Spacecraft

Voyaging into eternity: Nasa switches thrusters of probe 24 billion km away

After travelling over 47 years in space, Nasa's Voyager 1 spacecraft thrusters have reportedly been clogged with silicon dioxide impairing its communication with earth

Nibe shoots for stars with Earth observation satellite constellation

Partners global giants to orbit India's space self-reliance

NASA's solar sail spacecraft visible with naked eye. Here's how to spot it

NASA's experimental Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) can be spotted with the naked eye as it orbits Earth. Here's how you can track it with Nasa's application

Polaris Dawn Mission: All you need to know about first private spacewalk

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on September 10, which was originally scheduled for August 28 but was delayed due to a helium leak and further postponed due to bad weather around Florida

Europa Clipper: New NASA mission to explore this icy world is a go

NASA's Europa Clipper mission passed a mission planning milestone, known as Key Decision Point E, on Monday, implying the mission is approved for launch around Thursday, Oct. 10

SpaceX to launch billionaire's pvt crew on breakthrough spacewalk mission

An attempt to launch last month was postponed hours before liftoff over a small helium leak in ground equipment on SpaceX's launchpad

Nasa spacecraft to study Jupiter moon's ocean cleared for October launch

NASA on Monday approved next month's launch to Jupiter's moon Europa after reviewing the spacecraft's ability to withstand the intense radiation there. Questions about the reliability of the transistors on the Europa Clipper spacecraft arose earlier this year after similar problems cropped up elsewhere. With the tight launch window looming, NASA rushed to conduct tests to verify that the electronic parts could survive the $5 billion mission to determine whether the suspected ocean beneath Europa's icy crust might be suitable for life. Liftoff remains scheduled for Oct. 10 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA has three weeks to launch the spacecraft before standing down for more than a year to await another proper planetary alignment; the spacecraft needs to swing past Mars and then Earth for gravity assists. Project manager Jordan Evans said the transistors located in circuits across the entire spacecraft are expected to degrade when Europa Clipper is exposed to the worst of

NASA to decide on Aug 24 if Boeing's new capsule safe to fly 2 astronauts

NASA said Thursday it will decide this weekend whether Boeing's new capsule is safe enough to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, where they've been waiting since June. Administrator Bill Nelson and other top officials will meet Saturday. An announcement is expected from Houston once the meeting ends. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing's Starliner on June 5. The test flight quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers debated what to do. SpaceX could retrieve the astronauts, but that would keep them up there until next February. They were supposed to return after a week or so at the station. If NASA decides SpaceX is the way to go, Starliner would return to Earth empty in September. Engineers are evaluating a new computer model for the Starliner thrusters and how they might perform as the capsule descends out of orbit for a touchdown in the U.S.

New SpaceX spaceship to remove International Space Station; check details

SpaceX's revolutionary Dragon spacecraft is poised to replace International Space Station in the early 2030s, paving the way for the next generation of orbital research platforms

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore dock Starliner at ISS after resolving issues

NASA's Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore have successfully docked Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) after overcoming new issues that cropped up en route to the orbiting laboratory. Williams, 58, flew to space for the third time on Wednesday along with Wilmore, scripting history as the first members aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the ISS. Williams is the pilot for the flight test while Wilmore, 61, is the commander of the mission. Boeing Starliner spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station at 1:34 pm on Thursday, about 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, NASA said in a statement. Williams shared her gratitude to the family and friends who have been with them during the lead-up to the launch. We have another family up here, which is just awesome, Williams said. And we're just happy as can be to be up in space, one in Starliner on an Atlas V, and the

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore test unique Starliner piloting capability

