Chinese space probe Tianwen-1 has successfully reached Mars and entered a stable orbit around the Red Planet. The spacecraft is expected to deploy a rover to study the planet’s surface in around three months. The probe’s half-year journey to Mars successfully concluded on Wednesday, according to China’s National Space Administration. The Tianwen-1 – ‘Quest for…
SpaceX apparently launched the rocket without FAA approval. “Prior to the Starship SN8 test launch in December 2020, SpaceX sought a waiver to exceed the maximum public risk allowed by federal safety regulations,” an FAA spokesperson said Tuesday. “After the FAA denied the request, SpaceX proceeded with the flight.” The FAA is responsible for licensing…
On Jan. 11, the SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft carrying out the company’s 21st commercial resupply services (CRS-21) mission for NASA undocks from the International Space Station, heading for splashdown off the coast of Florida about 12 hours later. This upgraded Dragon transports significantly more science back to Earth than possible in previous Dragon capsules and…
The company said, during the test flight, the rocket motor “did not fire due to the ignition sequence not completing”. Following this event, the pilots conducted a safe landing and return to Spaceport America, New Mexico as planned. Virgin Galactic is now conducting post-flight analysis and can so far report that the onboard computer which…
A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China’s rapidly advancing space program. The capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe landed…
Eternal optimist, Elon Musk made a remarkable outing during the presentation by the German press group Axel Springer. The boss of SpaceX announced a first manned mission to Mars in 2026, without providing more information on this mission. The technological challenges that remain are numerous, which leaves specialists to believe that it will be very…
SpaceX’s Starship prototype exploded while attempting to land on Wednesday after an otherwise successful test launch from the company’s rocket facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The Starship rocket destroyed in the accident was a 16-story-tall prototype for the heavy-lift launch vehicle being developed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s private space company to carry humans and…
The National Science Foundation has released remarkable footage of the Arecibo Observatory’s 900-ton platform falling into the 1,000-foot wide (305 meters) dish below. A drone happened to be performing an up-close investigation of the cables that hold the platform above the dish as they snapped. Videos released Thursday by NSF show both the drone footage…
China’s Chang’e 5 ascender has lifted off from Moon after collecting 2kg of the fresh lunar surface and underground samples in decades. The small probe lifted off from Oceanus Procellarum at 10:10 EST on Thursday (23:10 Beijing time) carrying the first fresh lunar samples since 1976. That next stage is the docking between the small…
A brightly burning meteor was seen plunging from the sky in wide areas of Japan, capturing attention on television and social media. The meteor glowed strongly as it rapidly descended through the Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday. Many people in western Japan reported on social media seeing the rare sight. NHK public television said its cameras…
China has launched a rocket on Tuesday to bring back lunar rocks and debris from the moon’s surface for the first time since the 1970s. This ambitious launch in more than 40 years could boost human understanding of the moon and solar system. The mission will test China’s ability to acquire lunar samples from space.…
The SpaceX Falcon 9 took off this Sunday evening, November 15 (local Florida time). Four astronauts took off aboard the crew Dragon at Cape Canaveral for the International Space Station (ISS). After nine years of dependence on Russia, it is the new means of transport used by NASA. The trip should take around 27 hours.…
