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NASA intends to use Delta 4 upper stage on moon flights
NASA says Boeing is best equipped to provide two cryogenic upper stages derived from the Delta 4 rocket to power the agency's Orion capsule on a test flight around the moon in 2017 and send astronauts on a voyage to lunar orbit in 2021, according to documents posted on a federal government procurement website.
FULL STORY
Space station managers give go for SpaceX launch
NASA's space station management team on Tuesday approved plans to launch SpaceX's first commercial flight to the complex Saturday, signing off on software changes governing the privately-built capsule's final approach to the orbiting outpost. Launch from Cape Canaveral is set for Saturday at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT).
MISSION STATUS CENTER PDF:SPACEX PRESS KIT PDF:DEMO MISSION OBJECTIVES PDF:DRAGON CARGO MANIFEST FALCON ARCHIVE
Ariane 5 lifts Lockheed Martin satellite milestone
Precisely on schedule Tuesday carrying a pair of mirror-like "sister" satellites built in the U.S. by Lockheed Martin for telecommunications operators in Japan and Vietnam, a European Ariane 5 rocket blasted off at 6:13 p.m. EDT (2213 GMT).
MISSION STATUS CENTER GALLERY:ROCKET ON THE PAD
Latest manned space launch safely takes flight to orbit
Embarking on a four-month mission to utilize the International Space Station and conduct diverse research at the orbiting laboratory, a NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts rocketed off the planet aboard a Soyuz booster at 11:01 p.m. EDT Monday night from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER GALLERY:LAUNCH PHOTOS GALLERY:ROCKET ROLLOUT PHOTOS STORE:GET THE CREW PATCH! (free U.S. shipping!) STORE:EXPEDITION 31 PIN
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Launch preps begin for next Chinese human spaceflight
The Long March rocket and Shenzhou spacecraft for China's next manned space mission are being readied for blastoff as soon as June from the country's Jiuquan launching base.
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Two more military missions booked on EELV rocket fleet
As the nation's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle fleet prepares for its 50th flight next month, the U.S. Air Force on Monday announced the purchase of an Atlas 5 and a Delta 4 for future military satellite deployments.
FULL STORY OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE OUR DELTA ARCHIVE
Mars rover test-drive in California sand dunes
Using California sand dunes in the Mojave Desert, Mars Science Laboratory team members are practicing how to drive the car-sized Curiosity rover when it arrives on the red planet in August.
PHOTO GALLERY
ATK adds crew capsule to Liberty rocket proposal
Joining a growing list of aerospace companies competing to build a commercial crew taxi for NASA, rocket contractor ATK announced Wednesday it could launch astronauts into orbit by 2015 aboard the firm's Liberty rocket and a composite module derived from existing programs.
FULL STORY
Dream Chaser test plan outlined by Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada Corp., one of the firms vying to build a commercial space taxi for NASA, plans a series of automated and piloted atmospheric flight tests of its lifting body Dream Chaser spacecraft beginning this summer, ultimately leading to an orbital demonstration mission in 2016, according to company managers.
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Chinese spy satellite successfully launched
China launched an optical military reconnaissance satellite Thursday aboard a Long March 4B rocket, successfully orbiting another member in a fleet of spacecraft spying for Chinese intelligence agencies.
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ESA declares Envisat observing satellite lost
The European Space Agency on Wednesday declared the Envisat environmental satellite lost one month after the bus-sized craft unexpectedly stopped communicating 10 years after its launch.
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Photo gallery: Atlas 5 rocket thunders into space
Marking its 30th flight, the Atlas 5 rocket successfully launched Friday afternoon carrying a secure communications satellite for the U.S. government. It also marked United Launch Alliance's 60th mission. Relive the liftoff through the camera lenses of ULA's photographer.
IMAGES:LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
Satellite for secure wartime communications goes up
Forging a new constellation of ultra-secure communications satellites that will ring the globe to link the president with military forces anywhere on the planet, an Atlas 5 rocket roared to space Friday to continue putting the pieces in place for the warfighter.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER IMAGES:OUR LAUNCH PHOTOS
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Chinese mapping satellite in orbit after weekend launch
A Long March rocket boosted a Chinese mapping satellite into orbit Sunday from the Jiuquan launching base in the Gobi desert, according to state media reports.
