Tag: NASA
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Astronomers use Hubble to discover rare intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri
Using the joint NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope in low-Earth orbit, an international team of astronomers has discovered a rare black hole within Omega Centauri — the largest and brightest known globular cluster in the Milky Way. Globular clusters are large collections of stars and other cosmic material that can span…
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NASA update on Starliner thruster issues: This is fine
Before clearing Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule to depart the International Space Station and head for Earth, NASA managers want to ensure the spacecraft’s problematic control thrusters can help guide the ship’s two-person crew home. The two astronauts who launched June 5 on the Starliner spacecraft’s first crew test flight agree with the managers, although they…
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Starliner crew confident spacecraft will bring them safely home
Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore spoke to reporters Wednesday and said they’re confident the spacecraft will bring them safely back to Earth. In the meantime, Williams said, they’re both enjoying their extended stay aboard the International Space Station. Image: NASA TV The crew of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft said Wednesday they’re confident…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX flies more customer payloads and Ariane 6 debuts
As many as four SpaceX Falcon 9 missions and the long-delayed inaugural flight of Ariane 6 make up the roster for this week’s launch schedule. The four SpaceX missions will be split evenly between Starlink and two payloads for other customers. At least one of the SpaceX missions is likely to be affected by the…
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InSight reveals high meteoroid impact rate on Mars
Scientists have calculated the rate of meteoroid impacts on Mars using seismic measurements NASA’s retired InSight lander took during its mission. Two companion studies published on June 28, independently estimate substantially higher rates than were previously derived from images taken by spacecraft orbiting the red planet. The studies show that seismic measures promise to be…
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Rocket Report: Firefly delivers for NASA; Polaris Dawn launching this month
Welcome to Edition 7.01 of the Rocket Report! We’re compiling this week’s report a day later than usual due to the Independence Day holiday. Ars is beginning its seventh year publishing this weekly roundup of rocket news, and there’s a lot of it this week despite the holiday here in the United States. Worldwide, there…
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Firefly Aerospace Successfully Deploys Cubesats on Return of Alpha Rocket
Firefly Aerospace achieved a successful mission by deploying eight cubesats into orbit aboard its Alpha rocket, marking the rocket’s return to flight since encountering an upper stage malfunction over six months ago. The Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:04 a.m. Eastern on July 4, following a brief delay…
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NASA selects SpaceX to launch a gamma-ray telescope into an unusual orbit
A small research satellite designed to study the violent processes behind the creation and destruction of chemical elements will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2027, NASA announced Tuesday. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) mission features a gamma-ray telescope that will scan the sky to study gamma-rays emitted by the explosions of…
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NASA’s Artemis 3 Lunar Landing Faces Potential Delay, GAO Report Indicates
NASA’s ambitious Artemis 3 mission, aimed at achieving a crewed lunar landing in September 2026, faces a substantial risk of delay, according to an analysis from the agency’s own assessment reviewed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The assessment, conducted during a Key Decision Point C confirmation review for the Human Landing System (HLS) Initial…
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NASA Selects SpaceX for 2027 Launch of Gamma-Ray Astronomy Mission
NASA has chosen SpaceX to launch the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) spacecraft, a small gamma-ray astronomy mission, in August 2027, the agency announced on July 2. The contract, valued at approximately $69 million, includes launch services and related activities. “The agency could not release details on the number of companies that bid on the…