roscosmos and NASA are making preparations for the launch of Soyuz MS-16 and three new crewmembers for the International Space Station while working within new constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission is set to launch on April 9, 2020 at 04:05 EDT (08:05 UTC) from Site 31/6…
-
Back in Florida, Orion capsule nears readiness for Artemis test flight
NASA’s Orion spacecraft, perched on top of its European-built service module, is pictured inside an environmental test chamber at Plum Brook Station in Ohio. Credit: NASA/GRC/Marvin Smith The Orion spacecraft slated to fly around the moon on an unpiloted mission next year has arrived back at the Kennedy Space Center following an environmental test campaign…
-
COVID-19 grips world space organizations
As world leaders grapple and struggle to control the coronavirus pandemic which leads to the COVID-19 disease, the world’s space organizations are also adopting various policies to help combat the spread of the illness and protect their workforces. While business remains largely “as usual” in the United States arena, Russian authorities are taking added measures…
-
NASA confirms work stoppage on James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is seen during a sunshield deployment test in 2019 at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Redondo Beach, California. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn NASA and Northrop Grumman are “suspending integration and testing operations” on the James Webb Space Telescope in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision that officials said is likely to…
-
NASA decides against using Gateway for 2024 lunar landing
As NASA organizes a push to return a human presence to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era, the agency has made critical changes to the plan that would enable a crewed lunar landing to occur no later than 2024. One of these modifications involved the Lunar Gateway, a modular space station…
-
Astronaut’s family won’t attend launch next month due to coronavirus threat
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy (left), Russian Soyuz commander Anatoly Ivanishin (center), and flight engineer Ivan Vagner (right) during training March 11 in Star City, Russia. Credit: Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy’s family will be watching remotely from halfway around the world when he blasts off April 9 from Kazakhstan to begin…