Flight To Space

• 

  SpaceX Launches NROL-48 for NRO’s Proliferated Satellite Architecture

  SpaceX successfully launched NROL-48 on Sept. 22, 2025, for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The mission deployed small satellites into orbit, supporting the “proliferated architecture,” a strategy to boost resilience by using many small spacecraft for surveillance and intelligence.

• 

  Blue Origin Successfully Launches 35th New Shepard Mission After Prolonged Delay

  Blue Origin’s NS-35 mission carried over 40 scientific and student experiments beyond the Kármán Line, showcasing reusable rocket technology. The uncrewed flight ended the operational career of the RSS H.G. Wells capsule, highlighting Blue Origin’s dedication to research and education in space.

• 

  SpaceX Moves Starship to Launch Pad for Final Version 2 Test Flight

  SpaceX has moved its next Starship spacecraft to the launch pad at Starbase, Texas, signaling preparations for Flight 11. This test flight will be the last mission of Starship Version 2, following Flight 10’s success with splashdowns and satellite deployment.

• 

  Indian-American Amit Kshatriya Appointed NASA's New Associate Administrator

  A decorated Indian-American Amit Kshatriya has been named as NASA's new 'exploration-focussed' associate administrator, the US space agency announced here.

• 

  NASA’s Orion Control Room Prepares for Artemis II Lunar Mission

  NASA is preparing for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo, with a new control hub at Johnson Space Center. The Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER) will support flight controllers by monitoring Orion’s systems in real time during the 10-day mission. Staffed 24/7, the MER will compare telemetry with expected performance, t...

• 

  NASA Sets Up Orion Mission Evaluation Room to Safeguard Artemis II Astronauts

  NASA has unveiled the Orion Mission Evaluation Room at Johnson Space Center to support Artemis II. Staffed by engineers from NASA, Lockheed Martin, ESA, and Airbus, the facility will provide round-the-clock oversight of Orion’s performance as it carries astronauts around the Moon. The new center ensures real-time monitoring, rapid problem-solving...

• 

  SpaceX Reschedules Planned Starship Test Flight Launch Due to Equipment Glitch

  SpaceX has postponed the highly anticipated 10th test flight of its Starship megarocket after engineers discovered a glitch in the launch pad’s ground systems. The launch was originally set for Sunday, Aug. 24, from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas but was halted just 17 minutes before liftoff. The countdown was paused to allow tr...

• 

  SpaceX Calls Off Starship Megarocket Launch Due To "Ground Systems" Issue

  SpaceX called off a planned test flight for its Starship megarocket on Sunday, saying it needed time to troubleshoot problems, in the latest setback for Elon Musk's behemoth after a series of explosive failures.

• 

  SpaceX Launches 24 More Starlink Satellites, Expands Global Internet Network

  SpaceX successfully launched 24 new Starlink satellites on Aug. 14, lifting off at 1:05 a.m. EDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The first-stage booster, B1093, completed its fifth flight and landed smoothly on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. This mission marked SpaceX’s 98t...

• 

  Freedom From Gravity: How Private Companies Are Reshaping Access To Space

  As India prepares for its first independent human space mission under the Gaganyaan program, the global landscape is witnessing a renaissance in space travel.

• 

  Ariane 6 Launches Metop-SGA1 Weather Satellite into Polar Orbit

  Europe’s heavy-lift Ariane 6 rocket completed its third successful launch on Aug. 12, 2025, lifting off from Kourou, French Guiana at 8:37 p.m. EDT. The mission carried Metop-SGA1, an 8,900-pound next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellite operated by EUMETSAT. Placed into an 800 km polar orbit 64 minutes after liftoff, Metop-SGA1 will deliv...

• 

  NASA Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Prepares for Historic Crewed Moon Mission with Safety Systems Installed

  NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft has taken another major step toward launch. After being fueled, it was moved to the Launch Abort System Facility at Kennedy Space Centre, where engineers are integrating a 44-foot-tall escape system to protect astronauts during liftoff. The mission will see four astronauts, including one from Canada, fly around ...

• 

  SpaceX to Fly Italian Science Experiments to Mars on Starship in 2026

  SpaceX has signed a landmark agreement with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to deliver Italian science experiments to Mars aboard its Starship rocket. Announced on August 7, 2025, the mission will carry a plant-growth module, a meteorological station, and a radiation detector to collect crucial data during the six-month journey and on the Martian su...

• 

  Stuck Astronaut Butch Wilmore Retires From NASA Months After Prolonged Spaceflight

  One of NASA's two previously stuck astronauts has retired from the space agency, less than five months after his unexpectedly long spaceflight came to an end. NASA announced Butch Wilmore's departure on Wednesday.

• 

  Solar Sail Spacecraft Could Boost Space Weather Warnings by Nearly 60 Minutes

  A solar sail spacecraft could extend space weather warnings from 40 to 60 minutes, offering vital lead time before solar storms strike. Part of the SWIFT mission, this satellite will orbit farther than any current monitor, using sunlight for propulsion. The system aims to better protect satellites, astronauts, and power grids from geomagnetic disru...