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A highly anticipated NASA astrobiology mission is troubleshooting a serious issue just months before its planned liftoff. The Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch this October atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The robotic explorer will embark upon a $5 billion mission to assess the potential of Europa, an ice-covered ocean moon of Jupiter, […]

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring an investigation into the recent anomaly suffered by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The issue occurred on Thursday night (July 11), during the launch of 20 Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9‘s upper-stage engine failed to complete its second burn

One of the most interesting events in visual astronomy, and certainly the fastest, occurs when the moon occults a star. The moon’s edge creeps up to it, seems almost to press against it for a number of seconds, and then suddenly the star is gone! It reappears just as abruptly on the moon’s other side

A private cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station (ISS) this morning (July 12). Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus vehicle undocked from the ISS today at 7:01 a.m. EDT (1101 GMT), while the ISS was over the South Atlantic, ending a 5.5-month orbital stay. This Cygnus spacecraft — named the S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson, after a NASA astronaut who died

Key Highlight Djibouti and France have signed a significant partnership to address climate change that aims to conduct critical research on tropical ecosystems in East Africa. In a strategic decision to address the pressing issues of climate change, Djibouti and France have signed a partnership to form an international doctoral alliance focused on climate adaptation.

SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket suffered a rare anomaly on Thursday night (July 11). The incident occurred during a launch of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 performed well initially; its two stages separated on time, and the first stage came down for a landing on a

SpaceX launched 20 more of its Starlink satellites tonight (July 11), including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft lifted off tonight from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:35 p.m. EDT (7:35 p.m. local California time; 0235 GMT on July 12). That was one day later than originally planned;

Joe Engle, the first astronaut to fly in space aboard two different winged vehicles, has died at the age of 91. Engle’s death on Wednesday (July 10) was announced in a note from his family shared publicly on Facebook. “Blessed with natural piloting skills, General Joe, as he was known to many, was at his

China is planning its first mission to impact an asteroid in the name of planetary defense. The mission will serve a dual purpose: One craft will impact the asteroid while its partner observes the space rock to learn more about the solar system and its formation. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) mission may have