WATCH: SpaceX Starship SN 10 explodes moments after successful landing during test flight
HOUSTON โ SpaceXโs prototype Starship SN 10 rocket launched successfully Wednesday during a test flight but exploded moments after a soft landing. So.... congrats and also RIP ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐ bye bye SN10, congrats on making history!!!! @spacex @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/FkDTa9ISRi โ Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) March 3, 2021The starship lifted off from SpaceXโs launch pad in Boca Chica, TX at approximately 5:13 p.m. The rocket flew to an altitude of about 10 kilometers before returning and completing a soft landing. Moments after touching down on the landing pad, the rocket burst into flames.
NASA releases Mars landing video: โStuff of our dreamsโ
โIt gives me goose bumps every time I see it, just amazing,โ said Dave Gruel, head of the entry and descent camera team. After spending the weekend binge-watching the descent and landing video, the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, shared the video at a news conference. โThese videos and these images are the stuff of our dreams," said Al Chen, who was in charge of the landing team. AdSix off-the-shelf color cameras were devoted to entry, descent and landing, looking up and down from different perspectives. The lone microphone turned on for landing failed, but NASA got some snippets of sound after touchdown: the whirring of the roverโs systems and wind gusts.
Mars landing team 'awestruck' by photo of descending rover
This Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance rover lowered towards the surface of Mars during its powered descent. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ The world got its first close-up look at a Mars landing on Friday, as NASA released a stunning picture of its newest rover being lowered onto the dusty red surface. NASA equipped the spacecraft with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of which were turned on during Thursdayโs descent. It's the ninth time that NASA has successfully landed on Mars __ and the fifth rover. As it did with 2012's Curiosity rover โ still roaming 2,300 miles (3,750 kilometers) away โ NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed Perseverance descending beneath its massive parachute.
NASAโs Perseverance rover has landed safely on Mars
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ A NASA rover streaked through the orange Martian sky and landed on the planet Thursday, accomplishing the riskiest step yet in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on Mars. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around Mars on successive days last week. AdPerseverance, the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA, became the ninth spacecraft since the 1970s to successfully land on Mars, every one of them from the U.S. Two older NASA landers are still humming along on Mars: 2012โฒs Curiosity rover and 2018โฒs InSight. Perseverance promptly sent back two grainy, black-and-white photos of Marsโ pockmarked, pimply-looking surface, the roverโs shadow visible in the frame of one picture.
35 years since Challenger launch disaster: โNever forgottenโ
Barely 100 people โ all masked and seated or standing far apart โ gathered in front of Kennedy Space Centerโs Space Mirror Memorial. The widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee quietly observed the anniversary from her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In a recent interview, June Scobee Rodgers said the presence of teacher Christa McAuliffe on the flight added to the crewโs lasting legacy. Scobee Rodgers helped establish the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in the wake of the accident, along with the other Challenger families. This year's observance focused on the Challenger crew โ McAuliffe, Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis.
35 years since Challenger launch disaster: 'Never forgotten'
Barely 100 people โ all masked and seated or standing far apart โ gathered in front of Kennedy Space Centerโs Space Mirror Memorial. The widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee quietly observed the anniversary from her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In a recent interview, June Scobee Rodgers said the presence of teacher Christa McAuliffe on the flight added to the crewโs lasting legacy. Scobee Rodgers helped establish the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in the wake of the accident, along with the other Challenger families. This year's observance focused on the Challenger crew โ McAuliffe, Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis.
Blue Origin launches capsule to space with astronaut perks
In this image from video made available by Blue Origin, the company's New Shepard rocket lands after a test flight in West Texas on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (Blue Origin via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ Jeff Bezosโ Blue Origin company launched a new capsule into space Thursday to test all the astronaut perks before people strap in. Thursdayโs flight with a dummy named Mannequin Skywalker lasted 10 minutes and reached 66 miles (106 kilometers) above West Texas. Both the New Shepard rocket and the capsule landed successfully. It was the 14th flight to the fringes of space for a New Shepard rocket.
WATCH LIVE: SpaceX to launch SXM-7 mission from Florida
A Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Launch Complex 40 with the SiriusXM-7 satellite ready for launch. (Image: SpaceX)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ SpaceX is preparing for the launch of the SXM-7 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this launch previously supported Crew Dragonโs first flight to the International Space Station (Demo-1), launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission and four Starlink launches in 2020. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9โฒs first stage on the โJust Read the Instructionsโ droneship, which will be located in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX said half of Falcon 9โฒs fairing previously supported the ANASIS-II mission in July 2020.
