Starship Test Flight 4 Set for June 5 to Last >1 Hour, Test Re-Entry Survivability The next dramatic Starship flight launching from Starbase at Boca Chica, Texas is scheduled for NET June 5 at 07:00 CDT — and dependent on FAA approval. It will be the fourth flight of a
ISS Expedition 71 Plans to Welcome Progress 88P with 2,500 kg of Supplies, Experiments The seven-member crew of International Space Station Expedition 71 continue their mission of science and exploration this week while (still) awaiting the launch of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in Boeing Starliner CST-100, which could fly
“Mountain on the Moon” Challenges ISDC / NewSpace America, Asia Commercial Landers Malapert Summit high ground, chosen as 1 of the 13 potential landing sites for the Artemis III Human Return to the Moon, at about 5,000-meters altitude is located within ~4 degrees latitude of the lunar South Pole. The
CAPS and AbSciCon24 Astrobiology Meetings Share Progress, Plans for Next-Gen Exploration Missions The 3rd open session of the National Academies of Sciences Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences (CAPS) will be held May 20 in Washington DC. CAPS connects the research community, federal government and public, and gathers information on
Boeing Starliner CST-100 Inaugural Crewed Flight to ISS Set for May 6 United Launch Alliance is set to launch its Atlas V rocket NET May 6 from SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida for the long-awaited Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test with a launch mass of 13,000 kg carrying Astronauts
Chang’E-6 to Launch May 3, Complete Phase 3 of Chang’E Lunar Program China’s Chang’E-6 orbiter, return capsule, lander, ascender and its international payloads are set to launch aboard a Long March 5 from Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan Island at 19° N as early as May 3. Launch mass is
Earth Day 2024: ESTEC Studies Planetary Protection, MVA Considers Earth-Moon Environmentalism, ESA Astronaut Class Graduates The 54th Earth Day on April 22 will be marked by protest marches, volunteer cleanups, petition drives, tree plantings and educational events around the world, with ~1B participants in 192 countries. The theme of Earth
ISS Exp 71 to Welcome 1st Crewed Starliner and Dream Chaser Demo Missions in Summer Newly commenced ISS Expedition 71 is underway with Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko continuing command from Exp 70, and crewmates Nikolai Chub, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Alexander Grebenkin, and Tracy Caldwell-Dyson. The 6-month Exp 71
Total Solar Eclipse Festivities Across North America Precede Global Yuri’s Night Celebrations A week of astronomical and astronautical merriment awaits revelers at a slew of events celebrating the coming total solar eclipse and commemorating humankind’s first foray into space. 5 multi-day viewing parties are planned: Texas Eclipse Festival (April 5-9),
NewSpace Africa Conference 2024 Highlights Growing Commercial Space Activity in Region 3rd annual NewSpace Africa Conference being held at Talatona Convention Centre in Luanda, Angola from April 2-5 with theme ‘The Role of Space in Closing Africa’s Poverty Gap’. The Nigeria-based event co-organizer, data analytics company Space in Africa, estimates
Luxembourg Opens 6th Space Resources Week, Paris Hosts IAF Spring Meetings With semi-overlapping dates, two Europe conferences will host significant events over three days this week: The Space Resources Week in Luxembourg (March 25-27), and the Spring Meetings of the International Astronautical Federation (March 26-28). Space resource utilization and exploration
ISS Undergoes Multi-Crew Changeovers and Cargo Arrival Heading into Expedition 71 The International Space Station, now more than 25 years in LEO and having 270+ Astronaut visitors, will see many rendezvous and departures this month of crewed and cargo spacecraft. Expedition 70 Commander Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and Loral O’Hara
Moon Matters: LPSC2024 in USA Being Held Prior to PRC Launch of Queqiao 2 Lunar Relay The 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, sponsored by NASA, USRA and the Lunar and Planetary Institute, will convene ~2,000 planetary scientists and students from March 11-15 in the Woodlands, Texas. There will be
Next-Gen NASA Astronaut Class to Graduate Under Artemis Program NASA Astronaut Group 23 is set to receive astronaut wings at March 5 graduation ceremony being held at Johnson Space Center in Houston TX. Nicknamed ‘The Flies’, Group 23 consists of 5 women and 7 men, 10 of whom are USA
Crew-8 and Transporter 10 Launching to Space in the Coming Days, Starship IFT-3 Also Possible The robust SpaceX launch cadence continues with Crew-8 ISS mission on Endeavour, which is to be the 13th crewed flight of Dragon capsule (9th within NASA Commercial Crew program) set for launch on Falcon 9
USA Returning to Moon Surface After 51+ Years with Intuitive Machines Odysseus Lander The second NASA CLPS-funded ($118M delivery contract) commercial mission is on its way to the Moon following February 15, 01:05 EST launch from KSC LC-39A via SpaceX Falcon 9. The Nova-C class lander Odysseus separated from the
USA, World Awaits Intuitive Machines Moon Launch Set for Feb 14, Historic Moon Landing Feb 22 Intuitive Machines IM-1 Nova-C lander is planned to launch aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 in a multi-day launch window that opens 00:57 EST on February 14. The lander and its 12 payloads are intended to
Canada Investing in its Lunar Future: Artemis 2, LEAP, Canadarm3 Jeremy Hansen is set to become the first citizen of Canada traveling to the Moon via Artemis 2 in September 2025. Along with 3 other Astronauts, Hansen will travel on a nominal 10-day lunar mission in the Orion spacecraft, swinging
Juno to Perform Final Flyby of Io, Heading into Perijove 58 and Reducing Orbital Period On February 3, Jupiter explorer Juno is planning its 58th flyby of the great gas giant in its extended mission phase. Before the Jupiter flyby, Juno will come within 1,500 km of moon Io—the 4th
Apollo, Challenger, Columbia Astronaut Memorial Week Looks Toward Artemis Missions In the spirit of remembrance and exploration, this weekend will begin honoring fallen space heroes with the 57th observation Apollo 1 loss of Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee on January 27; the Challenger STS-51L 38th
Axiom 3 Launch to Bring Humans in Space to 11 Total Combined on ISS and TSS International Space Station Expedition 70 crew is expecting an additional 4 person team this week with the scheduled launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon carrying Axiom 3 mission on January 17 from
Astrobotic Set for Launch to Moon, First of Many Planned for 2024 Peregrine lander awaits launch on ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket, now fully stacked on pad SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in preparation for inaugural Cert-1 flight on NET January 8 at 02:18 EST. Weather conditions are forecast
Stellar and Interstellar Exploration Rings in New Year 2024 The NASA (STSci), ESA, CSA-ASC infrared astronomy telescope, James Webb, is operating at Sun–Earth L2 and will surpass its second full year in space on December 25. Proposals for the 3rd Cycle observations will be peer-reviewed starting in January 2024, and
SLIM, Nova-C and Peregrine Slated to Land on Moon in Early New Year 2024 Now <55,000 km from the Moon, 2.4 x 2.7-m JAXA Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar lander is just days from reaching lunar orbit insertion on December 25. The 200-kg SLIM is to remain in