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SpaceX successfully launches four astronauts into orbit for ISS rendezvous
SpaceX has successfully launched four astronauts into orbit en route to the International Space Station (ISS) and stuck the landing with the Falcon 9's first stage booster.
SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites but failed to stick the landing
SpaceX successfully launched another 60 Starlink internet satellites today, but the first stage missed its drone ship landing.
China's next-generation crew spacecraft sticks its test mission landing
After it launched on Tuesday and nailed a series of maneuvers, China’s future crewed spacecraft has made a successful desert touchdown. Built by China’s main space contractor, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), the uncrewed prototype will soon ferry astronauts to China’s future space station and, eventually, the moon.
SpaceX lost another Falcon booster to the sea
This morning, at 10:05AM ET, SpaceX successfully launched its fifth batch of Starlink internet satellites via a Falcon 9 rocket. Unfortunately, it did not manage to land the rocket's booster as planned.
Watch Boeing's Starliner attempt a landing starting at 6:45AM ET
Boeing's Starliner fell short of the main goal for its inaugural test flight, but the company and NASA are hoping to end the mission on a better note. They've committed to a landing attempt for the (currently uncrewed) capsule on December 22nd, with coverage starting on NASA TV (below) at 6:45AM Eastern. The deorbit burn is due to start at 7:23AM, while touchdown will take place at 7:57AM if all goes according to plan.
SpaceX tried to catch both halves of a Falcon 9 nose cone (updated)
Later today, in what will likely be its last mission of 2019, SpaceX will attempt to recover the entire nose cone section of one of its Falcon 9 rockets. If successful and the rocket itself is able to land on SpaceX's recovery ship, it'll mark the first time the company has caught both pieces following a single launch.
SpaceX loses Falcon Heavy's center booster to the sea
SpaceX successfully landed all three of Falcon Heavy's boosters after its most recent launch, but it won't be able to reuse one of them. The company lost the core booster that landed on its drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" to rough seas as it was making its way back to Port Canaveral. It was the heavy-lift rocket's second launch and the first time SpaceX was able to stick all three boosters' landing -- the one that was supposed to land on the barge after the first flight dropped straight into the ocean.
Falcon 9 misses landing after latest SpaceX mission to the ISS (update)
SpaceX has made sure it's got its money's worth out of the Falcon 9. On Wednesday, the rocket successfully launched for a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Unfortunately, though, the milestone was marred by a missed landing of the booster's first stage.
Watch NASA's InSight land on Mars tomorrow starting at 2PM ET
After a months-long journey, NASA's InSight lander is poised to touch down on Mars -- and you'd better believe NASA is offering plenty of ways to tune in. It's delivering live coverage of the landing on November 26th starting at 2PM Eastern (the actual landing starts at roughly 2:40PM) across virtually all its video channels. Suffice it to say you have many more options than when Curiosity reached Martian soil in 2012. In addition to the standard avenues, you can watch a commentary-free JPL feed, a Twitch stream and even 360-degree video on avenues like YouTube (same link as the JPL feed) and Facebook.
Neil Armstrong's collection of space artifacts goes up for auction
The first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, took several items with him on that historic trip, including a US flag, a United Nations flag, state flags and several medallions that were only available to NASA astronauts. He also apparently kept the original camera that recorded his moonwalk in a closet. Now, Armstrong's personal collection will be offered for sale in a series of auctions starting November 1st and 2nd in his home state of Ohio. Bids can be offered online, by phone or in person.
Facebook successfully lands its Aquila drone for the first time
Facebook has been testing its solar-powered unmanned aircraft, Aquila, for the past couple of years. The internet-providing drone made its first full flight last June, though it crashed on landing after the 96-minute flight in Yuma, Arizona. The accident prompted a US investigation, which found that the autonomous plane went down due to windy conditions. The second full flight, just announced by Facebook, took place on May 22, ran for one hour and 46 minutes and landed successfully.
SpaceX launches and lands two rockets in a single weekend
SpaceX's technical problems that caused an explosion last September seem well behind it, as it pulled off the rare feat of launching two rockets this weekend. On Friday, the Falcon 9 lofted a Bulgarian communications satellite into orbit from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, landing the recycled first stage at sea. On Sunday, it pulled off the trick again, sending ten Iridium-2 satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Once again, it brought the first stage safely back to drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" despite visibly rough weather and rolling seas.