FULL STORY
Boeing's capsule landing system tested in Nevada
Boeing conducted a successful end-to-end test Wednesday of the landing parachutes for the CST-100 commercial crew spacecraft, marking the second drop test of the boilerplate capsule in a month.
FULL STORY
Enceladus gets last visit from Cassini until 2015
NASA's Cassini spacecraft skimmed 46 miles above the icy surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wednesday, taking radio measurements to deduce what might feed powerful geysers of water vapor streaming into space from the enigmatic moon's south pole.
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NASA: Competition critical to commercial crew strategy
NASA managers said Tuesday a proposal by lawmakers to immediately select a single provider for commercial crew transportation services would undermine the agency's strategy of reducing the cost of space travel through private industry.
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Jupiter is destination of ESA's next planetary probe
The European Space Agency announced Wednesday it will launch a robotic mission in 2022 on a tour of Jupiter's icy moons to examine the subsurface oceans and frozen crusts of Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.
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Next Monday's SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in doubt
The long-awaited launch of a commercial cargo ship bound for the International Space Station almost certainly will be delayed from May 7 to at least May 10 and possibly longer, sources said late Tuesday, to give company engineers additional time to complete pre-flight tests and checkout.
FULL STORY
Radiation Belt Storm Probes arrive at Florida launch site
Twin NASA satellites designed to probe and predict changes in Earth's radiation belts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, ready to begin several months of testing and assembly before lifting off on an Atlas 5 rocket in August.
FULL STORY
Indian space chief updates GSLV launch manifest
India has scheduled up to four space launches in the next year, including two crucial tests of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, a medium-class rocket envisioned as the cornerstone of Indian ambitions for fully independent access to space.
FULL STORY
Falcon 9 engines ignited on pad for preflight check
Nine kerosene-fueled engines mounted on the bottom of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket fired at full power for two seconds Monday, completing a key test on a Cape Canaveral launch pad before departing to the International Space Station as soon as May 7.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER- live updates PDF:DEMO MISSION OBJECTIVES PDF:DRAGON CARGO MANIFEST FALCON ARCHIVE
Long March launcher boosts twin satellites into orbit
Two satellites for China's Beidou navigation system launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket Sunday, further expanding the space-based positioning network as China eyes global service by 2020.
FULL STORY
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MetOp satellite grounded by Soyuz drop zone dispute
Launch of Europe's second MetOp weather observatory has been delayed, potentially until late July, by a squabble between Russia and Kazakhstan over drop zones for the lower stages of the satellite's Soyuz rocket, the European Space Agency announced Friday.
FULL STORY
Dragon bolted to Falcon 9 ahead of engine firing
Engineers connected SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to its Falcon 9 launcher Thursday, setting the stage for a busy weekend of preparations for a brief firing of the rocket's nine main engines on the launch pad Monday.
FULL STORY IMAGES:DRAGON MATED TO FALCON 9
International Space Station trio comes back to Earth
A three-man crew from NASA and Russia completed its half-year mission aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth in a parachute-equipped Soyuz descent capsule Friday. Touchdown in Kazakhstan occurred as expected at 7:45 a.m. EDT (1145 GMT).
MISSION STATUS CENTER- live updates
Astrium UK picked to build Solar Orbiter spacecraft
The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft, due for launch in early 2017, will be built in Britain under a $400 million contract signed Thursday with Astrium.
FULL STORY
Scientists use Dawn to pull back the veil on Vesta
Since being tugged into orbit around asteroid Vesta last July, NASA's Dawn spacecraft has pulled back the curtain on the object's surface characteristics, internal structure and wild temperature swings, revealing Vesta to be a complex world much like a miniature planet.
FULL STORY
India achieves 'grand success' with rocket launch
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle blasted off Thursday with a radar surveillance satellite designed to obtain all-weather, day-and-night ground imagery for national security and environmental applications.
