Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) head Elon Musk revealed their latest launch vehicle on Tuesday, the Falcon Heavy. Effectively three Falcon 9 core stages strapped together, the new vehicle – set to debut as soon as 2013 – will be the most powerful US rocket to have launched since the Saturn V was built for the [...]

In an interview with NASASpaceflight.com, former Space Shuttle Program (SSP) manager Wayne Hale spoke about the upcoming book on the history of the Shuttle, “Wings In Orbit,” his role in the project, and about what he is doing today. “Wings In Orbit: Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle” is due to go on [...]

Orbital’s Taurus launch vehicle finally lifted off with NASA’a Glory spacecraft – at 10:09am GMT Friday morning - after being rescheduled due to a scrub during  its original February launch attempt.  However, the vehicle’s aim to deploy the Glory environmental satellite for NASA, plus three university CubeSats, via a launch from Launch Complex 576E at the Vandenberg Air [...]

With the first spacewalk (EVA) of the mission behind them, Discovery’s crew has further completed one of the mission’s primary objectives: the installation of the PMM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) Leonardo, the final U.S. permanent pressurized module, to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, a proposed flyabout by a Russian Soyuz has been formally cancelled.

For over 29 years engineers, space enthusiasts, and people around the world have marveled at the technological and scientific achievement that is the Space Shuttle fleet. During this time, the most complex machines ever built have proven themselves invaluable in transforming mankind’s understanding of planet Earth and the space beyond. And for 26 of those 29 years, [...]

With the countdown clocks now ticking down for the launch of STS-133 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) have been hard at work this past week, reconfiguring the station for the arrival of Discovery this Saturday. The reconfiguration period is set to continue this week, as the [...]

Two Russian Cosmonauts stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday to perform a spacewalk on the Russian Segment (RS) of the orbital outpost. The spacewalk – which was expected to last around six hours, but was completed in under five hours - comes amid a busy time on the ISS, with the ATV-2 launch, [...]

NASA managers are investigating a proposed plan that would see a Soyuz spacecraft undock from the International Space Station (ISS) during the upcoming STS-133 mission in order to take photographs of the orbital outpost, along with its record number of attached Visiting Vehicles (VVs) and the docked Space Shuttle Discovery.

The recent flurry of Visiting Vehicle (VV) activity at the International Space Station (ISS) has created a logistics challenge for ISS managers, who are tasked with meticulously choreographing where and when the new cargo will be stowed aboard the ISS.

Orbital Sciences Corporation have launched a Minotaur I from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sunday, carrying a classified technology development satellite for the United States National Reconnaissance Office. The mission, designated NRO Launch 66, was re-scheduled from Saturday due to technical issues. The second attempt – despite a media blackout - appeared to be successful, [...]

Canada’s Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM), also known as “Dextre” or the “Canada Hand”, is, for the first time since its launch in March 2008, being used for operational purposes aboard the International Space Station (ISS) this week. The operations are in support of Japan’s H-II Transfer Vehicle-2 (HTV-2) mission.

Continuing on her streak of missions dedicated to microgravity research, Columbia’s tenure with the Space Shuttle Program throughout the 1990s would be dominated by national and international microgravity flights. And while Columbia would continue to experience ground processing issues and hiccups, she would always surpass all expectations once in orbit.

April 12, 1981: the 20th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight in history. On that morning, a new generation of spaceship stood poised for launch from complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Representing a completely new and innovative approach to spaceflight, the Space Shuttle program embarked on its first mission that mid-April morning. Utilizing [...]

Hot on the heels of JAXA’s HTV-2 arrival at the International Space Station (ISS), Russia’s Progress M-09M/41P spacecraft has docked with the ISS folllowing its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a short duration enroute to the Station, the Russian vehicle docked to the ISS at the Docking Compartment-1 (DC-1) Pirs  Nadir port [...]

25-years ago today, Space Shuttle Challenger was lost with all hands in the bright blue sky over Central Florida. Embarking on her 10th mission on January 28, 1986, Challenger was at the time the most-flown orbiter in NASA’s fleet. Quickly rising to prominence as the fleet leader (in terms of not only the number of [...]

After less than a week in space, Japan’s HTV-2 spacecraft was successfully grappled by the ISS crew via the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System), ahead of berthing to Node-2 Nadir - which was completed at 0951 EST. Over the coming days, the ISS crew will remove external payloads from HTV-2 before moving the spacecraft to a [...]

Representing the third spaceflight of 2011, JAXA’s HTV-2 vehicle, atop the H-IIB rocket, launched at 1537 JST (0137 CST) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. With its second flight, the HTV will deliver thousands of pounds of internal and external cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and serve as a means for [...]

The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 26 crew have conducted the Russian EVA-27 on Friday, marking the first in what is currently planned to be a total of 10 Shuttle and ISS EVAs in 2011. Projected to be a six hour EVA, the spacewalk began with hatch opening at 2:29 PM GMT and ended well ahead of schedule at [...]

In an interview with NASASpaceflight.com, Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) Director Paul Hill spoke of his pride for the MOD community, whilst outlining his vision for the future as NASA prepares to transition into a new post-Shuttle era of Commercial opportunities and a return to manned exploration outside of Low Earth Orbit (LEO).