Day: May 22, 2024

On This Day in Space: May 22, 2012: SpaceX Launches 1st Private Cargo Mission To The Space Station.

On May 22, 2012, SpaceX launched the first commercial flight to the International Space Station. The Dragon was the first American spacecraft to visit the space station since NASA ended the space shuttle program almost a year earlier. When the space shuttles were retired, NASA decided to contract private companies to start launching cargo to …

On This Day in Space: May 22, 2012: SpaceX Launches 1st Private Cargo Mission To The Space Station. Read More »

SpaceX Launches Next-Gen US Spy Satellites And Sticks The Landing Early On Wednesday May 22.

SpaceX launced a pioneering set of spy satellites for the U.S. government early on Wednesday morning (May 22). A Falcon 9 rocket hoisted the NROL-146 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to space after liftoff from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT; 1 a.m. local California time). We don’t …

SpaceX Launches Next-Gen US Spy Satellites And Sticks The Landing Early On Wednesday May 22. Read More »

Space Force Orders ‘Jetpack’ To Give 2 Years Of Maneuverability To Military Satellite.

The U.S. Space Force has ordered a first-of-its-kind satellite docking mission in order to give an on-orbit spacecraft an additional two years of propulsion and maneuverability. Space Systems Command (SSC), an organization within the U.S. Space Force tasked with acquiring and deploying new military space technologies, awarded a $37.5 million contract to Seattle-based company Starfish …

Space Force Orders ‘Jetpack’ To Give 2 Years Of Maneuverability To Military Satellite. Read More »

China’s Chang’e 6 Mission Gearing Up For Early June Landing On Moon’s Far Side.

China’s robotic Chang’e 6 sample-return mission to the lunar far side is now in orbit around the moon, gearing up for its landing attempt. The multi-component spacecraft is scheduled to touch down in early June in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, a giant impact feature about 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) wide. Chang’e 6 is currently …

China’s Chang’e 6 Mission Gearing Up For Early June Landing On Moon’s Far Side. Read More »