FULL STORY IMAGES:PSLV BLASTS OFF
SpaceX launch preps press on with Dragon fueling
While engineers analyze and tweak software coding, SpaceX is continuing with launch preparations for the scheduled May 7 blastoff of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Technicians have completed loading the automated capsule with maneuvering fuel, and the Dragon will be mated with its Falcon 9 rocket Thursday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates! PREVIOUS STORY
Congress wary of fully funding commercial crew
Senate and House budget bills would cut up to 40 percent from NASA's requested budget to pay for new commercial spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station and end U.S. reliance on Russia for crew transportation.
FULL STORY
Atlas 5 topped with anti-jam communications satellite
A gleaming new spacecraft valued at over $1 billion to serve in the top-notch mission of providing the president and military leaders a secure and survivable communications link in wartime was mounted atop its Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral on Monday.
FULL STORY IMAGES:HOISTING SATELLITE ATOP ROCKET GROUND TRACK MAP LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
More software reviews will delay SpaceX demo flight
Launch of SpaceX's commercial Dragon cargo freighter to the International Space Station will be delayed until at least early May to give engineers more time to wring out the craft's software, the company announced Monday.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Commercial Proton rocket deploys Yahsat into orbit
The Russian Proton rocket carrying a Middle Eastern spacecraft for high-data-rate communications launched Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:18 p.m. EDT (2218 GMT). It took 9 hours to put the satellite into the proper orbit by the Breeze M upper stage.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
Space station welcomes Russian cargo ship arrival
The International Space Station received a cargo freighter Sunday when the Russian-made vessel loaded with three tons of supplies safely approached and docked on autopilot.
FULL STORY
ESA consults imagery to diagnose Envisat anomaly
Engineers are analyzing satellite and ground imagery of the European Space Agency's Envisat environmental spacecraft to determine if the $3.4 billion mission can resume after controllers lost contact with the platform April 8.
FULL STORY
MESSENGER spacecraft lowers orbit around Mercury
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft maneuvered itself into an orbit closer to Mercury on Friday, putting the probe in position for more detailed measurements of the planet's surface composition, sharper images of its surface, and precise mapping of its terrain.
FULL STORY
Orbital Sciences aims for August launch of Antares
Construction of the Antares rocket's launch pad in Virginia is substantially complete after months of delays stemming from difficulties with the facility's fueling and pressurization systems, according to the chief executive of Orbital Sciences Corp., the rocket's commercial operator.
FULL STORY IMAGES:ANTARES IN THE HANGAR IMAGES:PATHFINDER ON LAUNCH PAD
Russians launch space station resupply ship
Dispatching a freighter filled with food, fuel and supplies to the International Space Station, an unmanned Russian Soyuz booster successfully launched Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
FULL STORY
Catch a glimpse of the Antares rocket launch site
Components for the first test launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket are coming together inside a hangar at Wallops Island on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Engineers also lifted an Antares first stage on the launch mount for the first time this week, testing connections and electrical systems before a test flight this summer.
IMAGES:ANTARES IN THE HANGAR IMAGES:PATHFINDER ON LAUNCH PAD
Rocket companies hope to repurpose Saturn 5 engines
Dynetics and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne announced Wednesday they are teaming up to resurrect the Saturn 5 rocket's mighty F-1 engine to power NASA's planned heavy-lift launch vehicle, saying the Apollo-era engine will offer significantly more performance than solid-fueled boosters currently under development.
FULL STORY
Budget bill provides $525 million for commercial crew
Senate appropriators released a draft NASA budget Tuesday, proposing a cut of more than $300 million from the agency's funding request for commercial space transportation, but adding money for development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion capsule for human exploration of deep space.
FULL STORY
Spaceport to Smithsonian: Discovery flies away
The space shuttle orbiter Discovery, part of Kennedy Space Center's heart and soul for three decades, departed the Florida spaceport forever Tuesday morning en route to become a museum exhibit at the Smithsonian's annex in Northern Virginia.
