Tag: Space
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Cards on the table: Are Butch and Suni coming home on Starliner or Crew Dragon?
After months of consideration, NASA said Thursday that it will finally decide the fate of two astronauts on board the International Space Station, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, by this weekend. As soon as Saturday, the two crew members will learn whether they’ll return on a Starliner spacecraft in early September or a Crew Dragon…
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Amazon says it’s devoting another $19.5M to Project Kuiper satellite facility in Florida
Project Kuiper’s satellite processing center is taking shape in Florida. (Amazon Photo) Amazon plans to build a secondary support facility for its Project Kuiper satellite processing center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida — a $19.5 million expansion plan that brings total investment in the site to nearly $140 million. The 42,000-square-foot building will be…
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Against all odds, an asteroid mining company appears to be making headway
When I first spoke with space entrepreneurs Jose Acain and Matt Gialich a little more than two years ago, I wondered whether I would ever talk to them again. That is not meant to be offensive; rather, it is a reflection of the fact that the business they entered into—mining asteroids for platinum and other…
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Russian pensioners urge Vladimir Putin to rescue Starliner astronauts
One of the odder propaganda phenomena in Russia, of late, is seemingly spontaneous groups of elderly Russian pensioners gathering outdoors and espousing some random bit of agitprop. From a Western perspective, these are obviously staged and hilarious to behold. For example, last year a very earnest-looking group of elderly women and a few men urged…
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NASA chief to scientists on budget cuts: “I feel your pain”
Ars Technica recently had the opportunity to speak with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who has now led the US space agency for more than three years. We spoke about budget issues, Artemis program timelines, and NASA’s role as a soft power in global diplomacy. What follows is a very lightly edited transcript of the conversation…
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NASA chief to scientists on budget cuts: “I feel your pain”
Ars Technica recently had the opportunity to speak with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who has now led the US space agency for more than three years. We spoke about budget issues, Artemis program timelines, and NASA’s role as a soft power in global diplomacy. What follows is a very lightly edited transcript of the conversation…
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Rocket Report: Archimedes engine sees first light, New Glenn making moves
Welcome to Edition 7.06 of the Rocket Report! There has been a lot of drama over the last week involving NASA, the crew of Starliner on board the International Space Station, and the launch of the Crew-9 mission on a Falcon 9 rocket. NASA is now down to a binary choice: Fly Butch Wilmore and…
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NASA chief will make the final decision on how Starliner crew flies home
NASA on Tuesday confirmed that it is delaying the launch of its next astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Crew 9, until at least September 24. This is a significant slip from the previous date of August 18. The space agency said the delay was necessary for “operational flexibility” as it continues to deliberate…
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NASA likely to significantly delay the launch of Crew 9 due to Starliner issues
NASA is planning to significantly delay the launch of the Crew 9 mission to the International Space Station due to ongoing concerns about the Starliner spacecraft currently attached to the station. While the space agency has not said anything publicly, sources say NASA should announce the decision this week. Officials are contemplating moving the Crew-9…
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NASA says it is “evaluating all options” for the safe return of Starliner crew
It has now been eight weeks since Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft launched into orbit on an Atlas V rocket, bound for the International Space Station. At the time NASA officials said the two crew members, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, could return to Earth as soon as June 14, just eight days later. Yes, there had…