Two heads are better than one in the latest images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which reveal new detail in a mysterious, little-studied nebula surrounding a dying star.  Nebula PMR 1 is a cloud of gas and dust that bears an uncanny resemblance to a brain in a transparent skull, inspiring its nickname, the […]

A recent SpaceNews opinion article argued that it is time to “take astronomy off Earth.” The suggestion is straightforward: If satellite constellations and commercial space activity threaten ground-based astronomy, perhaps astronomers should simply move their work into space. As current, incoming and past presidents of the American Astronomical Society, we feel impelled to respond. As […] The post The future of astronomy is both on Earth and in space appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starlink 17-26 mission will also be the 540th launch of a previously flown Falcon booster. Liftoff from pad 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 6:17:49 a.m. PST (9:17:49 a.m. EST / 1417:49 UTC).

As the number of satellites in orbit grows, one emerging challenge is the difficulty some satellite operators have contacting counterparts to avoid potential collisions. The post In space traffic coordination, the biggest challenge may be coordination appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Expedition 74 crew will finalize the packing of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as it nears its departure later this week. Science operations were still underway aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the orbital residents explored how living and working in weightlessness is affecting their bodies.

Expedition 74 was off duty on Monday following a weekend of crew handover activities, cargo packing, and microbiology research. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will also depart the International Space Station for return to Earth later this week.

The Expedition 74 crew wrapped up the week with cardiac and respiratory studies and conducting space exercise research to keep astronauts healthy off the Earth. The International Space Station residents also packed a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft before its return to Earth and maintained science and life support hardware.

Relaxation, exercise, and biomedical studies were the key research objectives for the Expedition 74 crew on Thursday as NASA and its partners investigate ways to keep astronauts healthy on long-term missions. The International Space Station is also orbiting higher after the docked Progress 93 cargo craft fired its thrusters on Wednesday.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 6, with separation confirmed at 6:04 p.m. Eastern time. The reusable crew module is expected to land at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time (10:01 p.m. Mountain time) Saturday at White Sands Space Harbor at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. […]

Since Starliner’s Crew Flight Test (CFT) launch on June 5, Boeing and NASA have conducted extensive testing of its propulsion system in space and on the ground. Those tests include: 7 ground tests of a Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster pulled from the Starliner-1 Service Module: 1 launch-to-docking test with more than 1,000 pulses to […]

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 […]