Mars Express mission operators at ESOC successfully sent a new software patch that would allow the spacecraft to operate in its third decade.

No thunder down under.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sparkling cloudscape from one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbors, a dwarf galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Located 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies. This view of dusty […]

SpaceX’s ascent from commercial launch provider to indispensable national security asset marks one of the most significant shifts in America’s defense industrial base in decades. As Elon Musk’s company extends […] The post Beyond launch: SpaceX’s expanding role in U.S. defense appeared first on SpaceNews.

Thursday operations aboard the International Space Station saw the Expedition 73 crew focused on a range of mission-critical tasks, from training and cargo handling to microgravity research, educational outreach on the HAM Radio, and maintenance of orbital systems.

Three NASA Flight Engineers Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain, Jonny Kim and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and station commander Takuya Onishi spent considerable time on Wednesday working on cargo stowage inside SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft that arrived on April 21 as part of the 32nd commercial resupply services mission for NASA.

After reviewing the International Space Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are shifting launch opportunities for several upcoming missions. The schedule adjustments provide more time to finalize mission plans, spacecraft readiness, and logistics. The new targeted no-earlier-than-launch opportunities, pending operational readiness, are: Axiom Mission 4 will launch Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director […]

After reviewing the International Space Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are shifting launch opportunities for several upcoming missions. The schedule adjustments provide more time to finalize mission plans, spacecraft readiness, and logistics. The new targeted no-earlier-than-launch opportunities, pending operational readiness, are: Axiom Mission 4 will launch Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director […]

Practiced, prepared, checked out, refilled, and inspected – the Starliner team is proceeding through checklists to be ready for return when a date is chosen. They spent Tuesday practicing for undocking during an integrated simulation with the International Space Station. Teams occupied their consoles in the Mission Control Center in Houston and in Boeing’s Mission […]

Spacecraft thrusters tested and helium system checked in second successful docked hot fire test. The Starliner team completed a docked hot fire test of the spacecraft’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters Saturday afternoon, and monitored its helium system, providing additional data points for the Crew Flight Test’s return to Earth. With Starliner flight director Chloe […]

Boeing CST-100 Crewed Flight Test (CFT): The CFT crew continued assisting the ISS crew with various audits and housekeeping.  They also performed CloudNet Testing and STEMonstration Earth Science activities. Payloads: Sleep in Orbit: A crewmember transferred the MicroSD memory card into a Columbus Payload Laptop to allow the ground to downlink data. The Sleep in …

Boeing CST-100 Crewed Flight Test (CFT): Today, the CFT crew performed checkouts and measurements in preparation for a future potential CFT undock. They also assisted the ISS crew in NanoRacks Airlock (NRAL) restow operations. Payloads: KIBO Robot Programming Challenge 5: Preparation activities and the Robo-Pro Challenge #5 Technical Rehearsal were performed using JEM Camera Robot …