Tag: NASA
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NASA Rolls Artemis II Moon Rocket to Launchpad as Final Preparations Begin
NASA on Saturday began the final phase of launch preparations for its Artemis II mission, moving the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket toward its Florida launchpad ahead of the first crewed flight under its lunar return programme. The 322-foot-tall SLS rocket was rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center…
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‘The start of a very long journey’: NASA’s Artemis moon rocket makes the slow trip to its launch pad
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and its mobile launcher head for the launch pad. (NASA Photo / Keegan Barber) NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket crept to its Florida launch pad today at a top speed of about 1 mph, marking the first step in a journey that will eventually send astronauts around the moon…
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Artemis II rolls out to LC-39B for first crewed lunar mission since 1972
The rocket and spacecraft that will perform the first human spaceflight to the vicinity of the Moon since December 1972 rolled out to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Orion spacecraft and its associated Space Launch System rocket, mounted on its mobile launch platform, started its rollout with…
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U.S. Senate Boosts Funding for NASA, NOAA, NSF in Rejection of Trump Budget Cuts
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to provide billions of dollars more in funding for major federal science agencies than requested by the Trump administration, rejecting proposed deep cuts to research, space science and weather programs. In an 82–15 vote, the Senate approved a so-called minibus spending package funding agencies including the National Aeronautics…
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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 Splashes Down in Pacific After Five-Month ISS Mission
NASA said its SpaceX Crew-11 mission safely returned to Earth early Thursday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego and concluding a more than five-month stay aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui,…
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Crew-11 lands after medical situation forces early return
The Crew-11 mission has left the International Space Station and have arrived back on Earth. Crew Dragon Endeavour and its crew of four — comprised of two NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut — splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:40 AM PST (08:40 UTC) on Thursday, Jan. 15. Crew-11 launched to…
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NASA, SpaceX conduct ‘medical evacuation’ Crew-11 return to Earth
SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft drifts away from the International Space Station on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission winds down. Image: NASA via livestream Update Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 UTC): NASA, SpaceX confirm safe undocking of the Dragon Endeavour. The SpaceX Crew-11 mission is coming to a close with the…
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Portugal Joins Artemis Accords as Global Support Grows for Lunar Exploration Rules
Portugal has signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the latest country to endorse a set of principles aimed at guiding the peaceful and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars and other destinations beyond Earth, as international interest in lunar missions accelerates. The agreement was signed on Jan. 11 by Portugal’s Secretary of State for Science and…
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ISS gains new commander as Crew-11 prepares midweek departure
Four SpaceX Crew-11 members gather together for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module on Jan. 9, 2026. Clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)…
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NASA Prepares Artemis 2 for February Lunar Mission After Schedule Acceleration
NASA is entering the final phase of preparations for its Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed flight toward the Moon in more than 50 years, as the agency moves up its launch timeline to February 2026. The U.S. space agency had previously targeted April 2026 for the mission, which will send four astronauts on a…