Beijing (XNA) Apr 30, 2021
Sixty years after Yuri Gagarin undertook mankind's first space journey, China launched the core capsule of its space station on Thursday morning, formally embarking on the construction of one of the world's largest and most sophisticated space-based facilities. President Xi Jinping sent a letter after the launch, extending congratulations and greetings to those involved in the landmark mis

Beijing (XNA) Apr 30, 2021
Commercial enterprises will have opportunities to take part in the construction and operation of the nation's space station, according to a senior space official. Hao Chun, head of the China Manned Space Agency, told China Daily in an interview earlier this month that his agency, which administers the space station program, will take advantage of private space companies' technologies and c

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 30, 2021
Venus is an enigma. It's the planet next door and yet reveals little about itself. An opaque blanket of clouds smothers a harsh landscape pelted by acid rain and baked at temperatures that can liquify lead. Now, new observations from the safety of Earth are lifting the veil on some of Venus' most basic properties. By repeatedly bouncing radar off the planet's surface over the last 15 years

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Apr 30, 2021
Jacobs and NASA have begun processing the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage after receiving it at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 28, marking delivery of the final piece of Artemis I flight hardware to the team in Florida, a critical step in preparation for launch. The SLS rocket will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the moon and back to Earth later this yea

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Apr 30, 2021
The International Space Station is our home in low-Earth orbit. Humans have been living and working continuously on the station for more than 20 years. Astronauts and cosmonauts visiting the space station have arrived on the space shuttle, the Russian Soyuz, and now, the SpaceX Crew Dragon, with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner to be added to the mix. With these new flights on U.S. commercial spacecra

Beijing (Sputnik) Apr 30, 2021
China plans to launch two cargo spaceships and two manned spacecraft for building its own orbit station within this year, Hao Chun, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) director, said on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the country successfully sent off the core module of China's new space station Tiangong, which means "heavenly palace," by launching a rocket from Wenchang spaceport, locate

Wenchang, China (Xinhua) Apr 30, 2021
China successfully launched the core module of its space station on Thursday, opening a new foothold for humanity in space. China's space station, guided by the idea of building a community with a shared future for humanity, will become a common home transcending Earthly bonds and an outpost for countries worldwide to explore the universe through cooperation. Tianhe, the name of the

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 30, 2021
The FAA has authorized the next three launches of the SpaceX Starship prototype. The agency approved multiple launches because SpaceX is making few changes to the launch vehicle and relied on the FAA's approved methodology to calculate the risk to the public. The FAA authorized the launches on Wednesday, April 28. Prior to the launch of SN15, the FAA will verify that SpaceX implemented cor

Washington DC (The Conversation) Apr 30, 2021
For most people, getting to the stars is nothing more than a dream. On April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito achieved that lifelong goal - but he wasn't a typical astronaut. Tito, a wealthy businessman, paid US$20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to be the first tourist to visit the International Space Station. Only seven people have followed suit in the 20 years since, but that number is

Glasgow, Scotland (The Conversation) Apr 30, 2021
For the first few months of 2021, the Martian atmosphere was buzzing with new visitors from Earth. First, it was the UAE Space Agency's Hope probe, followed by the Chinese Tianwen-1 entering orbit. More recently Nasa landed the biggest-ever rover on Mars and its companion, an ingenious helicopter, both of which have been setting new milestones since. The next visitor to the planet wi