The June 2013 issue of Astronomy Now is on sale! Order direct from our store. The Astronomy Now iPad edition is now available in the iTunes store worldwide.
Mission Reports
For 12 years, Spaceflight Now has been providing unrivaled coverage of U.S. space launches. Comprehensive reports and voluminous amounts of video are available in our archives.
Air-launched Pegasus rocket to fly next week
The winged Pegasus XL rocket will be rolled from its hangar and mated to the belly of the L-1011 carrier aircraft this week at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in preparation for a dramatic mid-air launch over the Pacific on June 26.
New class of NASA astronauts selected
NASA has selected eight new candidates -- four men and four women -- to join the ranks of its astronaut corps. for missions to the International Space Station and beyond.
FULL STORY
Ariane 5 rocket upgrades could be accelerated
Arianespace's new leader is pushing to accelerate modifications to the Ariane 5 rocket to match a trend toward larger communications satellites equipped with electric propulsion systems, company leaders said.
FULL STORY
ATV cargo ship arrives at International Space Station
A European resupply spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Saturday, using a laser-guided autopilot system to make a precision rendezvous and deliver seven tons of fuel and supplies for the lab's six-person crew.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER DOCKING TIMELINE
SpaceX signs framework for military launch deal
The U.S. Air Force and SpaceX have signed an agreement allowing the commercial space transportation firm to eventually compete for launch contracts of the military's most expensive and sensitive satellites.
FULL STORY
Shenzhou 10 docks with Chinese space lab in orbit
China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft flew an automated rendezvous with the Tiangong 1 space lab Thursday, docking with the prototype space station and delivering three astronauts for nearly two weeks of experiments.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Atlas 5 stacked for Navy satellite launch in July
The most powerful version of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket has been assembled at Cape Canaveral to deploy the second satellite in the Navy's new mobile communications system.
FULL STORY
Weather satellite reactivated after outage
NOAA returned the GOES 13 weather satellite to service Monday after investigators found a micrometeoroid likely struck the spacecraft in late May, putting the satellite into standby mode for three weeks.
FULL STORY
Successful start for China's fifth human spaceflight
Three Chinese astronauts, led by a veteran of a previous space mission, soared into orbit Tuesday to begin a 15-day voyage to China's Tiangong 1 space lab, a flight officials say will further prove the capabilities of the country's manned space program.
FULL STORY IMAGES:LAUNCH IMAGERY MISSION STATUS CENTER LAUNCH PREVIEW
Progress leaves station, clearing way for ATV
A Russian Progress cargo ship departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, clearing a docking port for the arrival of Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle on Saturday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
Chris Hadfield retiring from Canadian Space Agency
Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station and a viral Internet sensation for his music video shot aboard the complex, announced his retirement Monday just a month after returning to Earth.
FULL STORY
Atlantis showcase on track for June 29 opening day
It's T-minus 3 weeks and counting until the grand opening of the space shuttle Atlantis attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, just miles from where the orbiter was processed and launched on 33 missions.
PHOTO GALLERY OUR ATLANTIS ARCHIVE
Russian spy payload in orbit after launch from Plesetsk
Russia launched a Soyuz rocket from the country's northern space base Friday, successfully placing a military spy satellite into orbit to collect high-resolution imagery for Russia's strategic forces and intelligence agencies.
FULL STORY
Spectacular scenes of Ariane 5's sunset launch
Cameras aboard the Ariane 5 rocket recorded dazzling views of the launcher's ascent into space with Europe's fourth cargo freighter bound for the International Space Station, and photographers around French Guiana launch site captured the power and majesty of the heavy-lifter's liftoff Wednesday.
VIDEO:ARIANE 5 ROCKETCAM IMAGES:LAUNCH VIEWS FROM TOUCAN IMAGES:ESA'S REMOTE CAMERA PHOTOS
Additional coverage for subscribers. Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution: VIDEO:
LAUNCH OF ARIANE 5 WITH ATV-4 HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Mars rover Curiosity poised for trek to Mount Sharp
Ten months after a spectacular landing in Gale Crater, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is wrapping up a second drilling campaign, mission managers said Wednesday, and the science team is gearing up to begin the long trek to Mount Sharp, a towering mound of layered rock 5 miles away that is expected to shed new light on the red planet's history and habitability. FULL STORY
Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to launch soon
Chinese engineers transferred a 191-foot-tall Long March rocket to the launch pad Monday as officials gear up for liftoff of China's next human spaceflight in mid-June, state media reported.