On the way to the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore tested out a unique capability of the spacecraft on orbit manual piloting. Williams flew to space for the third time on Wednesday along with Wilmore, scripting history as the first members aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on a 25-hour flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Williams, 58, is the pilot for the flight test while Wilmore, 61, is the commander of the mission. Although the spacecraft is usually autonomous, the crew used the hand controller to point and aim the spacecraft during about two hours of free-flight demonstrations. During a far-field demo, they pointed Starliner's nose toward the Earth so that its communications antenna on the back of the Service Module was pointed at the Tracking and Data Relay satellites. They then moved the Starliner so that its solar array pointed at the sun to show they cou

Gopi Thotakura makes history, becomes 1st Indian to go to space as tourist

He was selected as one of the six crew members for the NS-25 mission, becoming the first Indian space tourist and the second Indian to journey into space

Boeing delays first astronaut launch for week to replace faulty valve

Boeing's first astronaut launch is off until late next week because of a bad valve in the rocket that needs to be replaced. The countdown was halted Monday night after a pressure-relief valve in the Atlas V rocket's upper stage opened and closed so quickly and so many times that it created a loud buzz. Engineers for United Launch Alliance determined Tuesday that the valve has exceeded its design limit and must now be removed, pushing liftoff to no earlier than May 17. The NASA astronauts assigned to the Starliner capsule's test flight to the International Space Station Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain at Cape Canaveral. Starliner's first crew flight already is years behind schedule because of a multitude of capsule problems.

Sunita Williams set for historic mission as Starliner readies flight to ISS

Indian-origin astronaut Williams will be accompanied by fellow Barry "Butch" Wilmore on the Crewed Flight Test mission, marking the Starliner's first flight to the International Space Station

The lunar challenges

The repeated setbacks prompt a pressing question: If we could put humans on the moon in 1969, why are we stumbling now?

America's Odysseus spacecraft makes 1st commercial moon landing in history

Notably, this landing comes months after India's Chandrayaan-3 lander, which became the first spacecraft from the country to safely reach the lunar surface in August 2023

Japan spacecraft lands on lunar surface, becomes 5th country to reach moon

Japan's space agency said early Saturday that its spacecraft is on the moon, but is still "checking its status". More details will be given at a news conference, officials said. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, came down onto the lunar surface at around 12:20 am. Tokyo time Saturday (1520 GMT Friday). No astronauts were onboard the spacecraft. If SLIM landed successfully, Japan would become the fifth country to accomplish the feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India. As the spacecraft descended, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was checking its status" and that more information would be given at a news conference. It wasn't immediately clear when the news conference would start. SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its

Aditya L1 takes STEPS to collect info on energetic particles from space

After India's solar mission Aditya L1 began its journey towards Lagrange point 1 following a key manoeuvre, it has started studying energetic particles in the solar wind from space, and will continue to do so for the rest of its life, a senior astrophysicist said. The study of the solar wind, the continuous flow of charged particles from the sun which permeates the solar system, will be carried out with the help of a device named Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS), a part of the Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) payload. STEPS is now working from space. However, it was not sitting idle earlier. It has started functioning from within the magnetic field of the Earth since September 10 when Aditya was 52,000 kilometres above our planet, Dr Dibyendu Chakrabarty, professor of Space and Atmospheric Sciences at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) said. STEPS was developed by the PRL with support from the Space Application Centre (SAC) in ...

Isro achieved another big milestone in space research: CM KCR on Aditya-L1

Expressing delight over the successful launch of Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday said ISRO achieved another big milestone in the field of space research. ISRO on Saturday launched the Aditya-L1, eyeing history again after its successful lunar expedition, Chandrayaan-3, a few days ago. The Chief Minister said the achievement by the India's scientists in the field of space research stood as a role model for the world and it is a proud moment for every Indian, a release from the Chief Minister's office said. Rao, also known as KCR, said that ISRO achieved another big milestone in the field of space research. KCR congratulated the ISRO Chairman, scientists and other technical staff, the release added.

India's space industry expected to grow from $8 bn in coming years: PM Modi

PM Modi applauded the remarkable achievement of Chandrayaan-3 as a testament to India's scientific prowess in the infinite expanse of space