Tag Archives: spacecraft

OSIRIS-REx will attempt its first asteroid sample collection next month

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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is almost ready to touch down on the asteroid Bennu, NASA announced today. On October 20th, OSIRIS-REx will make its first attempt at collecting a sample of the asteroid’s rocks and dust. This will be the first time NASA...

Virgin Galactic’s last round of SpaceShipTwo tests begins October 22nd

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Virgin Galactic is finally getting close to that moment when it can put tourists (or at least, its founder) into space. CNBC has learned through an FCC filing that Virgin Galactic will conduct the first of its last two crewed SpaceShipTwo tests on Oc...

X-37B space plane launches on its most ambitious mission to date

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A day later than planned, the X-37B space plane has gone back into low Earth orbit for its sixth mission. The vehicle launched aboard a United Launch Alliance rocket on the morning of May 17th. It’s the first X-37B mission under the Space Force’s ove...

Blue Origin and SpaceX win contracts to develop NASA’s Moon spacecraft

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As it teased earlier in the week, NASA has awarded contracts in its quest for a Moon landing — and it’s a big win for the upstarts in the spaceflight industry. The administration has chosen Blue Origin, SpaceX and IT firm Dynetics to compete against...

SpaceX’s first-gen Dragon cargo capsule left the ISS for the last time

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This morning, a first-generation SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule left the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon CRS-20 will return to Earth with more than 4,000 pounds of scientific experiments and other cargo, NASA said. This spacecraft, which h...

NASA wants to review Boeing’s Starliner work after setbacks

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Boeing just can't catch a break. Currently amid a lengthy controversy surrounding the company's grounded 737 Max aircraft, the aerospace manufacturer is now facing scrutiny from NASA. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew capsule was supposed to dock with...