Delta IV Heavy rocket launches from Cape Canaveral
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ A nighttime rocket launch lit up the skies over Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday. The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office was originally set to launch about 5:15 p.m., from the Space Launch Complex-37. The launch was rescheduled for 7:09 p.m.You can watch again in the video below:
SpaceX launches Starship on highest test flight, crash-lands
In this screen grab from video posted by SpaceX, the company's Starship launches for a test flight, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in a remote area of Texas. (SpaceX via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. The full-scale, stainless steel model โ 160 feet (50 meters) tall and 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter โ soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. The entire flight โ as dramatic and flashy as it gets, even by SpaceX standards โ lasted six minutes and 42 seconds. โAnybody who knows how hard this stuff is is impressed by todayโs Starship test.โTwo lower, shorter SpaceX test flights earlier this year from Boca Chica, Texas โ a quiet coastal village before SpaceX moved in โ used more rudimentary versions of Starship.
First woman, next man on moon will come from these NASA 18
The first woman and next man on the moon will come from this elite group. Vice President Mike Pence introduced the astronauts Wednesday at the close of his final meeting as chairman of the National Space Council. The space agency is aiming for a moon landing by 2024, although the chances of that happening are growing increasingly dim. Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. โThe history is awesome, but weโre here to look toward the future,โ Acaba told reporters after the announcement.
First woman, next man on moon will come from these NASA 18
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ NASA has named the 18 astronauts โ half of them women โ who will train for its Artemis moon-landing program. The first woman and next man on the moon will come from this elite group. Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. Two are at the International Space Station right now: Kate Rubins and Victor Glover. The other experienced members on the list include Kjell Lindgren, Anne McClain and Scott Tingle, all former space station residents.
Test flight of SpaceX's Starship aborted at last second
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ The first high-altitude test flight of SpaceXโs futuristic Starship was aborted at the last second in Texas on Tuesday. SpaceX came close to launching a prototype of the rocketship that company chief Elon Musk is designing to carry people to Mars. SpaceX already has conducted five Starship test flights, but these earlier, simpler models have gone no higher than 490 feet (150 meters.) SpaceX has taken over Boca Chica in the far southeastern corner of Texas, near the Mexican border, to build and test its Starships. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Instituteโs Department of Science Education.
First attempt of Starship SN8โฒs high-altitude flight test to take place in South Texas
The two Dragon parking spots are just 15 feet (4.5 meters) or so apart. SpaceX redesigned its cargo ships to be as big as its spacious crew capsules in order to pack more in. The cargo Dragon will remain at the space station for a month, before parachuting into the Atlantic with science samples and discarded gear. The crew Dragon will stay up until spring. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Instituteโs Department of Science Education.
WATCH: NASA, SpaceX launch CRS-21 Dragon cargo spacecraft to International Space Station
The Dragon โ packed with Christmas treats and presents โ should reach the space station on Monday, joining the Dragon that delivered four astronauts last month. โDragons everywhere you look,โ said Kenny Todd, NASAโs deputy space station program manager. With NASAโs commercial crew program officially under way, SpaceX expects to always have at least one Dragon capsule at the space station. I fear it might mess up my own Christmas,โ Todd said late last week. This is SpaceXโs 21st station supply run for NASA since 2012.
Double Dragons: SpaceX launches space station supplies
The Dragon โ packed with Christmas treats and presents โ should reach the space station on Monday, joining the Dragon that delivered four astronauts last month. โDragons everywhere you look,โ said Kenny Todd, NASAโs deputy space station program manager. With NASAโs commercial crew program officially under way, SpaceX expects to always have at least one Dragon capsule at the space station. The station crew watched a live broadcast of the launch, from 250 miles (400 kilometers) up. This updated cargo-carrying model โ as large as the SpaceX crew capsule โ will dock to the orbiting lab by itself.
NASA: Mystery object is 54-year-old rocket, not asteroid
Observations by a telescope in Hawaii clinched its identity, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The object was classified as an asteroid after its discovery in September. But NASAโs top asteroid expert, Paul Chodas, quickly suspected it was the Centaur upper rocket stage from Surveyor 2, a failed 1966 moon-landing mission. Chodas was proven right after a team led by the University of Arizona's Vishnu Reddy used an infrared telescope in Hawaii to observe not only the mystery object, but โ just on Tuesday โ a Centaur from 1971 still orbiting Earth. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Instituteโs Department of Science Education.
