The NG-20 Cygnus service module leaves Virginia for Florida to be processed for launch to the International Space Station early next year. Credit: Northrop Grumman The service module for Northrop Grumman’s next Cygnus resupply spacecraft is en route to Florida for launch atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The NG-20 Cygnus service module is being shipped from Virginia to Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will be attached to the pressurized cargo module, already in Florida, and prepared for launch to the International Space Station. Liftoff is currently scheduled for Jan. 29, 2024, from Spa ..read more

Two prototype Project Kuiper satellites, encapsulated in a payload faring, are moved to the Atlas V launch pad for integration. In the future, these satellites will fly to orbit on Atlas V rockets as well as Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Arianespace’s Ariane 6, and now SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: United Launch Alliance In a move to support the deployment of its low Earth orbit broadband network, Project Kuiper, a venture by tech giant Amazon.com, has entered into a contract with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches. The collaboration, announced Dec. 1, aims to leverage SpaceX’s proven ..read more

A file photo of Progress MS-21 departing the space station in February 2023. Progress MS-25 arrrived at the ISS on Dec. 3, 2023, and docked with the Poisk module. Credit: NASA Russia’s uncrewed Progress MS-25 cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station to resupply the seven-person Expedition 70 crew living aboard the outpost. The spacecraft launched atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket at 4:25 a.m. EST (09:25 UTC) Dec. 1 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to begin a two-day rendezvous profile. Progress MS-25 docked with the space-facing Poisk module at 6:18 a.m. EST (11:18 UTC) Dec ..read more

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne addresses the media and assembled Canadian Space Agency employees during the November 22, 2023 Crew Assignment announcement, held at CSA headquarters. Credit: Sean Costello Two Canadian Space Agency astronauts received flight assignments for missions, one to the International Space Station and another as a backup for Artemis 2. During a Nov. 22 announcement, the CSA announced Joshua Kutryk will fly to the ISS for a six-month mission in 2025. Additionally, Jenni Gibbons was selected to serve as the backup for Jeremy Hansen, who Canada chose to fly wi ..read more

SpaceX’s Starship rises from the smoke to begin its ascent toward space. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s massive Super Heavy Starship rocket made it all the way to space during its second integrated flight test before being intentionally destroyed roughly eight minutes after launch. The world’s largest rocket lifted off the pad at 8:03 a.m. EST (13:03 UTC) Nov. 18 from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas. The 393-foot (120-meter) tall vehicle consisted of a Super Heavy booster and upper stage ship. “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve ..read more

SpaceX’s CRS-29 Dragon launches atop a Falcon 9 toward the International Space Station. Credit: NASA SpaceX’s autonomous CRS-29 cargo Dragon is on its way to resupply the International Space Station and its seven-person Expedition 70 crew. Liftoff atop a Falcon 9 rocket occurred at 8:28 p.m. EST Nov. 9 (01:28 UTC Nov. 10) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the 29th cargo Dragon mission for NASA by SpaceX under the Commercial Resupply Services program. The ILLUMA-T payload in a cleanroom at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Credit: NASA Aboard is so ..read more

A rendering of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander on the surface of the Moon. Credit: Blue Origin Blue Origin unveiled its Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander, a cargo delivery system the company plans to use to test and refine features for its much larger human lander. A mockup of the three-story-tall MK1 lander was unveiled following a visit to Blue Origin’s engine production facility in Huntsville, Alabama, by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. It is a precursor to the Human Landing System the company is building for NASA’s Artemis Moon program as early as 2029 during the Artemis 5 mission — a contract w ..read more

China’s Long March 2F rocket launches the Shenzhou 17 crew into space. Credit: CCTV+ China’s Shenzhou 17 mission with three taikonauts launched to the country’s Tiangong space station, docking with the outpost some six hours later. Liftoff atop a Long March 2F rocket occurred at 11:14 p.m. EDT Oct. 25 (03:14 UTC / 11:14 a.m. Beijing time Oct. 26) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s Gobi Desert. Aboard were Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin. After reaching orbit roughly 10 minutes after launch, the Shenzhou 17 spacecraft spent 6.5 hours catching up with the Tiangong ..read more

The Gaganyaan in-flight abort test mission launches from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. Credit: ISRO The Indian Space Research Organization achieved a significant milestone in its Gaganyaan program with the successful completion of a high-altitude abort test for its crewed spacecraft. TV-D1 — Test Vehicle Abort Mission 1 — was an uncrewed test of the launch escape system for the Gaganyaan spacecraft, bringing India closer to its goal of independently sending astronauts to space as early as 2025. If successful, it would make the South Asian country the fourth independent nation capa ..read more

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft launches atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket to begin a six-year journey to asteroid “16 Psyche.” Credit: NASA After an initial boost from SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, NASA’s Psyche mission has begun a six-year journey to metal-rich asteroid “16 Psyche,” a body that may be the exposed core of a protoplanet. Liftoff occurred at 10:19 a.m. EDT (14:19 UTC) Oct. 13 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was SpaceX’s fourth Falcon Heavy launch of 2023 and the eighth overall for the rocket design. The Psyche spacecraft was deployed from the up ..read more