Space Exploration

Latest about Space Exploration

A blob of white sits at the bottom of the screen with a floating cylinder above.

Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure

By Sara Webb published

Is this setting a new precedent for the future of spaceflight?

Private Spaceflight
aerial view of a rocket standing on its launch pad as the sun rises over the horizon.

Blue Origin launch of 6 people to suborbital space delayed again due to weather

By Mike Wall last updated

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to launch six people to suborbital space on the NS-33 mission are on hold due to local weather conditions in West Texas.

Private Spaceflight
The ispace Resilience lunar lander crash on June 5, 2025 created a dark smudge surrounded by a subtle bright halo, as imaged here by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA moon orbiter spies grave of crashed Japanese lunar lander (image)

By Leonard David published

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has imaged the crash site of Resilience, a moon lander built and operated by the Tokyo-based company ispace.

Missions
A Starship upper stage on the test stand at the Massey's site at SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas.

SpaceX traces Starship test-stand explosion to failure of pressurized nitrogen tank

By Mike Wall published

The giant explosion that destroyed a SpaceX Starship vehicle on the test stand this week was likely caused by the failure of a pressurized nitrogen tank, the company said.

Launches & Spacecraft
A black and white rocket with crew capsule at the top, connected to a gantry leading to a black tower. In the foreground, short bushes in front of the launch pad.

Leak on International Space Station delays SpaceX launch of Axiom-4 astronauts

By Josh Dinner published

An ongoing leak aboard the International Space Station is once again delaying the launch of Axiom Space's next private astronaut mission.

Private Spaceflight
A Rocket Lab Electron booster carrying 13 NASA satellites, including 10 cubesats for agency's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program, lifts off from the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island on Dec. 16, 2018 on the ElaNa-19 mission.

High winds scrub Rocket Lab's planned launch of a secret satellite to orbit

By Mike Wall last updated

Rocket Lab planned to launch a satellite for a confidential customer early Friday morning (June 20), but Mother Nature didn't cooperate.

Launches & Spacecraft
A man stands on a metal dome in the middle of a sea.

Dress rehearsal for Artemis 2 | Space photo of the day for June 19, 2025

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

NASA and the Department of Defense practice recovery procedures for an abort scenario in the upcoming Artemis 2 mission.

Space Exploration
Six separate photos of six people are arranged in two rows of three each.

Meet the crew of Blue Origin's NS-33 tourism launch to the edge of space

By Josh Dinner published

Blue Origin's next suborbital flight is scheduled to launch on Saturday (June 21), carrying a private crew of six.

Private Spaceflight
SpaceX conducts a long-duration static fire test with a Starship upper stage on May 12, 2025 ahead of the vehicle's upcoming test flight.

SpaceX's Starship explodes in Texas during preparations for 10th test flight

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX's newest Starship vehicle exploded on a stand in Texas late Wednesday night (June 18), as it was being prepped for the program's 10th-ever test flight.

Launches & Spacecraft
A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launches the military space debris mitigation satellite Shijian-21from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 24, 2021. Shijian-21 apparently met up with another Chinese satellite high above Earth in June 2025.

2 Chinese spacecraft just met up 22,000 miles above Earth. What were they doing?

By Andrew Jones published

A new Chinese refueling spacecraft met up with an older satellite in high Earth orbit this month, apparently marking a step forward in orbital servicing.

Satellites
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