Crew-10 Launch Fast-Tracked, Crew-9 Return Set to Follow

Crew-10 Launch Fast-Tracked, Crew-9 Return Set to Follow

The official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas
The official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas

In a news release Tuesday, NASA and SpaceX announced they are moving forward with adjusted launch and return timelines for the upcoming crew rotation missions to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

SLS Program Layoffs Loom at Boeing

SLS Program Layoffs Loom at Boeing

Aug. 16, 2022: NASA's SLS Artemis 1 rolling towards Pad 39B. Photo by TJ Waller
Aug. 16, 2022: NASA’s SLS Artemis 1 rolling towards Pad 39B. Photo by TJ Waller / FMN

Boeing has warned employees working on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) program that layoffs could be coming as the company faces reduced funding for the rocket’s future development. The announcement raises concerns about the stability of the program, which serves as the backbone of NASA’s Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon.

SpaceX Second Stage

SpaceX Has Another Second Stage Issue With Falcon 9

Starlink 11-4 at liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base
Photo: from SpaceX livestream

Third Stage-2 Problem In The Last Six Months

SpaceX seems to have experienced an issue with the second stage of the Falcon 9 used for the recent Starlink 11-4 launch. After lifting off on February 1st with no problems, Falcon 9 delivered its payload of Starlink satellites into their intended orbit after a brief circularization burn of the second stage, as planned. What apparently has not gone to plan is the de-orbit burn of the second stage, as it is still in orbit five days after the active part of the mission was completed.

The company has not commented on the matter.

FCC Filing Hints At Possible Starship Flight 8 Launch Date

FCC Filing Hints At Possible Starship Flight 8 Launch Date

Flight 7 lifted off from Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP-A) on January 16, 2025, at 22:37:00 UTC (4:37 pm CST, local time) at the Starbase launch site in Texas. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
Starship Flight 7 lifted off from Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP-A) on January 16, 2025, at 22:37:00 UTC (4:37 pm CST, local time) at the Starbase launch site in Texas. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

Figuring out Starship’s next launch date is never easy, but the are early indicators you can watch, One of them came in the form of an FCC filing late last week.

Butch Wilmore ans Suni Williams head to the launch pad

Trump Calls For Quick Return of Astronauts “Abandoned In Space”

Boeing's Starliner heads to the ISS on June 5, 2024 for what was supposed to have been an eight day mission. The two astronauts on board are still on the ISS today, awaiting a ride home. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN
Boeing’s Starliner heads to the ISS on June 5, 2024 for what was supposed to have been an eight day mission. The two astronauts on board are still on the ISS today, awaiting a ride home. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN

President Donald Trump has called upon SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to expedite the return of NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts have been aboard the ISS since June 2024, following an extended mission due to technical issues with their original Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

Remembering the Challenger Tragedy 

Remembering the Challenger Tragedy 

Challenger STS-51L crew. Credit: NASA

Today is the 39th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. On January 28, 1986, astronauts: Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Gregory B. Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, perished when the rocket they were aboard exploded. This event shook the nation and led to significant changes within NASA and the broader aerospace community. 

SpaceX Starship Flight Test 6 lifts off from Boca Chica, Texas on November 19, 2024. Photo: Richard Gallagher / FMN

You Can Buy Pieces Of SpaceX’s Flight 7 Starship…For a Price

Remote camera image taken of Starship clearing the tower. Image by Richard P Gallagher

Spaceflight aficionados, like many sports fans, love memorabilia. Space-related apparel, books, mission patches, stickers and other items sell at a brisk pace, and that’s just the bottom end of the market. The most valuable pieces are “flown” — meaning that they were either a part of or aboard a given mission. Many of those pieces are well out of reach for the common man – they are relatively rare and often quite expensive, at least for artifacts with certain authenticity. Others are affordable, at least to a dedicated collector, and can be bought for a few hundred dollars or less.

The maiden underwater flight test of the Trident II D-5

Where Does The Term “Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly” Come From?

The maiden underwater flight test of the Trident II D-5, was an utter fiasco that very nearly resulted in serious damage to the launching submarine, the USS Tennessee, which is just below the surface in this photograph. The timing of the failure could not have been worse: Congress, skeptical that the program could get back on schedule, was prepared to shift its production funds to another project.
Credit: U.S. Navy

In the world of aerospace engineering, even the smallest miscalculation can lead to catastrophic failure. And in the past few years, a phrase has emerged as a humorous way to describe those unfortunate events: “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” often shortened to RUD. This technical-sounding euphemism, often deployed in the aftermath of rocket explosions, has become a staple in modern spaceflight jargon, is widely used when a rocket fails and has entered into common vernacular. But where did the phrase come from?

Trial and Triumph – An Emotional Day For Two Competing Launch Companies

Trial and Triumph – An Emotional Day For Two Competing Launch Companies

Space X’s Starship (L) and Blue Origin’s New Glenn (R) both had success full launches but faced challenges during Thursday’s flight tests. Images: Richard P Gallagher-FMN / Blue Origin

January 16th proved to be an emotional roller coaster for private space exploration. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX achieved notable successes tempered by huge challenges during their respective rocket launches from Florida and Texas. 

New Glenn Launches To Orbit

New Glenn Launches To Orbit

Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket heads to orbit for the first time. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket heads to orbit for the first time. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN

Just after 2 AM on January 16, 2025, Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its first New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This inaugural flight marks Blue Origin’s entry into the heavy-lift launch vehicle market, positioning it as a competitor to established players like SpaceX and the SpaceX Starship.

Latest CLPS Mission “Ghost Riders in the Sky” Headed for the Moon

Latest CLPS Mission “Ghost Riders in the Sky” Headed for the Moon

Ghost Riders in the Sky logo.  Photo credit:  Firefly Aerospace
Ghost Riders in the Sky logo.  Photo credit:  Firefly Aerospace

NASA’s latest Commercial Lunar Payload Program (CLPS) mission, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,”   developed by Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, TX), was successfully launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Centers’s Launch Complex 39A in the early morning hours of January 15, 2025. This spacecraft, named Blue Ghost, is the first of three planned  Ghost Riders spacecraft destined for lunar landings.