SpaceX launches next round of Internet satellites from California 1:50 AM (last hour)

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 3, 2025
With patches of blue sky peeking through a mostly overcast sky, SpaceX launched 27 Starlink Internet satellites into low-Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California just after 6 pm PDT Thursday. It's the 5th time this first stage fuel booster cell has been used to launch a SpaceX rocket. The booster landed on the recovery droneship Of Course I Sti

ISRO advances nextgen rocket power with successful semi cryogenic engine test 1:50 AM (last hour)

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
ISRO has taken a significant step forward in its efforts to develop a powerful semicryogenic engine, a key component intended to upgrade the LVM3 launch vehicle. On March 28, 2025, the space agency successfully completed the first hot test of the Engine Power Head Test Article (PHTA) at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is

Rocket Lab tapped to join US Space Force national security launch initiative 1:50 AM (last hour)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2025
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has been named a qualified launch provider by the U.S. Space Force under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program, a strategic effort to bolster America's most critical space missions. The five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, valued up to $5.6 billion, allows Rocket Lab to compete for launches through June

China highlights major strides in moon research and exploration 1:50 AM (last hour)

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 03, 2025
China's lunar exploration initiative has seen consistent advancements across science, technology, engineering, and international partnerships, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. Speaking during the launch of an exhibition at the National Museum of China, Wu emphasized that the country has developed an expansive body of lunar geological and envi

ULA Vulcan earns green light for national security launches 1:50 AM (last hour)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2025
Following a multi-year development effort and the successful completion of two rigorous certification flights, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket has officially received clearance from the United States Space Force to carry out National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions. "Thank you to all our customer partners who have worked hand-in-hand with us throughout this comprehensi

Spectrum rocket completes short-duration test flight 1:50 AM (last hour)

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
A key achievement for European commercial spaceflight has been achieved as Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket completes a brief but successful maiden test flight from Norway's Andoya Spaceport, ascending for 30 seconds and clearing the pad in a vital demonstration of its liftoff capabilities. Spectrum, a two-stage launch vehicle developed by German company Isar Aerospace, stands 28 meters ta

SpaceX rocket fuel makes stunning swirl in European sky 1:50 AM (last hour)

Paris (AFP) Mar 25, 2025
A stunning blue and white spiral spotted in skies across Europe late Monday was created by frozen fuel tumbling from a SpaceX rocket, according to weather forecasters and scientists. The UK's Met Office said on X it had received many reports of an "illuminated swirl" in the sky on Monday evening likely caused by a rocket that had blasted off earlier from Cape Canaveral in Florida. "Don't

TUM spin-off rocket completes maiden launch from Western Europe 1:50 AM (last hour)

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
Isar Aerospace, a startup emerging from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has successfully completed the inaugural test flight of its launch vehicle. This marks a historic milestone as the first orbital-class rocket launch conducted from Western European soil. The new vehicle is engineered to deploy small and mid-sized satellites into orbit, a capability that is growing increasingly esse

European orbital rocket crashes after launch 1:50 AM (last hour)

Oslo (AFP) Mar 30, 2025
The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off Sunday, in a closely watched test for the continent's bid to build a new space economy. The Spectrum rocket, developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace, started smoking from its sides, then crashed back to Earth with a powerful explosion just after launching from Norway's Andoya Spaceport in the Arctic

SpaceX launches private astronauts on first crewed polar orbit 1:50 AM (last hour)

Cape Canaveral (AFP) April 1, 2025
SpaceX launched the first human spaceflight directly over Earth's polar regions on Monday - a days-long, privately funded orbital mission involving four astronauts. Named "Fram2" after the famed Norwegian ship built in the 19th century for Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, the mission will feature a range of experiments including taking the first X-ray in space and growing mushrooms in micr

The Sky's Not the Limit for NASA's Next-Gen Landing Navigation Tech 1:50 AM (last hour)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2025
A cutting-edge navigation system developed by Psionic, Inc. took to the skies over California recently, riding aboard an F/A-18 Hornet aircraft to undergo rigorous testing at speeds approaching Mach 1. The trials marked a major milestone in NASA's efforts to advance technologies crucial for safe and precise landings on the Moon and Mars. The Psionic Space Navigation Doppler Lidar (PSNDL) s

China logs 15th orbital mission with launch of Tianlian II-04 1:50 AM (last hour)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2025
China executed its 15th space launch of the year late Wednesday night, successfully placing a new data relay satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the nation's primary aerospace contractor, confirmed the mission. Lifting off at 11:55 pm local time, a Long March 3B rocket deployed the Tianli

Space station advances muscle and semiconductor science 1:50 AM (last hour)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2025
The microgravity and radiation of space present not only risks to human health but also rare opportunities for breakthroughs in science and medicine, Chinese researchers say. This dual nature of the space environment came into focus when two NASA astronauts returned from a prolonged nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station, visibly weakened. The challenges they faced undersco

NASA adds Starship to roster of launch vehicles under NLS II contract 1:50 AM (last hour)

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2025
NASA has formally expanded its Launch Services (NLS) II contract with SpaceX, headquartered in Starbase, Texas, to include the company's Starship launch system alongside the previously contracted Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The NLS II contract framework enables NASA to procure commercial launch capabilities for a wide array of missions, including planetary exploration, Earth science

Shenzhou XIX astronauts complete third spacewalk outside Tiangong 1:50 AM (last hour)

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 24, 2025
Astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou XIX mission successfully completed their third extravehicular activity (EVA), spending nearly seven hours working outside the Tiangong space station, according to a statement from the China Manned Space Agency. Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe, mission commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Song Lingdong exited the Wentian lab module and concluded their EVA at 8:50 pm

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