Tag: rocket
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China launches new satellite to test high-speed communication tech
Long March 5 rocket’s lift-off marks pivotal step in validating technologies for next-generation orbital connectivity speeds and reliability China launched a new test communication satellite on June 11 in a pivotal step to validate technology essential for next-generation orbital connectivity speeds and reliability. The Communication Technology Test Satellite No 25 was sent into orbit on…
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Lego announces NASA Artemis SLS rocket set to lift off (literally) in 2026
How do you top a highly detailed scale model of NASA’s new moon-bound rocket and its support tower? If you’re Lego, you make it so it can actually lift off. Lego’s NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket, part of its Technic line of advanced building sets, will land on store shelves for $60 on January…
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Peter Beck discusses Neutron development as maiden flight nears
Rocket Lab’s ambitious push to launch its Neutron medium-lift rocket before the end of the year is entering the home stretch, with CEO Sir Peter Beck telling NSF that his team is “literally sleeping in the factories” to meet the aggressive timeline. “We’ll be there on the last day of December until the last hour…
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Honda’s hopper suddenly makes the Japanese carmaker a serious player in rocketry
An experimental reusable rocket developed by the research and development arm of Honda Motor Company flew to an altitude of nearly 900 feet Tuesday, then landed with pinpoint precision at the carmaker’s test facility in northern Japan. The accomplishment may not sound like much, but it’s important to put it into perspective. Honda’s hopper is…
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The Pentagon seems to be fed up with ULA’s rocket delays
In recent written testimony to a US House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the military, the senior official responsible for purchasing launches for national security missions blistered one of the country’s two primary rocket providers. The remarks from Major General Stephen G. Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration,…
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After Thursday’s flight, Starship is already the most revolutionary rocket ever built
One of the best things about spaceflight is its power to dazzle us. I will never forget seeing the first images of Pluto and its moon Charon for the first time, with their vibrant colors and exotic geology. A world with super-sized ice volcanoes? Oh my. Similarly affecting were up-close views of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, revealed…
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Our ranking of top US launch companies finds a familiar name on top
After our inaugural ranking last year, Ars Technica is again publishing a list of the most accomplished US commercial launch companies. We hope the list sparks debate, discussion, and appreciation for the challenge of operating a successful rocket company. Please note that this is a subjective list, although hard metrics such as total launches, tonnage…
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Astra launches on first orbital test; fails in first stage flight
Teams in Alaska supported the launch of Astra’s first orbital test flight, featuring the company’s Rocket 3.1 launcher. Liftoff from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, occurred at 8:20 pm PDT on September 11 (03:20 UTC on Sept. 12). The mission failed shortly after launch during first stage flight. This launch attempt was the…
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Closer than humanly possible: New launch pad photos capture historic SpaceX liftoff in all its glory
Flames from the Falcon 9 Merlin engines at liftoff. 1300 ft (400 m) from launchpad (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are now safely aboard the International Space Station after yesterday’s historic launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.…
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Dramatic photos of historic SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch from GeekWire camera 1,200 feet away
Falcon Heavy clears the tower. (GeekWire Photo/Kevin Lisota) [Editor’s Note: This post has been updated with additional pictures, including the one above, retrieved Wednesday from a third camera set up by photographer Kevin Lisota inside the fence at Cape Canaveral, 1,200 feet away from the Falcon Heavy launch pad.] CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The maiden voyage…