NASA continues SLS hydrogen leak tests
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-14 15:59
NASA conducted a confidence test on the Space Launch System’s core stage to verify new seals after hydrogen leaks during a February wet dress rehearsal.
Replacement crew docks at space station, boosts crew back to seven
Also covered by: Space.com
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-15 05:16
Crew 12 arrived aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on Saturday, docking with the International Space Station and restoring the outpost’s crew to seven after a medical‑related early departure left it short. The four new astronauts—cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA's Jessica Meir, rookie Jack Hathaway, and ESA's Sophie Adenot—joined commander Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov, cosmonaut Sergey Mikaev, and NASA astronaut Chris Williams for a warm welcome aboard. Their arrival will resume full research and spacewalk operations, and the crew requested a post‑docking medical conference, which Mission Control has confirmed. This marks the return of a diverse, multinational team to the ISS, ready to continue the station’s scientific mission.
SpaceX launches 600th Falcon 9 rocket to date with Starlink flight from Vandenberg
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-14 22:23
SpaceX marked its 600th Falcon 9 launch on Saturday, sending 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low‑Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 booster 1081, now on its 22nd flight, landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” adding to the company’s 571st booster landing. Earlier that day, a Crew Dragon capsule named Freedom docked with the International Space Station, completing its 20th human spaceflight mission. The launch and docking highlight SpaceX’s growing role in both commercial satellite deployment and crewed spaceflight.
‘Very lucky day’: NASA, SpaceX ace astronaut launch to the space station on Friday the 13th
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-14 12:53
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lifted off Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, carrying NASA’s Crew‑12—Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev—to the International Space Station for an eight‑month mission
A stellar treat for Valentine's Day: Heart-shaped outburst stuns astronomers
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-14 13:00
Astronomers have spotted a heart‑shaped cloud of gas and dust swirling around the dying red‑giant star Mira A, about 300 light‑years from Earth, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The outflow, containing roughly seven Earth masses of material, forms a glowing heart whose interior is filled with gas while dust outlines its edges, a structure that surprised scientists with its scale and symmetry.
NASA has a new problem to fix before the next Artemis II countdown test
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-14 21:02
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that the agency is actively seeking solutions to the fueling issues that have plagued the Space Launch System rocket ahead of the Artemis III mission.
Astronomers are filling in the blanks of the Kuiper Belt
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-14 11:45
Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, a vast ring of frozen debris and ancient relics that hosts about 4,000 known objects—including dwarf planets, icy comets, and planetary remnants. Since its discovery in the 1990s, the belt has remained a mystery, but astronomers expect the count to rise tenfold in the coming years as new telescopes come online. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time, launched last year, will scan the region in unprecedented detail, while the James Webb Space Telescope will provide complementary insights. Together, these observatories promise to illuminate the Kuiper Belt’s hidden treasures and perhaps reveal new worlds beyond Neptune.