NASA wants to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, but right now, astronauts have to be in direct line of sight with Earth to phone home. The space agency is looking to change that with its developing Near Space Network, and it’s willing to pay potentially huge sums to private companies to help […]
Watch live as Boeing and NASA attempt to bring empty Starliner back to Earth
After 93 days on orbit, Starliner is coming home. The spacecraft is a “go” for undocking from the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. EST, though it will be leaving its two-person crew behind, and you can watch the drama unfold live. Those crew members, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, closed the hatch […]
The maiden voyage of Blue Origin’s massive new rocket won’t be for NASA
The world will have to wait a little longer to see Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket fly for the first time. That rocket had been scheduled to launch two spacecraft to Mars for NASA during an eight-day window that opens on October 13. But NASA announced on Friday that it was pushing the mission, […]
Boeing and NASA prepare to bring Starliner home without its crew on Friday
NASA officials expressed confidence that Starliner will have a safe and successful return to Earth late Friday evening, though they had enough reservations about the spacecraft’s performance to conclude that the trip should be undertaken without humans on board. The high-stakes mission is now set to officially conclude on Friday, with Starliner making its undocking […]
NASA to decide Saturday whether astronauts will ride Boeing’s Starliner home — or use SpaceX’s Dragon instead
NASA officials will announce their final decision on Saturday as to whether two NASA astronauts — Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams — will return to Earth on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft or hitch a ride home with SpaceX instead — a decision that could have a huge impact across the rapidly evolving space industry. Here’s the […]