NASA

WASHINGTON — The first launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur is likely to be delayed to early January to give the company time to complete a full dress rehearsal. In a social media post Dec. 10, Tory Bruno, chief executive of ULA, said the company was not able to complete a practice countdown called a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) two days earlier at Cape Canaveral. During the WDR, the Vulcan booster and its Centaur upper stage were loaded with propellants and went through a countdown that would stop just before engine ignition. Bruno said that while the vehicle performed well during that countdown, there were some “routine” issues with ground equipment. “Ran the timeline long so we didn’t quite finish,” he said. “I’d like a FULL WDR before our first flight, so XMAS e...

HOUSTON, TX (NOV. 30, 2023) – Space Center Houston is closely monitoring weather conditions as inclement weather is forecasted for November 30, 2023. The safety and well-being of our guests and staff are our top priorities, and we are prepared to take necessary precautions to ensure a secure environment.   In the event that weather conditions become unsafe, Space Center Houston may temporarily close the Galaxy Lights experience. This decision will be made based on real-time weather updates and guidance from local authorities.  We understand the excitement around Galaxy Lights, and we appreciate our guests’ understanding as we prioritize safety. Updates regarding the status of Galaxy Lights and any potential closures will be communicated through our official social media chan...

Choose your player! As we gear up for our Artemis I mission to the Moon — the mission that will prepare us to send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface — we have an important task for you (yes, you!). Artemis I will be the first integrated test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule. Although there won’t be any humans aboard Orion, there will be a very important crewmember: the Moonikin! The Moonikin is a manikin, or anatomical human model, that will be used to gather data on the vibrations that human crewmembers will experience during future Artemis missions. But the Moonikin is currently missing something incredibly important — a name! There are eight names in the running, and each one reflects an important piece of NASA...

WASHINGTON — An industry group says it is opposed to a White House proposal for regulating novel space activities, arguing it could be burdensome and confusing for companies and agencies. The Nov. 27 letter from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) to the chairs and ranking members of the House Science Committee and Senate Commerce Committee, obtained by SpaceNews, comes as the House committee prepares to resume consideration of a bill with an alternative approach to what is often called mission authorization. The proposal from the White House’s National Space Council, published Nov. 15, would split responsibilities for commercial space activities not currently regulated by other agencies between the Departments of Commerce and Transportation. The Transportation Depart...