Space Explored

The Dreamchaser spaceplane has long been under development by Sierra Space and its parent company, Sierra Nevada Corporation. While intended to serve as the third option of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract, a change in its development timeline has removed that as an obligation.

It feels like this year Starship has been moving at a snail’s pace with minimal achievements and multiple failures in flight and on the ground. However, this minor hiccup could be over as SpaceX is barreling down the road with its eyes on Starship Flight 11, happening as soon as early October.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 6:11 p.m. EDT September 14 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying the first mission of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft. Designated NG-23, it is the most capable version of Cygnus to date, loaded with over 11,000 pounds of research and supplies bound for the International Space Station. 

The race to return humans to the Moon is not just about planting a flag. At stake is something less visible but far more consequential: who sets the rules, builds the infrastructure, and defines the operating playbook for the next era of space exploration. And the answer could ripple far beyond the Moon, shaping how – and how soon – humans reach Mars. 

With New Shepard back in service, New Glenn preparing for another flight, and lunar systems advancing, Blue Origin heads into late 2025 with progress on multiple fronts. The company is simultaneously running programs in suborbital tourism, orbital launch, propulsion, and lunar vehicle development, together outlining a transportation architecture that spans Earth orbit to cislunar space.

SpinLaunch, the California-based space startup once best known for trying to fling satellites into orbit with a giant centrifuge, has entered a new phase. The company announced in August that it closed a $30 million Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to about $203 million. Investors include ATW Partners and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, which has also committed satellite manufacturing resources to the project. 

NASA is gearing up for a landmark late-September launch featuring three pivotal spacecraft: the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO-L1). The missions are being prepared at Astrotech Space Operations, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary in Titusville that has become one of the nation’s premier spacecraft processing hubs.

Sunday afternoon, SpaceX delayed the launch of its 10th Starship rocket from Starbase. This flight is an important launch for SpaceX to get right, with many implications for both the company and NASA.

Last week, ULA made its national security debut with its Vulcan rocket, launching the USSF-106 mission to a geostationary orbit. With this major milestone finally in ULA’s past, what is next for what has been dubbed ULA’s answer to SpaceX’s Falcon 9?

When a spacecraft lands on Mars or slams into an asteroid millions of miles away, chances are it came from one of two labs: the Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory or the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. NASA may be the face of American space exploration, but behind that iconic logo are world-class research centers shaping how we reach, explore, and understand the cosmos. JPL and APL are two of the most influential.

Last week, SpaceX got back to moving forward with a successful static fire of Ship 37, the upper stage segment for Starship Flight 10. This took a while to put together due to the loss of Massey’s post Ship 36 explosion, but now that it’s complete, it finally feels like there is life again at Starbase.

Yesterday, SpaceX was forced to scrub its launch of NASA’s Crew-11 mission to the ISS due to a rather nasty cloud that rolled over the launch pad. Today, SpaceX will reattempt; however, the chances of good launch weather have gotten worse, and that may be the theme for the rest of the weekend.

Today, at 12:09 P.M. ET, SpaceX will launch the next rotation of four astronauts to the International Space Station. The mission will be more than just delivering new crew members; the Crew-11 mission will see some differences that show just how the ISS program is changing.

Austin, Texas’ ICON is quietly transforming how humanity builds – on Earth and beyond. The construction technology company, known for its innovative 3D‑printed homes, has begun applying its expertise to space. Its advanced robotic systems and signature material, Lavacrete, are being adapted to construct off‑world habitats and infrastructure using local planetary materials.

SpaceX has been working towards finishing up its second launch pad for its Starship rocket down in Texas. With all things SpaceX does, the second version of anything sees a large swath of improvements and changes; Starbase Pad B is no different. Here is a list of some of the biggest changes SpaceX is making to it.

Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, experienced a global network outage on Thursday afternoon, Starlink said on X (formerly Twitter).

In a world of reusable rockets, lunar habitats, and interplanetary ambitions, it’s easy to focus on what’s next. But every launch, every orbit, and every mission we undertake still begins with the insights of those who came before us – most notably, Sir Isaac Newton.

On Day Three of EAA AirVenture 2025, there is no booth for NASA on the grounds of Wittman Regional Airport leaving a hole where a big tent once was.

For the first time, an instrument on the International Space Station is being used to combat pollution entering the coast of California. Another reason NASA science is increasingly important for use here on Earth.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy spoke to media this afternoon at EAA AirVenture about new Federal Aviation Administration rules and NASA.

The jets that make up Ghost Squadron were in town on Day 1 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this evening. Shortly after the airshow ended, the MiG-29, L-39 Albatross, and Alpha jets taxiied and took off for a presumed practice run over Lake Winnebago.