Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes on pad, topples lightning tower [Update: No injuries]
Latest
SpaceX Boca Chica teams getting ready for the first flight of Starship SN15
After what seems to be a successful static fire Monday afternoon of the three Raptor engines. SpaceX is getting ready for another Starship flight of the upgraded SN15.
Expand Expanding Close[Update: Launched] ULA’s first mission and debut of California launches for 2021
ULA’s next mission and first of 2021, NROL-82 is a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office and is launching on top of the large Delta IV Heavy rocket. This will end up being the first launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the prime spaceport for polar launches.
Date: Monday, April 26, 4:47 PM EDT
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX Crew-2 astronaut launch and booster return, ‘Shot on iPhone’ edition
On April 23 at 5:49 a.m. EDT, SpaceX launched their Crew-2 mission. Its Falcon 9 rocket carried astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet to the International Space Station in Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour.
Expand Expanding CloseWhat’s that rocket? Meet ULA’s Delta IV Heavy
In a time where we routinely see launches on rockets named Atlas, Falcon, and Electron, the Delta IV Heavy is a rare bird for a number of reasons. United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy, as its name implies, is the company’s heavy lift launch vehicle.
It’s the big brother of the Delta IV medium that has since been retired and had its last flight in August 2019. In fact, the heavy variant of the Delta IV series is on its way out as well: ULA’s new Vulcan rocket system will pick up where Delta IV Heavy leaves off.
Expand Expanding Close
Mars Helicopter team holds AMA
At 4pm Eastern, the Mars Helicopter team will be having a Reddit Ask Me Anything.
Expand Expanding CloseSpace Explored Podcast 22: Blue Angels, Ingenuity’s first flight, Crew 2 from a boat, and more
This week join Space Explored’s Seth Kurkowski and Daryl Sausse to discuss seeing the Blue Angels perform at Sun ‘n Fun, Ingenuity flying its first and second flights, and the second operational crewed flight for SpaceX.
Subscribe
SpaceX Crew 2 astronauts arrive at a packed ISS
After a day of traveling in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, the Crew 2 astronauts docked with the International Space Station to begin their 6 months stay on the orbiting laboratory. This marked the first time two Crew Dragons were at the station at one time.
Expand Expanding Close[Gallery] SpaceX launches Crew 2 on a reflown booster and Crew Dragon capsule
On April 23rd, at 5:49 ET SpaceX launched a Dragon 2 Crew Capsule to the International Space Station.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX is using a $75K robot dog named Zeus to test Mars-bound Starship rockets
If a dog is man’s best friend, can a robot dog named Zeus be best friends with a rocket to Mars? We’d like to believe so, and that’s what appears to be happening in South Texas.
LabPadre who documents SpaceX activity at its Boca Chica facility caught footage of what appears to be a Boston Dynamics-made robot dog running around the Starship test site.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA Ingenuity helicopter takes its second bigger and better flight on Mars
After the success of its first flight at the beginning of this week, Ingenuity took its second flight early this morning. This flight pushed the tech demo to do more challenging tasks as they step through their testing campaign this month.
Expand Expanding Close[Update: Launched] SpaceX to send second operational crewed mission to the space station
SpaceX’s Dragon capsule has been a huge success with the launch of DM-2 and Crew 1 for NASA last year. This year they have two more missions to launch crew rotations to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program with the next coming up this week.
Date: Friday, April 23nd, 5:49 AM EDT
Expand Expanding CloseVirgin Orbit selected to launch 6 imaging satellites to low Earth orbit
In a press release Wednesday, Virgin Orbit announced that they were selected by geospatial analytics company Hypersat, and QinetiQ, a defense and security company, to launch 6 hyperspectral satellites into low earth orbit.
Expand Expanding CloseMars Helicopter Ingenuity prepares for second flight
Tomorrow, April 22nd, Mars Helicopter Ingenuity will be making its second flight.
Expand Expanding Close
Firefly Aerospace shares timelapse of Alpha going vertical
On April 12th, Firefly Aerospace shared photos of their first Alpha rocket going vertical on the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force base, and today they shared a timelapse of the lift.
Expand Expanding CloseHow to build your very own LEGO Ingenuity mini-figure
Early Monday morning NASA’s Ingenuity took its first flight into the Martian atmosphere. This marks the first powered flight on another planet 118 years after the Wright brothers took their first flight here on Earth. You can celebrate the occasion by building your own Ingenuity out of LEGOs!
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle celebrates historic Mars Helicopter flight with a custom search page
After the announcement of the first successful flight of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter people have taken to social media to share their excitement, including companies and celebrities.
Expand Expanding CloseAmazon to launch its first batch of Project Kuiper satellites on ULA rockets
Amazon’s answer to SpaceX’s satellite-based Starlink internet service is called Project Kuiper, and now the company has secured flights on ULA’s Atlas V rocket. These launches will be the first of many to build out the constellation of 3,236 satellites.
Expand Expanding CloseMars Helicopter Ingenuity makes history, successfully taking first flight on another planet
On a livestream from mission control early this morning, the Ingenuity team received the very first data confirming the successful flight of Mars Helicopter Ingenuity.
Expand Expanding Close
[Video] ‘Get to the Choppa!’ Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks on Mars Helicopter Ingenuity
Mars helicopter Ingenuity is in preparation for flight early tomorrow. As the first powered and controlled flight on Mars, the small helicopter Ingenuity will pave the way for a new future in planetary exploration.
Expand Expanding CloseWatch NASA astronaut Kate Rubins return to Earth with cosmonauts Sergey and Sergey
After six months working on the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is returning to Earth tonight alongside her mission colleagues Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. NASA will have live coverage through the night of the crew’s departure from ISS and return to Kazakhstan.
Expand Expanding CloseMars Helicopter Ingenuity completes high-speed spin test after last week’s complications
After delays in the first flight of Ingenuity due to a failure to complete the first high-speed spin test, Ingenuity may be back on track. NASA shared today that Ingenuity has successfully completed a high-speed spin test; an important test before the first flight.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX Starship as NASA’s Artemis lunar human landing system tidbits
NASA is buying SpaceX’s Starship rocket a $2.9 billion ticket to the Moon, and the ramifications of that decision are plentiful. The Washington Post was first to report that Starship is NASA’s sole choice for the Artemis human landing system for astronauts going to the Moon. The agency later held a press conference with reporters during which it made the news official while adding more color to the story. NASA has also published a source selection statement written by Kathy Lueders detailing specifics around its decision.
Expand Expanding CloseFormer astronaut Pam Melroy named as Biden pick for NASA deputy administrator
NASA will soon have a new second-in-command leading America’s space agency. The Biden administration announced its intent to nominate former astronaut Pam Melroy for the role of deputy administrator.
Expand Expanding CloseSpace Explored Podcast 21: Starship to the Moon, New Shepard launches again, and Sun ‘N Fun
This week join Space Explored’s Seth Kurkowski and Zac Hall to discuss the announcement of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle winning NASA’s Human Landing System contract, Blue Origin’s 15th New Shepard launch, Sun ‘n Fun coverage, and more.