Launch - Outer Space Today (Page 6)

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Launch

A collection of 135 posts

FAA Grounds SpaceX Starship After Super Heavy Booster Crashes During Landing

FAA Grounds SpaceX Starship After Super Heavy Booster Crashes During Landing

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered SpaceX to halt all Starship launches indefinitely after the company's upgraded V3 variant experienced a catastrophic booster failure during its May 22 test flight from Texas. The Super Heavy booster lost control during its landing sequence and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico,

Firefly Aerospace Launches Public Stock Offering on Heels of Lunar Contract Win

Firefly Aerospace Launches Public Stock Offering on Heels of Lunar Contract Win

Firefly Aerospace announced a public equity offering of 12 million shares on May 26, capitalizing on momentum from a recent $75 million NASA subcontract to deliver robotic assets to the lunar south pole. The company is offering 4 million shares while existing stockholders are selling 8 million, signaling both capital

NASA Exercises SpaceX Option for Six Additional Crew Missions as Boeing Starliner Remains Uncertified

NASA Exercises SpaceX Option for Six Additional Crew Missions as Boeing Starliner Remains Uncertified

NASA will purchase six additional crew rotation missions from SpaceX under an expanded Commercial Crew contract, with three ordered immediately and three reserved for future use through the end of International Space Station operations. The procurement follows Boeing's continued inability to obtain NASA certification for Starliner to conduct

Blue Origin Clears Path to Resume New Glenn Heavy-Lift Operations

Blue Origin Clears Path to Resume New Glenn Heavy-Lift Operations

Blue Origin has received FAA clearance to return its New Glenn rocket to flight operations following an extended grounding, the agency confirmed on May 25. The regulatory approval removes the final institutional barrier preventing the company from conducting launch missions with its heavy-lift vehicle, though Blue Origin has not

SpaceX's Starship V3 Validates Reentry Heat Shield Despite Booster Loss

SpaceX's Starship V3 Validates Reentry Heat Shield Despite Booster Loss

SpaceX completed the first test flight of its redesigned Starship V3 on May 22, achieving its primary objective of validating new reentry systems and heat protection, even though the Super Heavy booster was destroyed shortly after stage separation. The upper stage conducted a controlled atmospheric reentry and splashed down on

China Reaches Year-Long Spaceflight Milestone With Shenzhou-23 Launch

China Reaches Year-Long Spaceflight Milestone With Shenzhou-23 Launch

China launched its Shenzhou-23 mission on May 25, 2026, carrying three astronauts to the Tiangong space station, including Hong Kong's first astronaut and a crew member scheduled to remain in orbit for a full year. The mission represents a significant step in China's human spaceflight

SpaceX Targets May 21 for First Flight of Starship V3, Its Heaviest Rocket Yet

SpaceX Targets May 21 for First Flight of Starship V3, Its Heaviest Rocket Yet

SpaceX has set May 21, 2026, for the maiden flight of Starship V3 from its Starbase facility in Texas. The 124-meter-tall vehicle represents the first operational variant of the megarocket designed to support NASA's Artemis lunar program and eventual crewed missions to Mars. The announcement came

SpaceX Dragon Delivers 6,500 Pounds of Cargo to Space Station

SpaceX Dragon Delivers 6,500 Pounds of Cargo to Space Station

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Sunday, delivering 6,500 pounds of science experiments and supplies to the orbiting laboratory. The mission marks another routine resupply run under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program -- a cadence that reflects how thoroughly space logistics has

NASA Adds Critical Test Mission to Artemis Program, Delays Lunar Landing

NASA Adds Critical Test Mission to Artemis Program, Delays Lunar Landing

NASA has inserted an uncrewed test mission into its Artemis sequence, now targeting late 2027, to validate rendezvous and docking procedures between the Orion spacecraft and commercial lunar landers before risking astronauts near the Moon. The space agency characterized the mission as "one of the most highly complex missions

SpaceX to Debut Upgraded Starship and New Launch Pad on May 19

SpaceX to Debut Upgraded Starship and New Launch Pad on May 19

SpaceX has set May 19 as the target launch date for Starship Version 3, the most substantially redesigned iteration of its super-heavy launch system yet. The flight will also mark the operational debut of Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in South Texas, a facility the company has spent two