FULL STORY FERRYFLIGHT STATUS CENTER- updates IMAGES:DISCOVERY FLYOVER PHOTO GALLERY PANO:ARTISTIC PANORAMA OF TAKEOFF
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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket still tracking to April 30 launch
Pending the completion of last-minute work and a final review, a commercial cargo ship making its maiden voyage to the International Space Station should be ready for launch April 30, officials said Monday. The long-awaited test flight is intended to clear the way for routine resupply missions starting later this year.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Public can get up-close view of shuttle ferryflight takeoff
Talk about access! Space shuttle fans have a unique opportunity to buy front-row seats at Kennedy Space Center's runway to watch Discovery depart the spaceport atop the 747 carrier jet Tuesday morning.
FULL STORY
Shuttle Discovery mounted atop 747 carrier jet
The very same aircraft that delivered Discovery from her California manufacturing plant in Palmdale to the Kennedy Space Center in 1983 was topped by the orbiter Sunday morning to prepare for Tuesday's ferryflight to the orbiter's museum display site outside Washington, D.C.
FERRYFLIGHT STATUS CENTER IMAGES:A PHOTO TOUR OF THE 747
A windy Saturday morning interview with Stephanie Stilson, a long-time space shuttle Discovery official at Kennedy Space Center and now manager of all the orbiters' retirement activities.
Discovery rolls to runway, winds delay 747 mating
In the predawn darkness Saturday, the shuttle Discovery moved ever closer to leaving her home port forever as remaining technicians towed the decommissioned spaceplane to the runway ramp for mounting atop the 747 carrier jet. However, strong winds stalled plans to hoist the orbiter off the ground until Sunday.
FULL STORY IMAGES:DISCOVERY LEAVES VAB
Trillions of wrecked comets formed star's icy halo
Using images from Europe's Herschel infrared space telescope, astronomers have obtained fresh insights into a forming solar system around the nearby star Fomalhaut, which features a ring of fine icy dust grains born out of the annihilation of thousands of comets each day.
FULL STORY
ESA loses contact with flagship environmental craft
Europe's flagship Envisat observation satellite, one of the most advanced environmental spacecraft ever built, has stopped sending data to Earth after 10 years of service, the European Space Agency announced Thursday.
FULL STORY
WGS satellite passes builder's post-launch tests
Three months after rocketing into space atop a Delta 4 booster, maneuvering into geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles high and passing a thorough checkout, the U.S. Air Force's newest communications craft has been delivered into the hands of military controllers from builder Boeing. FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Reports: North Korea rocket fails moments after launch
North Korea launched a three-stage space launcher Friday, defying warnings from international governments, but the rocket failed and crashed into the ocean moments after liftoff, according to defense officials in the region.
FULL STORY PREVIEW STORY
Atlas 5 rehearses count for early May mission
Countdown clocks were ticking at Cape Canaveral Thursday, but only for practice as the Atlas 5 rocket team gears up for a military communications satellite launch in three weeks.
MISSION STATUS CENTER OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
Boeing anticipates CST-100 orbital flight tests in 2016
Boeing expects to finish the design of its CST-100 capsule by early 2014, but officials say the commercial crew taxi may not be ready for orbital flights until 2016, assuming the company receives the anticipated funding from NASA in an award due by August.
FULL STORY
Antares first stage on the pad for pathfinder testing
Orbital Sciences rolled the first stage of its Antares rocket to the launch pad Wednesday for several days of pathfinder tests and fit checks, a key step before the booster's debut flight this summer.
FULL STORY
Discovery's ride arrives
The modified Boeing 747 jumbojet that will haul the space shuttle Discovery piggyback-style to the Smithsonian next week flew across the country to Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday to pick up the spaceplane passenger.
FULL STORY IMAGES:747 ARRIVES @ KSC OUR DISCOVERY ARCHIVE
SpaceX considers South Texas for private launch site
SpaceX is examining a prospective launch site in South Texas for commercial Falcon rocket missions and testing of reusable suborbital boosters, but the company has not made the final selection of a location for a privately-owned launch base, a company spokesperson said Tuesday.
FULL STORY
Russia, Europe to sign ExoMars plan by year's end
Russia told European Space Agency officials last week it will partner with Europe on the ExoMars orbiter and rover missions after NASA dropped out of the project in February due to budgetary concerns, according to the Russian space agency.
