NASA

ALTOn November 14, NASA is set to launch the uncrewed Artemis I flight test to the Moon and back. Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. These are the same systems that will bring future Artemis astronauts to the Moon.ALTStanding 322 feet (98 meters) tall, the SLS rocket comprises of a core stage, an upper stage, two solid boosters, and four RS-25 engines. The SLS rocket is the most powerful rocket in the world, able to carry 59,500 pounds (27 metric tons) of payloads to deep space — more than any other vehicle. With its unprecedented power, SLS is the only rocket that can send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and cargo directly to the Moon on a s...

WASHINGTON — Firefly Aerospace says it is planning a launch of its first lunar lander mission in January, meaning that none of the three commercial lander missions once slated to launch in the fourth quarter of this year will do so. Firefly announced Nov. 25 that it is planning to launch its Blue Ghost 1 lander mission during a six-day window in mid-January. The spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida. The announcement of the launch date came after the spacecraft completed testing in October at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Blue Ghost aced environmental testing and proved the lander is performing 100% as expected,” Jason Kim, chief executive of Firefly, said in the statement announcing the launch date. “While we know there will be more challenges ahead, I’m c...

BREMEN, Germany — SpaceX launched its Starship vehicle on its sixth test flight Nov. 19 but called off a planned landing of the Super Heavy booster back at the launch site. The Starship/Super Heavy vehicle lifted off at 5 p.m. Eastern from SpaceX’s Starbase test site at Boca Chica, Texas. Liftoff took place at the opening of a 30-minute launch window with no problems reported during the countdown. Among the guests at the launch was President-elect Donald Trump, who has maintained close ties with SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk since the election two weeks ago. The Super Heavy booster, known as Booster 13, separated from the Starship upper stage about two minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff. The booster started its return to the launch site but, a little more than a minute later,...

WASHINGTON — NASA and Roscosmos continue to disagree on the cause and severity of an air leak in the Russian segment of the International Space Station, one that NASA worries could lead to a “catastrophic failure” of part of a Russian module. That disagreement was brought to light during a brief meeting of NASA’s ISS Advisory Committee Nov. 13, which recounted a meeting of that committee with its Roscosmos counterpart in Moscow in September to discuss issues with the station. The major concern has been a small but persistent leak in a vestibule of the Zvezda service module called PrK that separates a docking port from the rest of the module. That leak has existed for several years, and station crews have dealt with the leak by sealing off PrK from the rest of the station when they...

Twenty-Four Young Women from Latin America Joined Space Center Houston’s Space University Beyond Program Space Center Houston continues to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month proudly welcoming 24 talented young women from Latin America to its Space University Beyond program. This opportunity was made possible through the partnership with the Colombia-based nonprofit SHE-IS Foundation, their sponsors, and NASA’s Office of Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HERG), enabling the students to travel and gain valuable skills in teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and engineering. Together, we’re empowering the next generation of STEM leaders and access for all.  Photo Courtesy | Space Center Houston HOUSTON, TX (OCTOBER 11, 2024) – This National Hispanic Heritage Month, Spa...