Unmanned
New Horizons might get more flyby targets; Pluto features get official names
More than two years after New Horizons flew past Pluto, becoming the first human-made object to visit the dwarf planet, numerous surface features discovered and explored by the…
Farewell, Cassini: a 20 year mission to Saturn comes to a life-protecting end
Goodbye, Cassini. And thank you. After a 20-year mission, 13 in orbit of Saturn, Cassini dived one last time for Saturn’s atmosphere. Over the course of its years…
ILS Proton-M successfully launches Amazonas 5
International Launch Services (ILS) launched its Proton-M launch vehicle with the Amazonas 5 satellite on Monday. The Russian workhorse – along with its Breeze-M upper stage partner –…
Ariane 5 suffers pad abort ahead of Intelsat 37e & BSAT-4a launch
Arianespace was set to conduct the fifth Ariane 5 launch of the year with the lofting of the Intelsat 37e & BSAT-4a satellites from Europe’s Spaceport in French…
38 years after Pioneer 11, Cassini enters final 2 weeks of Saturnian mission
Exactly 38 years to the day after Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to encounter the planet Saturn, NASA’s flagship mission to the ringed planet, Cassini, is entering…
Indian PSLV launch with IRNSS replacement satellite suffers apparent failure
ISRO launched a PSLV Thursday carrying a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) constellation. The IRNSS-1H satellite launched on schedule from the Second Launch…
Minotaur IV debuts from the Cape with ORS-5 launch
Orbital ATK’s Minotaur rocket made its first launch from Cape Canaveral Friday, delivering the experimental space surveillance ORS-5 satellite to orbit. The Minotaur IV vehicle lifted off deep…
Japanese H-IIA launches with QZS-3
Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched an H-IIA rocket on Saturday (05:30 UTC), carrying the third spacecraft for the country’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System of GPS augmentation satellites. The H-IIA…
ULA Atlas V launches TDRS-M out of Cape Canaveral
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has launched a new satellite for NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) on Friday, with an Atlas V carrying the TDRS-M satellite…
New Horizons’ target a “science bonanza”, potential close or contact binary
In preparation for New Horizons’ flyby of its next Kuiper Belt target, 2014 MU69, the spacecraft’s team has conducted a series of ground, airborne, and space-based telescopic examinations…
Eastern Range ready to return with two key launches after stand down
With a busy year already in the books, the Eastern and Western Ranges in the United States are readying for the next salvo of missions from SpaceX and…
TDRS-M given priority over CRS-12 Dragon as launch dates realign
Launch delays are sometimes part of the equation in determining when specific missions launch in relation to each other. Sometimes, those delays occur to missions for the same…
TDRS-M launch date under review following pre-launch incident
NASA and Boeing are reviewing the status of the TDRS-M launch date following an incident relating to an antenna during the spacecraft’s final launch processing to launch. The spacecraft’s…
Pioneer 10: first probe to leave the inner solar system & precursor to Juno
The first spacecraft to leave the inner solar system sailed into the asteroid belt 45 years ago today, 15 July 1972, on a mission that would mark many…
Wallops launch sounding rocket to create light show
A Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket has provided people on the mid-Atlantic coast with a luminescent cloud light show. The launch came after several attempts were scrubbed due to cloud…
PSLV rocket launches Cartosat 2E and 30 small sats
In the first of three launches scheduled worldwide Friday, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has conducted its fortieth launch, deploying a Cartosat-2 Earth imaging spacecraft and a host…
ILS Proton-M makes long-awaited return with EchoStar XXI
International Launch Services (ILS) returned to action early on Thursday (local time) with the long-awaited launch of its Proton-M launch vehicle with the EchoStar XXI satellite. The Russian…
GLSV Mark III rocket conducts ‘all-up’ launch with GSAT-19 satellite
India’s GSLV Mark III rocket successfully made its first all-up launch and first attempt to reach orbit Monday in a late afternoon liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space…
Rocket Lab’s Electron conducts inaugural flight from New Zealand
The U.S.-based Rocket Lab corporation has entered the commercial launch market with the maiden flight of its Electron rocket on Thursday morning (UTC). The small-scale launcher will cater…
Arianespace Soyuz ST-A launches with SES-15
The Arianespace Soyuz ST-A rocket was in action on Thursday, tasked with the lofting of the SES-15 satellite. The launch was only the second time this rocket has…