FULL STORY
A May launching now planned for next Atlas 5
Given the delays launching the year's first Atlas 5 rocket due to high-altitude winds and scheduling conflicts with a Navy submarine missile test off Cape Canaveral, the next Atlas mission is moving out a week or so as a result.
FULL STORY OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
This is the United Launch Alliance highlights film from last week's beautiful Delta 4 rocket flight from California that delivered a national security payload into orbit.
Shuttle Endeavour's cockpit comes alive one more time
Climb aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, the flight deck displays powered up and buttons glowing just like her astronaut crews saw as they circled the planet, a living spaceship taking hardware and humans to and from Earth orbit safely 25 times.
SPECIAL PHOTO GALLERY
Scientists learning to forecast dust devils on Mars
Knowing exactly when and where to look for dust devils on Mars is still a matter of luck, but scientists are making inroads in forecasting the red planet phenomena, leading to two astonishing images of Martian twisters released in the last month.
FULL STORY
Close calls between station and debris on the rise
Statistics show the International Space Station came under growing danger from space junk after 2007, with half of the orbiting lab's close calls since then due to near-collisions with debris from a Chinese anti-satellite missile test, the mysterious explosion of a Russian military spacecraft, and the cataclysmic high-speed crash of two satellites.
FULL STORY
Zenit booster delivered for next Sea Launch mission
The Ukrainian Zenit rocket for Sea Launch's next commercial launch has arrived at the firm's California home base for final assembly, a company spokesperson said Thursday.
FULL STORY
Atlas 5 rockets to launch next weather satellite series
The next-generation U.S. weather observatories now in development for flights to geostationary orbit will be deployed by United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets, officials announced Thursday.
FULL STORY
Delta 4 rockets going up and rolling out on same day
While a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket was being fueled during its countdown to blast off on the West Coast Tuesday afternoon, a mammoth Delta 4-Heavy vehicle was being rolled out to its East Coast pad.
FULL STORY
Minotaur rocket booked for space-based range demo
The U.S. Air Force has purchased a Minotaur 1 rocket for a mission in 2013 to prove less-costly, next-generation range tracking, safety and communications systems to streamline future launch operations.
FULL STORY
Delta 4 rocket successfully lofts surveillance satellite
A Delta 4 rocket made a thunderous departure from California on Tuesday afternoon, only to slip into a news blackout minutes later while it climbed higher and faster to deploy a classified spy satellite, a success-defining milestone that was confirmed by hobbyist observers.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
Kepler planet-hunting mission extended until 2016
NASA's Kepler telescope will scan the sky searching for planets beyond the solar system through 2016 after the space agency extended the mission on the advice of the astrophysics research community.
FULL STORY
Parachutes for Boeing crew capsule tested over Nevada
Boeing dropped a mock-up of its CST-100 commercial crew capsule over the Nevada desert Tuesday, successfully testing the craft's three main landing parachutes, the first in a series of demonstrations to prove the design of the vehicle's landing system.
FULL STORY
Launch of NASA X-ray telescope targeted for June
NASA's NuSTAR X-ray astrophysics observatory, grounded in March by concerns with its Pegasus rocket, will have an opportunity to launch in June from a remote Pacific military base, space agency officials said Tuesday.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
ATV production ended as decision on follow-on nears
Confronted by parts obsolescence and waning political support, the European Space Agency has shut down subsystem production lines for the Automated Transfer Vehicle as member states debate how they will contribute to future international space exploration efforts, according to top spaceflight officials.
FULL STORY
Senate appropriators offer rebuke of commercial crew
Unhappy with delays, shifting contracting strategies and a proposed budget increase, lawmakers took aim on NASA's commercial crew initiative last week in a continuing narrative of questioning as the agency fights to maintain the program's relevance.
FULL STORY
Half-ton of cargo on Dragon's station manifest
Technicians will load more than 1,000 pounds of food and clothing into SpaceX's Dragon capsule next month for delivery to the International Space Station on the commercial craft's first flight to the outpost.
