Ireland has joined the space club with the launch of its first satellite to low-Earth orbit, setting the stage for students of all ages across the Emerald Isle to get involved in space science. The Educational Irish Research Satellite-1 (Eirsat-1) blasted into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 …
Eirsat-1, Ireland’s 1st satellite, makes space history Read More »
After 4,000 hours flying in 40 different airplane types for the military, Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk is ready to redeploy that experience to a new type of craft. Last month, Kutryk, a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, was assigned to Starliner 1, the first operational crewed mission of Boeing‘s new Starliner spacecraft. A colonel in …
What 8,000 hours flying military jets taught 2 Canadian astronauts Read More »
A SpaceX mission featuring the first private spacewalk is delayed once again, this time to April 2024. It’s known as Polaris Dawn. Jared Isaacman, the billionaire funding the private space mission in collaboration with SpaceX, disclosed the news Saturday (Dec. 9) in replies on X (formerly Twitter) to a question about when his mission will …
SpaceX private Polaris Dawn space mission delayed to April 2024 Read More »
China launched a new trio of reconnaissance satellites over the weekend on a mission that also marked the 500th Long March rocket launch. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 8:58 p.m. EST on Dec. 9 (0158 GMT, or 9:58 a.m. Beijing time, Dec. 10). The rocket rose into …
China lofts Yaogan spy satellites on 500th Long March rocket launch Read More »
Blue Origin will end its 15-month spaceflight hiatus next week, if all goes according to plan. The company, which was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, hasn’t flown since its New Shepard suborbital vehicle suffered an anomaly during an uncrewed research flight on Sept. 12, 2022. But that long drought is about to end. “We’re targeting …
Blue Origin will return to flight with uncrewed mission on Dec. 18 Read More »
SpaceX could give us a launch doubleheader on Wednesday night (Dec. 13). The company aims to launch 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday atop a Falcon 9 rocket, during a nearly four-hour window that opens at 11:07 p.m. EST (0407 GMT on Dec. 14). You …
SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Florida Dec. 13 Read More »
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is poised to launch the X-37B space plane for the U.S. Space Force on Monday evening (Dec. 11) after a one-day delay due to weather, and you can likely watch the action live. Liftoff of the Falcon Heavy is scheduled to occur from Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center …
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch of secretive X-37B space plane delayed to Dec. 11 Read More »
Japan’s ambitious mission to explore the two mini moons of Mars could be facing a lengthy delay. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) is scheduled to launch in September 2024, taking advantage of a once-every-26-months launch window to the Red Planet. Arriving in Mars orbit in August 2025, coinciding with the …
Japan may delay its Mars moon sampling mission MMX due to rocket problems Read More »
SpaceX is poised to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 22 Starlink spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday (Dec. 8) during a roughly two-hour window that opens at 3:03 a.m. EST (0803 GMT; 12:03 a.m. local California …
SpaceX to launch 22 Starlink satellites from California early Dec. 8 Read More »
The U.S. Space Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane is just about ready to take flight for the seventh time. The Space Force and SpaceX “are making final preparations” for the planned Sunday evening (Dec. 10) launch of the robotic X-37B, Space Force officials said in an emailed update today (Dec. 7). The space plane is …
SpaceX, US Space Force set to launch secretive X-37B space plane on Dec. 10 Read More »
