Tag: NASA
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ESA and Vast Partner to Explore Commercial Space Station Collaboration
The European Space Agency (ESA) has entered into a groundbreaking agreement with Vast, a commercial space venture, aimed at studying potential collaborations regarding Vast’s upcoming commercial space stations. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was formalized on June 6 at the ILA Berlin air show. The partnership entails a comprehensive analysis of how ESA and its…
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NASA and Boeing Navigate Extended CST-100 Starliner Mission Amid Technical Hurdles
NASA and Boeing Co said on Tuesday they were delaying the return of a planned two-member crew from the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct additional tests on their CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, aiming to resolve thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, emphasized that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams…
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NASA and Boeing Navigate Extended CST-100 Starliner Mission Amid Technical Hurdles
NASA and Boeing Co said on Tuesday they were delaying the return of a planned two-member crew from the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct additional tests on their CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, aiming to resolve thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, emphasized that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams…
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NASA Awards SpaceX $843 Million to Build Space Station Deorbit Vehicle
NASA announced on Wednesday that it has selected SpaceX to build a vehicle, dubbed the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, tasked with safely deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS) by around 2030. This responsibility was originally planned for Russian thrusters. The agreement, valued at $843 million, aims to ensure a controlled retirement of the ISS, minimizing risks…
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Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft Set for June 5 Launch After ULA Fixes Computer Issue
NASA and Boeing have rescheduled the launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for June 5 following United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) resolution of a computer problem that led to the scrubbing of the previous launch attempt. Late on June 2, NASA announced that mission managers had given their approval for the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission…
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Boeing’s Starliner Successfully Docks with ISS Despite Thruster Issues
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6, marking its first crewed flight after overcoming thruster problems. The spacecraft docked with the forward port on the station’s Harmony module at 1:34 p.m. Eastern, nearly 27 hours after its launch from Florida on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission.…
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NASA orders more tests on Starliner, but says crew isn’t stranded in space
NASA and Boeing officials pushed back Friday on headlines that the commercial Starliner crew capsule is stranded at the International Space Station but said they need more time to analyze data before formally clearing the spacecraft for undocking and reentry. Two NASA astronauts, commander Butch Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams, will spend at least a…
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NASA and SpaceX misjudged the risks from reentering space junk
Since the beginning of the year, landowners have discovered several pieces of space junk traced to missions supporting the International Space Station. On all of these occasions, engineers expected none of the disposable hardware would survive the scorching heat of reentry and make it to Earth’s surface. These incidents highlight an urgency for more research…
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Starliner landing now on indefinite hold for more tests, but NASA insists crew not ‘stranded’ in space
This view from a window on the cupola overlooks a portion of the International Space and shows the partially obscured Starliner spacecraft from Boeing docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. Image: NASA The return to Earth of Boeing’s Starliner capsule is on indefinite hold pending results of new thruster tests and ongoing analysis of…
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NASA will pay SpaceX nearly $1 billion to deorbit the International Space Station
NASA has awarded an $843 million contract to SpaceX to develop a “US Deorbit Vehicle.” This spacecraft will dock to the International Space Station in 2029 and then ensure the large facility makes a controlled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere before splashing into the ocean in 2030. “Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space…