FULL STORY
Backup power system connected to resupply craft
Mission controllers confirmed a backup power supply was successfully connected to Europe's automated cargo freighter Saturday, allowing the craft's five-month flight to resupply the International Space Station to go forward as planned.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! IMAGES:ATV APPROACHES SPACE STATION PDF:ESA'S FACT SHEET FOR ATV 3 MISSION
Chinese rocket lifts off with communications satellite
A Chinese Long March 3B rocket lifted a French-built communications payload into orbit Saturday to broadcast television signals, Internet access and network data solutions across the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East for a Hong Kong-based satellite operator.
FULL STORY
Human factor: Space station as a social laboratory
Astronauts on the International Space Station this summer will use instant messaging, Internet chat clients and email to contact mission control, the first in a series of experiments designed to exploit the orbiting outpost as a behavioral laboratory for future journeys to an asteroid or Mars.
FULL STORY
Russian early warning satellite orbited by Proton
Russia launched a missile detection satellite Friday from the Kazakhstan steppe, marking the last flight of a venerable version of the Proton rocket after 45 years of service.
FULL STORY
NASA sees no problem with Apollo engine recovery
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, says he has discovered massive Saturn 5 rocket engines on the Atlantic Ocean floor east of Florida, capturing the attention of NASA and space enthusiasts.
FULL STORY
New Intelsat spacecraft will serve Australian, U.S. forces
An Intelsat satellite on the way to an orbit over the Indian Ocean will link Europe, Africa and Asia with video and voice services and relay UHF communications for U.S. and Australian defense forces deployed in Afghanistan.
FULL STORY HD VIDEO:SPECTACULAR LAUNCH FOOTAGE
U.S. Navy's newly launched spacecraft is flying high
The U.S. Navy's new satellite to provide more agile communications for forces on the move has successfully maneuvered itself into a perch 22,300 miles above Earth and unfurled its giant umbrella-like mesh antennas.
FULL STORY OUR LAUNCH STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Scientists close to finding ice on scorching Mercury
The solar system's innermost planet, a world known for its torrid temperatures, may conceal water ice inside permanently dark polar craters, and NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft aims to resolve the question as it begins an extended mission at Mercury.
FULL STORY
Intelsat payload launched into lofty orbit by Proton
An Intelsat communications satellite lifted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday aboard a Proton rocket, successfully reaching a 40,000-mile-high orbit more than 15 hours later. The Intelsat 22 satellite will provide video, voice and data services to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean region.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates! VIDEO:LIFTOFF FROM BAIKONUR VIDEO:PROTON ROLLOUT PDF:PROTON MISSION OVERVIEW
Russian satellite destroyed despite scientific promise
Engineers on Sunday intentionally crashed a Russian Express communications satellite stranded in space by an August rocket mishap, declaring the mission a total loss despite efforts by a start-up company to purchase the craft to serve the Antarctic research community.
FULL STORY
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Q&A with Arianespace chief executive Jean-Yves Le Gall
Spaceflight Now recently sat down for lunch with Arianespace chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall, who offered his views on Arianespace's position in the commercial launch market, pricing trends, and the future of the Ariane rocket family.
PART 1:LE GALL DISCUSSES PRICING, ECONOMY PART 2:MARKET STRATEGY, FUTURE OF ARIANE
GRAIL lunar gravity mission extended until December
NASA has granted an extension of the GRAIL moon mission until December, allowing scientists to complete a more definitive map of the lunar gravity field from a lower orbit, according to agency officials and researchers.
FULL STORY
This narrated animation depicts a Delta 4-Heavy rocket launching the test flight of an Orion spacecraft in 2014 from Cape Canaveral on a two-orbit shakedown cruise.
Certification work continues on missile warning craft
The lead spacecraft in the U.S. military's new generation of missile early-warning satellites is delivering better-than-expected results as exhaustive testing continues 22,300 miles above the planet.
FULL STORY LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE MISSION STATUS CENTER
Escape baskets for shuttle crews removed from pad
A small but visible sign of the times occurred Saturday at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A when technicians removed the seven slidewire baskets that were part of the emergency escape system for space shuttle astronauts.