FULL STORY
Proton flies to high orbit with commercial satellite
Taking an exceptionally long climb into exceptionally high orbit, a Russian Proton rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Monday on a 15-hour flight that successfully deployed a commercial communications satellite.
FULL STORY
Boeing's crew craft tested for launch environment
Boeing's CST-100 human-rated commercial crew capsule has moved two steps closer to reality with the successful completion of aerodynamic testing in a wind tunnel and a propellant plumbing system for the craft's Atlas 5 launch vehicle, NASA and Boeing announced Friday.
FULL STORY
Healthy Hubble telescope raises hopes of longer life
Four years after a final shuttle servicing mission, the Hubble Space Telescope is operating like a fine watch, with no major technical problems that would prevent it from continuing its trail-blazing observations through the end of the decade -- 30 years after launch -- project officials say.
FULL STORY
Aging Hubble still focused on astronomical frontier
Despite steady advances in ground-based astronomy, the Hubble Space Telescope, with its famously flawed mirror, its equally famed redemption and more than two decades as an icon of world-class science, is more productive today than at any point in its history, scientists say.
FULL STORY
Radiation shields, new engines mandatory for Mars
A detector on NASA's Curiosity rover has confirmed previous research findings on the hazards of space radiation on the way to Mars, scientists announced Thursday, and future astronauts making the trip will need protection from the danger.
FULL STORY
New Landsat commences Earth-monitoring mission
Control of the new Landsat spacecraft to continue adding to the four decades of uninterrupted Earth-resources data was signed over to the U.S. Geological Survey from NASA on Thursday, completing the space agency's job of developing, launching and certifying the satellite.
FULL STORY EARLIER LAUNCH COVERAGE
Additional coverage for subscribers:
Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
LAUNCH OF ATLAS 5 WITH LANDSAT 8 HI-DEF VIDEO:
REPLAYS OF VARIOUS LAUNCH VIEWS HI-DEF VIDEO:
PAD GANTRY RETRACTED FOR LAUNCH HI-DEF VIDEO:
PRE-FLIGHT PREPARATIONS OF ATLAS 5 HI-DEF VIDEO:
PRE-FLIGHT PREPARATIONS OF LANDSAT HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Photos of vivid nighttime Soyuz launch from Baikonur
Look back on this week's launch of three new residents bound for the International Space Station with these photos showing the middle-of-the-night launch of a Soyuz rocket from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome.
IMAGES:NIGHTTIME LIFTOFF OF SOYUZ
Additional coverage for subscribers:
Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
LAUNCH OF EXPEDITION 36 HI-DEF VIDEO:
EXPEDITION 36 OVERVIEW MOVIE HI-DEF VIDEO:
GET TO KNOW THE THREE-PERSON SOYUZ CREW HI-DEF VIDEO:
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED OUT FOR EXPEDITION 36 HI-DEF VIDEO:
NASA AND ESA VIP COMMENTS AFTER ROLLOUT HI-DEF VIDEO:
FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SOYUZ ROCKET HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Cassini finds hints of activity at Dione
From a distance, most of the Saturnian moon Dione resembles a bland cueball. Thanks to close-up images of a 500-mile-long mountain on the moon from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, scientists have found more evidence for the idea that Dione was likely active in the past. It could still be active now.
FULL STORY
Soyuz reaches space station with crew of three
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a four-orbit, six-hour trek to the International Space Station to deliver three fresh crew members -- a veteran Russian cosmonaut, an Italian test pilot and an American shuttle veteran -- to the International Space Station.
PREVIEW STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER - live streaming video! STORE:EXPEDITION 36 CREW PATCH
Curiosity tasked with hunting for Martian organics
Back in action after a month out of contact with Earth, NASA's Curiosity rover is renewing its quest to excavate a definitive signal of organic molecules - the building blocks of life - from the red planet's regolith and bedrock after a first taste of Martian soil turned up inconclusive results.
