Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Apr 16, 2021
The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward a planned liftoff at 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA will hold a media teleconference at approximately 7 p.m. EDT today, April 15, at Kennedy to discuss the outcome of t

Tucson AZ (SPX) Apr 16, 2021
Like boot prints on the Moon, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft left its mark on asteroid Bennu. Now, new images - taken during the spacecraft's final fly-over on April 7 - reveal the aftermath of its historic encounter with the asteroid. The spacecraft flew within 2.3 miles (3.7 km) of the asteroid - the closest it has been since the Touch-and-Go, or TAG, sample collection event on Oct. 20, 20

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 16, 2021
NASA plans to launch its next mission to Mars in 2026 to pick up rock samples being collected over the next two years and collaborate on their return to Earth by 2031, officials said. The Mars rover Perseverance, which landed on the planet Feb. 18, will drill rock samples in an ancient river delta. Such a location, once flowing with water, is the best spot to look for signs of past life

Beijing (XNA) Apr 16, 2021
China has completed an upgrade of the ground system for its first-generation relay satellite, Tianlian I, according to the Beijing Space Information Transmission Center on Friday. The system upgrade marks a major advance for China in the space-based tracking, telemetry and control (TT&C) sector, said the center. The four-year upgrade was successfully completed following maintenance d

Laurel MD (SPX) Apr 16, 2021
In the weeks following its launch in early 2006, when NASA's New Horizons was still close to home, it took just minutes to transmit a command to the spacecraft, and hear back that the onboard computer received and was ready to carry out the instructions. As New Horizons crossed the solar system, and its distance from Earth jumped from millions to billions of miles, that time between contac

Washington DC (AFP) Apr 17, 2021
NASA has selected SpaceX to land the first astronauts on the surface of the Moon since 1972, the agency said Friday, in a huge victory for Elon Musk's company. The contract, worth $2.9 billion, involves the prototype Starship spacecraft that is being tested at SpaceX's south Texas facility. "Today I'm very excited, and we are all very excited to announce that we have awarded SpaceX t

TAMPA, Fla. — Private investors deployed another $1.9 billion in SpaceX, OneWeb and other space infrastructure companies in the first three months of 2021, according to data from New York-based Space Capital.

The company, which invests in early-stage ventures in addition to providing market intelligence, includes rocket and satellite builders in how it defines space infrastructure.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. intelligence community in a report listed China’s space program as a top security concern for the United States. Some space experts and analysts criticized the report for painting China’s space program with a broad brush and failing to draw distinctions between civilian and military space pursuits.

WASHINGTON — The White House announced April 16 it will nominate former astronaut Pam Melroy to be NASA’s deputy administrator.

Melroy’s nomination was one of eight the White House announced to fill positions across the government. The position will require confirmation by the Senate.