PHOTO GALLERY
From PayPal to electric cars to rockets, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk wants his company, SpaceX, to build America's next manned spacecraft. Scott Pelley reports on 60 Minutes.
Electric propulsion could launch new satellite trend
Boeing's announcement last week of a contract to build up to four communications spacecraft with all-electric propulsion for Asian and Mexican customers could shift the commercial satellite industry's trend for larger, heftier platforms requiring powerful rockets to launch them into orbit, officials said.
FULL STORY
Experience a space shuttle launch like never before
These slow-motion films capture the awe-inspiring sight of a space shuttle blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center on one of the program's final missions, Discovery soaring skyward last February headed for the International Space Station. The amazing videos are presented here for Spaceflight Now+Plus users.
VIDEO COLLECTION STS-133 VIDEO ARCHIVE
Circumstances cause long delay for Pegasus launch
Launch of NASA's NuSTAR space observatory is going into an extended delay while engineers continue working on the Pegasus rocket software and await the next available opportunity in the U.S. military's flight range in the remote Pacific.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
SpaceX wins deal to launch satellites for Asia, Mexico
Two SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets will launch four communications satellites with innovative electric propulsion systems for Asia Broadcast Satellite and Satmex in 2014 and 2015, securing another commercial launch deal for the private U.S. booster, the company announced Wednesday.
FULL STORY
Veteran astronaut to head up commercial federation
The NASA astronaut holding the single-mission endurance record and spent more time spacewalking than any other American has left the space agency to become president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. FULL STORY
Decisive budget fight ahead for commercial crew
After NASA chief Charles Bolden fielded blistering questions from Congress last week on the agency's commercial crew initiative, officials said NASA must emphasize the program's urgency and quell expectations ahead of upcoming budget negotiations, during which a crucial SpaceX commercial cargo test flight will attempt to reach the International Space Station, a symbolic mission for the burgeoning private human spaceflight industry. FULL STORY
Atlas 5 being stacked for its next U.S. military launch
The 30th Atlas 5 rocket began taking shape Monday as United Launch Alliance technicians hoisted the giant first stage onto the mobile launching platform for next month's mission to deploy an ultra-secure U.S. government communications satellite.
FULL STORY OUR ATLAS ARCHIVE
SpaceX eyes shuttle launch pad for heavy-lift rocket
SpaceX and NASA are in advanced discussions for the private space firm to use Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A, one of the spaceport's Apollo and space shuttle launch sites, as the Florida base for its Falcon Heavy rocket, officials said.
FULL STORY
Take a photo tour of space shuttle Endeavour's hangar
Enclosed within a maze of work platforms, the shuttle Endeavour has spent most of its life inside one of three Orbiter Processing Facility bays at Kennedy Space Center. Join us on a photographic tour of the hangar with these rare views of the shuttle.
IMAGES:ENDEAVOUR'S NOSE, CARGO BAY IMAGES:SHUTTLE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IMAGES:HEAT SHIELD, LANDING GEAR
Discovery leaves hangar to await April 17 ferryflight
Exactly one year to the day since returning from her final spaceflight and now ready for public display at the Smithsonian, the most-flown space shuttle orbiter was rolled from the Kennedy Space Center hangar and placed into temporary storage at the Vehicle Assembly Building on Friday.
FULL STORY IMAGES:DISCOVERY AND ATLANTIS SHUFFLE
'Sporty' weather greeted Discovery on final landing
When the shuttle Discovery swooped back to the Kennedy Space Center a year ago Friday to conclude the spaceship's flying days, commander Steve Lindsey was dealt some of the most challenging weather conditions ever experienced during an orbiter landing.
FULL STORY OUR STS-133 MISSION COVERAGE
Inside Endeavour, a bond of technology and humanity
A sea of switches, displays, gauges and buttons greets astronauts, engineers and the few lucky visitors who crawl inside a space shuttle. But beyond the visual wonder, the shuttle offers a humbling glimpse into what made the ships fly.