FULL STORY INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO CURIOSITY'S MISSION
This is the United Launch Alliance highlights film from Friday's Delta 4 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral that deployed a new military communications satellite.
Delta 4 launch photo gallery
Friday night's Delta 4 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral with an Air Force satellite aboard was captured in spectacular images by United Launch Alliance photographer Pat Corkery.
LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
NOAA turns to backup after weather satellite glitch
A week before the official start of a potentially active Atlantic hurricane season, the primary U.S. weather satellite keeping watch over the tropics has stopped collecting imagery, NOAA officials said Thursday.
FULL STORY
Space station power system restored to full operations
Convinced an emergency spacewalk fixed the problem, engineers have restored complete functionality to the International Space Station power system that sprung a coolant leak May 9, NASA officials said Wednesday.
FULL STORY
British astronaut assigned to space station mission
The UK's first astronaut to officially represent Queen and country has been assigned to a six month stay aboard the International Space Station. Timothy Peake, a former test pilot and major in the British Army Air Corps, was named to the Expedition 46/47 mission, scheduled to fly to the orbiting outpost in 2015. FULL STORY
This is the United Launch Alliance highlights film from Wednesday's Atlas 5 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral that deployed a new GPS satellite.
SpaceX testing Falcon for commercial satellites
The payload fairing for SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket, set to debut this summer on a launch from California, is being tested inside the world's largest vacuum chamber in Ohio as the burgeoning space transportation company breaks in to the commercial launch market.
VIDEO:PAYLOAD FAIRING TEST
Atlas 5 launch gallery
United Launch Alliance's photographer Pat Corkery captured Wednesday's stunning Atlas 5 rocket launch with cameras around Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.
IMAGES:LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
Lockheed to build two more GOES weather satellites
NOAA has ordered two more GOES geostationary weather satellites from Lockheed Martin Corp. for launch in 2019 and 2024, officials said Wednesday.
FULL STORY
Kepler's planet-finding mission may be at an end
NASA's planet-hunting Kepler telescope, stationed 40 million miles from Earth, has lost the ability to precisely point toward stars, and scientists fear the mission's quest to identify rocky planets around other stars is over, officials said Wednesday.
FULL STORY
Proton rocket lifts off with Eutelsat broadcast satellite
A Russian Proton rocket soared into space Tuesday with the Eutelsat 3D broadcasting satellite, carefully maneuvering the 6-ton spacecraft into a high-altitude transfer orbit during a 9-hour flight.
MISSION STATUS CENTER IMAGES:SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF PROTON IMAGES:PROTON ON THE PAD
Fourth ATV attached to Ariane 5 launcher
Europe's next Automated Transfer Vehicle, set for launch in June to the International Space Station, was hoisted atop an Ariane 5 launcher in French Guiana on Friday.
FULL STORY
Soyuz capsule brings three-man crew to safe landing
A Russian cosmonaut, a NASA physician-astronaut and outgoing Canadian space station commander Chris Hadfield, whose deft use of social media turned him into an orbital superstar, undocked and plunged back to Earth Monday to close out a five-month stay in space.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
HATCH OPENED FOR EGRESS PLAY VIDEO:
AERIAL VIEW OF THE LANDING PLAY VIDEO:
SOYUZ TMA-07M LANDS IN KAZAKHSTAN PLAY VIDEO:
EXPEDITION 35 SOYUZ UNDOCKS FROM STATION PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Orion crack repair under scrutiny in loads testing
Engineers are putting NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule, set to fly in orbit in 2014, through tests to stress the capsule's structural shell and check repairs to cracks in the pressurized module's aluminum bulkhead.
FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers:
Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
SPACEWALKERS REMOVE SUSPECT AMMONIA CONTROLLER PLAY VIDEO:
VIDEO OF THE AMMONIA LEAK ON SPACE STATION HI-DEF VIDEO:
NARRATED PREVIEW OF SATURDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAN HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Atlantis' payload bay doors swing open for display
The clamshell payload bay doors of space shuttle Atlantis swung open this week at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex as the retired ship is configured to mimic her flying days in orbit.
FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers:
Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
PAYLOAD BAY DOORS OPENED PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
DOOR OPENING TIME LAPSE: IN FRONT PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
DOOR OPENING TIME LAPSE: OVERHEAD PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
SHIP CLEANED AFTER WRAPPING REMOVED PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ATLANTIS UNWRAPPED FROM PLASTIC COVERING PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
LOOK BACK TO EARLY CONSTRUCTION PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
ARRIVAL AND FIREWORKS AT RETIREMENT HOME PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
AERIAL VIEWS OF SHUTTLE ATLANTIS PARADE PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
RETIRED SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LEAVES COMPLEX 39
PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
PAYLOAD BAY DOORS CLOSED IN THE HANGAR PLAY | HI-DEF VIDEO:
REPLICA DOCKING SYSTEM INSTALLED PLAY | HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Europe to build satellite for pioneering carbon mission
The European Space Agency gave the green light on Tuesday to a satellite mission to measure the weight of Earth's forests, helping scientists factor the role of woodlands in the carbon cycle and climate change.
FULL STORY
Shuttle veteran to pilot Virgin Galactic's spaceship
Veteran space shuttle commander Rick Sturckow has joined Virgin Galactic to pilot the company's suborbital passenger spaceship, officials announced Tuesday.
FULL STORY
21st anniversary of Endeavour's maiden launch
21 years ago Tuesday, the shuttle Endeavour set sail on her maiden voyage into space, a daring mission to rescue the stranded Intelsat 603 communications satellite.
Additional coverage for subscribers: VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS TELL THE STORY OF ENDEAVOUR'S DEBUT PLAY VIDEO:
THE HISTORY OF ENDEAVOUR PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
First flight of Cygnus cargo craft delayed to September
Orbital Sciences Corp. says the first full-up test flight of its Cygnus cargo resupply ship to the International Space Station will probably slip to September due to a combination of factors, including an engine replacement on the mission's Antares rocket and a scheduling conflict with a Japanese logistics spacecraft.
FULL STORY
The birth of American human spaceflight
Sunday marks the 52nd anniversary of Alan Shepard's momentous 15 minutes of flight, becoming the first American to travel into space. Launching on May 5, 1961 at 9:34 a.m., a Redstone rocket sent Freedom 7 capsule on a ballistic trajectory 116 miles high before splashing down in the Atlantic.
Additional coverage for subscribers:
Hi-def video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FREEDOM 7 PREPS AND FLIGHT HI-DEF VIDEO:
FREEDOM 7: TRAVELING WITH SHEPARD PLAY SUBSCRIBE NOW
Delta 4-Heavy rocket moved to Vandenberg launch pad
United Launch Alliance and the Air Force are readying the next Delta 4-Heavy rocket, the largest booster in the U.S. arsenal that is responsible for launching the nation's elite surveillance satellites.
FULL STORY IMAGES:ROLLOUT PHOTO GALLERY
Television broadcasting satellite launched by China
China launched a state-owned communications satellite into orbit Wednesday to beam television and data to commercial customers across Asia, Africa and Australia for the next 15 years.
FULL STORY
NASA buys six more seats on Russian Soyuz craft
Uncertain when U.S. commercial spaceships will be ready for the job, NASA has signed a $424 million contract extension with the Russian space agency to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station through June 2017, the space agency announced Tuesday.
FULL STORY
NASA says space station's batteries safer than 787's
NASA officials are confident lithium-ion batteries due to launch to the International Space Station in 2016 will not overheat like the batteries that grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner earlier this year.
FULL STORY
Herschel observatory goes dark after four-year mission
The Herschel telescope ended a nearly four-year campaign watching the cosmos Monday, when the telescope lost its sharp infrared vision as the last of a reservoir of liquid helium coolant evaporated into space - an expected ending to Herschel's stellar mission.
FULL STORY
SpaceShipTwo's first rocket flight breaks sound barrier
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane lit its engine for the first time in flight Monday, powering through the speed of sound and moving a step closer to spaceflight for the masses.
FULL STORY IMAGES:SPACESHIP ROCKETS THROUGH MACH 1
After Antares, Orbital sets sights on space station
Buoyed by a flawless test launch of the Antares rocket, the heavy-lifting part of its commercial cargo resupply system for the International Space Station, Orbital Sciences Corp. has its eye on a summer demonstration flight of the company's Cygnus resupply freighter.
