The Chinese space program is preparing to join the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA in returning samples from an asteroid to Earth. The Tianwen-2 probe and its Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) rocket launched successfully from Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China on Wednesday, May 28, at 17:31 UTC.
International
-
ChineseInternationalOther
Chinese launch cadence accelerates, Tianwen-2 prepares for launch
by Martin SmithThis month has seen the launches of three different commercial Chinese rockets, and the return-to-flight…
-
ChineseCommercialRussianSpaceX
Launch Roundup: Starship Flight 9; SpaceX starts new Starlink shell; China, Russia also launch
by John SharpThis Launch Roundup has been extended to include the launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9…
-
ChineseCommercialIndianInternationalOtherSpaceX
Launch Roundup: Orbital launches from five countries planned
On the heels of a busy April, activity is ramping up for May with launches…
-
InternationalISSOtherScience
Butch and Suni weren’t the only ones: the stories of astronauts “stranded” in space
After a planned eight day mission to the ISS that launched in June 2024, Butch…
-
With Expedition 73 now underway, the International Space Station is hosting seven crewmembers again. Thursday…
-
-
The European Space Agency’s seventh Earth Explorer mission, Biomass, launched on Tuesday aboard an Arianespace…
-
ChineseInternational
China launches three taikonauts to Tiangong, commercial sector continues to expand
by Martin SmithChina has launched its ninth crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, coinciding with the…
-
ChineseInternationalSpaceX
Launch Roundup: China launches crew, Falcon 9 launches Bandwagon rideshare and 250th Starlink mission
by Martin SmithThis week, China has launched three taikonauts to the Tiangong space station. SpaceX’s Falcon 9…
-
EuropeanInternational
D-Orbit sets course to expand beyond space transportation services
by Martin SmithItalian company D-Orbit has been launching customer payloads aboard its Orbital Transfer Vehicles (OTVs) for…
-
EuropeanInternationalUncrewed
RFA and SaxaVord target UK’s first vertical orbital launch
by Martin SmithRocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is determined to debut its RFA One rocket by the end…
-
The first four humans to orbit Earth’s poles are sharing their experiences from their historic…
-
The fourth crewed space mission of 2025 is now underway. Soyuz MS-27 launched successfully at…
-
The European Space Agency (ESA) released the first batch of images and data for its…
-
French company MaiaSpace has a good shot at becoming the first European launch provider to…
-
CommercialEuropeanInternationalOtherScienceSpaceX
SpaceX launches Fram2 crewed mission to historic polar orbit
SpaceX launched its next private human spaceflight mission, Fram2, from Florida on Monday evening. The…
-
ChineseCommercialInternationalISSRussianScienceSpaceX
Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to fly five missions during busy week
by Aaron McCreaFive Falcon 9 missions launched this week, including the first-ever crewed mission to a polar…
-
CommercialEuropeanInternationalOther
Isar Aerospace launches Spectrum, fails early in first stage flight
Isar Aerospace, based near Munich, Germany, made the first-ever launch attempt of its Spectrum two-stage…
-
ChineseInternationalMars
China Roundup: Third successful EVA and deep-space ambitions as China’s space economy surges
by Martin SmithThe Shenzhou-19 crew recently conducted their third spacewalk this month as the China National Space…