Space News for Thursday, January 05, 2023

SpaceX begins 2023 with Transporter-6 launch Original Publication Date: 2023-01-03 16:54 SpaceX launches 110 smallsats on the Transporter-6 dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. The rocket’s first stage landed back at the Cape’s Landing Zone 1 eight and a half minutes after liftoff. The largest ...

Space News for Wednesday, December 14, 2022

First African nations sign Artemis Accords Original Publication Date: 2022-12-13 22:55 Nigeria and Rwanda are the first two African countries to sign the Artemis Accords. The Accords outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration. The United States is working to bring more ...

Space News for Monday, December 12, 2022

Orion splashes down to end Artemis 1 Original Publication Date: 2022-12-11 17:50 Orion spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Baja California at 12:40 p.m. Eastern Dec. 11. The splashdown took place near recovery forces led by the USS Portland. “This has been an extraordinarily successful ...

Space News for Thursday, December 08, 2022

Defense Innovation Unit seeks commercial options to deploy satellites in deep space Original Publication Date: 2022-12-07 23:51 Defense Innovation Unit seeks commercial services to deploy and operate payloads. Area known as cislunar space begins at geosynchronous Earth orbit and extends out. ...

Space News for Saturday, December 03, 2022

Orion begins return leg of Artemis 1 mission Original Publication Date: 2022-12-02 09:34 Orion's main engine fired at 4:53 p.m. Eastern for 1 minute at 45 seconds. That burn nudged the spacecraft out of the distant retrograde orbit around the moon. Orion is now descending back towards the moon, ...

Space News for Thursday, December 01, 2022

Shenzhou 15 astronauts arrive at China’s space station for first crew handover Original Publication Date: 2022-11-29 23:09 China has six astronauts aboard its recently-completed space station for the first time. Shenzhou-15 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on ...

Space News for Sunday, November 27, 2022

Orion enters lunar distant retrograde orbit Original Publication Date: 2022-11-25 23:44 Orion spacecraft fired the main engine in its European Service Module. The maneuver changed the velocity of the spacecraft by about 110 meters per second. Orion will perform a maneuver Dec. 1 to depart DRO, ...

Space News for Saturday, November 19, 2022

Japan agrees to space station extension and Gateway contributions Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 12:30 Japan will provide components for several modules and a cargo resupply mission. NASA, in turn, will fly a Japanese astronaut to the Gateway on a future Artemis mission. Japan will still ...

Space News for Friday, November 18, 2022

Japan agrees to space station extension and Gateway contributions Original Publication Date: 2022-11-18 12:30 Japan will provide components for several modules and a cargo resupply mission. NASA, in turn, will fly a Japanese astronaut to the Gateway on a future Artemis mission. Japan still ...

Space News for Thursday, November 17, 2022

NASA awards SpaceX $1.15 billion contract for second Artemis lander mission Original Publication Date: 2022-11-16 00:52 NASA awards SpaceX a $1.15 billion contract to develop a lunar lander. The contract includes a second crewed demonstration landing mission. NASA is currently soliciting ...