Category: Space
Spacewalking astronauts replace International Space Station batteries
Spacewalking astronauts are conducting more battery work outside the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch floated outside, a week after the first spacewalk to install new and stronger batteries for the station’s solar power grid. Ms Koch was supposed to go out with Anne McClain, but there weren't enough medium suits…
Astronauts take spacewalk to swap International Space Station’s batteries
Two American astronauts are taking a spacewalk to replace ageing batteries on the International Space Station. NASA’s Anne McClain and Nick Hague are scheduled to work in space for several hours to swap three old nickel-hydrogen batteries with more powerful lithium-ion batteries. The duo overcame minor struggles in their first task, which involved attaching a…
NASA’s new rocket will not be ready for moon mission next year
NASA's massive new rocket will not be ready for a moon shot next year, the space agency’s top official has told the US Congress. Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he is considering switching to commercial rockets to keep the June 2020 launch date. Mr Bridenstine told a Senate committee that two private rockets would be needed,…
SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule ends test flight with ocean splashdown
The SpaceX crew capsule has returned to Earth, ending its first test flight with an old-fashioned splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The Dragon undocked from the International Space Station early on Friday. Six hours later, the capsule carrying a test dummy dropped into the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed! pic.twitter.com/WK1nsNnOF5…
SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule completes space station docking
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule has arrived at the International Space Station, completing its second milestone in just over a day. No-one was on board the Dragon capsule that launched Saturday on its first test flight, only an instrumented dummy. Up early? Here's your opportunity to watch the remarkable 17,500 mph, in-orbit dance that brings together…
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft blasts off into space
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft took off on Saturday morning, marking the first major step towards US ambitions to resume sending astronauts into space on its own spacecraft on American soil. The un-crewed spacecraft launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 2.49am local time (7.49am UK time) as planned, on top of a Falcon…
Mars lander starts digging on red planet
NASA's newest Mars lander has started digging into the red planet, but hit a few snags, scientists said. The German drilling instrument on the InSight lander struck what appeared to be a couple of stones. It only managed to burrow between half a foot (18cm) and about 1.5ft (50cm), far short of the first dig’s…
Virgin Galactic rocket plane reaches space again in test flight
Virgin Galactic’s rocket plane reached space for a second time in a test flight over California on Friday. It climbed higher and faster than before while also carrying a crew member to evaluate the long-awaited passenger experience. The winged spaceship soared at three times the speed of sound to an altitude of 55.8 miles before…
Tim Peake’s Soyuz spacecraft ‘lands’ at Ulster Transport Museum
Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland. Picture Matt Mackey / Press Eye. The spacecraft which transported the UK’s first European Space Agency astronaut, Tim Peake, to and from the International Space Station (ISS) has landed at the Ulster Transport Museum. Presented by Samsung and the Science Museum Group, The National…
Israel flying to moon aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
An Israeli spacecraft has rocketed towards the moon aboard Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the country’s first attempted lunar landing. A communications satellite for Indonesia was the main cargo aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, which illuminated the sky as it took flight. But Israel’s privately funded lunar lander — a first not just for…