Watch SpaceX land another rocket in crisp 4K
Missed the SpaceX launch that marked the first time it used a refurbished Dragon capsule for an ISS resupply mission? Well, that capsule has recently reached the space station, and the private space company has just released a 4K video showing the rocket it used for the mission making a perfect landing at Cape Canaveral. This is the 11th time a Falcon 9 was able to stick its landing, and it certainly won't be the last. SpaceX plans to repeat the feat again and again, both on land and at sea, in an effort to ensure that its rockets are perfectly reusable.
Researchers develop a drone that swoops and lands like a bird
Watch out, birds. The drones are coming for your jobs. Researchers at BMT Defence Services (BMT) and the University of Bristol in Britain have built a fixed-wing UAV that can land as well as its avian counterparts, reports Popular Mechanics. Although BMT's project is currently part of a wider defense program called Autonomous Systems Underpinning Research, the team believes their drone could one day be used for other tasks like putting out fires or delivering packages.
SpaceX nails a tricky fourth rocket landing at sea
SpaceX is good enough at sea-based rocket landings that they've nearly become commonplace. The private spaceflight outfit has successfully landed a Falcon 9 rocket aboard a drone ship for the fourth time, or its sixth landing overall. And this wasn't a particularly easy trip, either. On top of the inherent challenges of a sea landing, the destination for the rocket's payload (the JCSAT-16 communications satellite) meant that the vehicle had to contend with both "extreme velocities" and high re-entry heat.
SpaceX wants two more landing pads for Falcon Heavy rocket
What's better than watching one of SapceX's Falcon 9 reusable rockets land? Watching three of them land. At the same time! Okay, that spectacle isn't here quite yet, but Elon Musk's rocket company is working on it: SpaceX recently announced that it's seeking federal approval to build two additional landing pads at Cape Canaveral -- giving it enough space to attempt a ground landing for a heavy rocket with two recoverable boosters.
SpaceX give you three looks at its rocket's night landing
Last week SpaceX stuck a night landing on its droneship, and now (just after Blue Origin posted a ridealong view from its reusable rocket) we've got some video of the event. Three slightly different angles from the ship show the rocket coming down, a difficult event this time because it was the first landing after a "GTO-class" mission, meaning geostationary transfer orbit. Anyway, all's well that ends well, and we have some incredible night footage to show for it -- check it out below.
Watch Blue Origin's third landing from the rocket's point of view
Sure, you can watch reusable rocket landings from the ground as much as you want, but have you wondered what it'd be like if you were strapped to one of those rockets? Blue Origin sure has. Jeff Bezos' spaceflight outfit has released a video showing its third landing from the booster rocket's view (specifically, a vent), starting with the moment before it reenters the atmosphere. What's surprising is how the change in perspective underscores the speed of the whole operation -- you're looking at a dramatic view of Earth in one moment, and the American desert the next. This sort of camera angle will eventually become run-of-the-mill, of course, but it's worth watching while reusable rockets are still novelties.
SpaceX tests Crew Dragon's parachute landing skills
There's a well-worn saying about what goes up. Usually it's metaphorical, but in the case of SpaceX's human-carrying Crew Dragon craft it's very, very literal. That's why the private space firm has been testing its multi-parachute descent system. The tests used four parachutes in total, and a dummy payload to simulate the expensive capsule -- all of which was ejected from a C-130 cargo plane.
Watch SpaceX staff erupt as Falcon 9 nails the landing
"The Falcon has landed." With that pronouncement, the SpaceX ground crew shares hugs and high fives, while a huge crowd of employees explodes in celebration. Sure, the new video of December's mission is an overproduced PR effort from Musk & crew, but it's an enjoyable four minute summary. Set to Incubus' Absolution Calling, it shows employees cheering milestones like the liftoff, first stage separation and satellite deployment. But you can feel the tension building as the Falcon 9 attempts its ground-based landing, and once it alights dead in the middle of the "X," the party is on. That celebration will likely be eclipsed, though, if the next Falcon 9 mission sticks its barge landing.