FULL STORY IMAGES:ENDEAVOUR'S FLIGHT DECK IMAGES:MIDDECK, AIRLOCK, CARGO BAY
Martian twister caught in action by NASA spacecraft
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a breath-taking view of a towering dust devil more than half-a-mile tall swirling on the red planet in an image from the craft's HiRISE camera.
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NASA probes shifting orbits for Curiosity rover landing
Two NASA spacecraft circling Mars have begun repositioning their orbits to provide engineering insight into the landing of the Curiosity rover on the red planet in August, supplying engineers on Earth with vital data during the robot's dramatic rocket-assisted touchdown.
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MetOp B weather satellite arrives at launch base
Europe's next polar-orbiting weather satellite was shipped from France to Kazakhstan on Tuesday, where it will be tested, fueled and bolted to a Soyuz rocket for liftoff in May.
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U.S. Air Force space plane marks one year in orbit
The U.S. Air Force's second X-37B space plane marked one year in orbit Monday, continuing its clandestine mission more than 200 miles above Earth. The robotic spacecraft's purpose is secret, but Air Force officials acknowledge the vehicle is performing well one year after it blasted off on an Atlas 5 rocket.
FULL STORY ARCHIVE:X-37 MISSION EXTENDED ARCHIVE:LAUNCH COVERAGE
ESA: BepiColombo will stay on budget despite delay
Technicial difficulties with BepiColombo, a joint project between Europe and Japan, will push back its launch to Mercury by 13 months until August 2015, but officials do not expect the postponement to trigger another increase in the mission's budget.
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Cassini detects oxygen around second Saturn moon
Researchers analyzing data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft announced Friday the discovery of a tenuous atmosphere around Saturn's moon Dione, a small, colorless world of ice and rock near the giant planet's famous rings.
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Orion spacecraft parachutes tested over Arizona desert
NASA continued testing the Orion capsule's recovery chutes last week in a high-altitude drop from a U.S. Air Force cargo plane ahead of the craft's first orbital test flight in early 2014.
IMAGES:ORION MOCK-UP DROPPED OVER DESERT
SpaceX rocket back in hangar after cargo demo
After a countdown rehearsal and a cargo loading demonstration, SpaceX moved its Falcon 9 launcher and Dragon spacecraft back to the hangar Friday for the final phase of flight preparations. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral is set for no sooner than late April.
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates!
Falcon 9 fueling test completed in Florida
SpaceX loaded more than 75,000 gallons of liquid propellant into the Falcon 9 rocket Thursday for a pre-launch countdown test designed to wring out any issues with the launcher, ground systems and engineering teams before the mission blasts off in April.
FULL STORY IMAGES:ROCKET ON THE PAD FALCON LAUNCH ARCHIVE
Telescopes catch flicker of baby stars in Orion nebula
Merging data from two infrared space telescopes, astronomers have spotted forming stars brightening and dimming every few weeks, providing a glimpse into the violent, tumultous conditions inside the cocoons of baby stars.
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New Station Crew Patches Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The Expeditions 33 and 34 embroidered crew patches for the International Space Station are now available in our store! U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Current Station Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The crew emblem for the International Space Station's current expedition to the outpost! U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE John Glenn Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The historic first orbital flight by an American is marked by this commemorative patch for John Glenn and Friendship 7. U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Final Shuttle Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is available in our store. Get this piece of history! U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Celebrate the shuttle program Free shipping to U.S. addresses! This special commemorative patch marks the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Available in our store! U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Anniversary Shuttle Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981. U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Mercury anniversary Free shipping to U.S. addresses!
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard's historic Mercury mission with this collectors' item, the official commemorative embroidered patch. U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Fallen Heroes Patch Collection The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Apollo Collage This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos. U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE
The Expeditions 33 and 34 embroidered crew patches for the International Space Station are now available in our store!
U.S. STORE
The crew emblem for the International Space Station's current expedition to the outpost!
The historic first orbital flight by an American is marked by this commemorative patch for John Glenn and Friendship 7.
The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is available in our store. Get this piece of history!
This special commemorative patch marks the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Available in our store!
This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.
The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.
This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.
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FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT 