Astronaut: SpaceX Dragon beats shuttle, Soyuz for launching
SpaceX delivered its second crew of astronauts to the International Space Station late Monday night, just 27 hours after their launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In their first press conference from orbit, the four astronauts described Sunday night's launch and their first impressions of the space station, their new home until spring. It's the first time the space station has had seven long-term crew members all at once, which is expected to boost scientific output. There's energy up here,โ said NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, who arrived on a Russian Soyuz capsule a month ago. NASA turned to SpaceX and Boeing to transport astronauts to the space station from the U.S. following the 2011 retirement of the shuttle fleet, reducing America's costly reliance on Russian rockets.
SpaceX capsule with 4 astronauts aboard arrives at International Space Station
In this frame grab from NASA TV, the SpaceX Dragon is seen after docking at the International Space Station, late Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. (NASA TV via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ SpaceXโs newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring. The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. โOh, what a good voice to hear,โ space station astronaut Kate Rubins called out when the Dragon's commander, Mike Hopkins, first made radio contact. As they prepared for the space station linkup, the Dragon crew beamed down live window views of New Zealand and a brilliant blue, cloud-streaked Pacific 250 miles below.
SpaceX flying ex-football players, flight controller, Scout
The three Americans and one Japanese should reach the International Space Station late Monday for a five- to six-month stay, following Sunday's liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A brief look at each:โCrew commander Mike Hopkins, 51, is an Air Force colonel and former space station resident who grew up on a hog and cattle farm in Missouri. He played football for the University of Illinois and, before becoming an astronaut in 2009, worked at the Pentagon. โShannon Walker, 55, a Houston-born-and-raised physicist, also has lived before on the space station. She worked as a flight controller at NASAโs Johnson Space Center and then behind the scenes in the space station program, before becoming an astronaut in 2004.
WATCH: SpaceX launches 4 astronauts to space station, kicking off regular crew flights from the US
It is due to reach the space station late Monday and remain there until spring. NASA policy at Kennedy Space Center requires anyone testing positive for coronavirus to quarantine and remain isolated. Even the two astronauts on the first SpaceX crew flight stayed behind at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The four astronauts will be joining two Russians and one American who flew to the space station last month from Kazakhstan. NASA turned to private companies to haul cargo and crew to the space station, after the shuttle fleet retired in 2011.
SpaceX launches 2nd crew, regular station crew flights begin
It is due to reach the space station late Monday and remain there until spring. Even the two astronauts on the first SpaceX crew flight stayed behind at Johnson Space Center in Houston. โI didnโt start breathing until about a minute after it took off,โ Pence said during a stop at SpaceX Launch Control to congratulate the workers. The first-stage booster is expected to be recycled by SpaceX for the next crew launch. NASA turned to private companies to haul cargo and crew to the space station, after the shuttle fleet retired in 2011.
SpaceX crew flight delayed, pushing launch to Sunday
(AP) โ SpaceX delayed its second astronaut flight by a day because of high wind and weather conditions that could jeopardize the recovery and recycling of the rocket booster, pushing the launch to Sunday. โSo โElon Musk Tests Negative for Covidโ is an equally correct title,โ he tweeted. The upcoming crew flight comes just three months after the end of the test flight with Hurley and Bob Behnken, both NASA astronauts. NASA and SpaceX are especially eager to retrieve this first-stage booster; it will be used for the next crew launch. NASA turned over space station ferry trips to SpaceX and Boeing, which has yet to launch anyone, following the retirement of the shuttle fleet in 2011.
Atlas V rocket launch scrubbed after ground system valve problem, UCL says
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ The United Launch Alliance has scrubbed its launch of the Atlas V rocket Wednesday afternoon after a ground system valve problem. If you are just joining us, a ground system valve problem interrupted the countdown to today's #AtlasV rocket launch. The agency said the rocket had to undergo some repairs after the launch was delayed. It was rolled back out on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral on Tuesday. The launch was supposed to take place seven miles from the visitor complex from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida and set to launch just before 5 p.m.
Asteroid samples tucked into capsule for return to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ A NASA spacecraft tucked more than 2 pounds of asteroid samples into a capsule for return to Earth after losing some of its precious loot because of a jammed lid, scientists said Thursday. โWeโve still got a lot of work to doโ to get the samples back safely, said lead scientist Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona. The spacecraft Osiris-Rex won't depart Bennuโs neighborhood until March at the earliest, when the asteroid and Earth are properly aligned. Some of the samples were seen escaping into space, so flight controllers moved up the crucial stowing operation. Based on images, scientists believe Osiris-Rex grabbed 4 1/2 pounds (2 kilograms) of rubble, a full load.