FULL STORY
Sea Launch rocket failure blamed on hydraulic pump
Sea Launch closed the investigation into a Feb. 1 rocket failure Thursday, concurring with the conclusion of Russian and Ukrainian experts that the mishap was caused by a faulty hydraulic pump used to steer the Zenit 3SL booster in flight.
FULL STORY
Form-fitting plastic cover removed from Atlantis
The space shuttle Atlantis, now a museum piece at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, has emerged from the protective plastic cocoon that had encased the spacecraft since November.
Additional coverage for subscribers:
These video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
SHUTTLE ATLANTIS UNWRAPPED IN MUSEUM HI-DEF VIDEO:
LONG-LENGTH OF UNWRAPPING HIGHLIGHTS HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Third Soyuz launch in a week bolsters Glonass
Russia successfully launched a Soyuz rocket Friday for the third time in less than a week, deploying a satellite to sustain the country's Glonass navigation network and extend the system's global reach.
FULL STORY
Progress cargo craft arrives at space station
A Russian cargo ship hobbled by a jammed navigation antenna glided into its port on the International Space Station early Friday, completing a dramatic automated rendezvous. After final checks to make sure the stowed antenna would not interfere with an airtight structural seal, the ship was safely locked in place.
FULL STORY
Additional coverage for subscribers:
These video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
PROGRESS SUCCESSFULLY DOCKS TO STATION HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
PhoneSats set mark for first smartphone satellites
Three tiny satellites are pioneering the innovative, inexpensive use of off-the-shelf cell phone technology to control space missions just days after launching aboard the test flight of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket.
FULL STORY
Four satellites launched on China's Long March rocket
A Chinese Long March rocket blasted off from a remote desert launch base Friday with a high-resolution Earth imaging payload and Ecuador's first satellite.
FULL STORY PREVIEW STORY
Sun probe arrives at launch site for mating to booster
A solar observatory designed to study how the Sun's atmosphere is energized has been trucked to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the ground base where the air-launched Pegasus rocket booster will be readied to propel the NASA satellite into orbit in June.
FULL STORY
Russians launch space station resupply ship
It was a throwback of sorts Wednesday as a Russian Progress cargo craft launched on a two-day track in pursuit of the International Space Station, reverting to the old rendezvous style instead of the six-hour sprints employed recently, but one of its navigation antennas did not immediately deploy.
FULL STORY
Dazzling photos record start of flawless Antares test
Sunday's test flight of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket was mission of many firsts, proving a new launch pad and launch vehicle to serve the needs of the International Space Station. This collection of photos document the blastoff from all angles.
IMAGES:NASA's UP-CLOSE LAUNCH PHOTOS IMAGES:ORBITAL'S REMOTE CAMERA SHOTS IMAGES:SPECTACULAR AERIAL VIEWS IMAGES:LIFTOFF FROM THE PRESS SITE
Additional coverage for subscribers:
These video files are presented in 720p resolution VIDEO:
ANTARES ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY FLIES TO ORBIT HI-DEF VIDEO:
WEDNESDAY'S COUNTDOWN HALTED BY UMBILICAL HI-DEF VIDEO:
REVIEW OF ANTARES PRE-LAUNCH PREPARATIONS HI-DEF VIDEO:
ANIMATION OF THE ANTARES LAUNCH SYSTEM HI-DEF VIDEO:
OVERVIEW OF PHONESAT SECONDARY PAYLOAD HI-DEF SUBSCRIBE NOW
Antares rocket aces test launch from Virginia coast
Soaring into a brilliant blue sky from a new launch pad on the Virginia coastline, an Antares rocket owned by Orbital Sciences Corp. blasted off on a successful test flight Sunday, inaugurating a new launch system to resupply the International Space Station.
FULL STORY MISSION STATUS CENTER IMAGES:ANTARES AFTER SATURDAY'S SCRUB
Mars rover collectible patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! This commemorative patch celebrates NASA's Curiosity rover mission of the Mars Science Laboratory in search of clues whether the Red Planet was once hospitable to life.
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