Posts by 

Lia De La Cruz

Thursday liftoff for 36 OneWeb internet satellites

Launch is scheduled for 1:43 p.m. EDT on May 27, 2021. It'll bring OneWeb’s fleet to 218, 2nd-largest global internet network in Earth orbit after Starlink.

Now casting nationwide: Discovery Channel’s Who Wants to Be an Astronaut

The Discovery Channel announced on May 18, 2021, that it's launching a new reality show competition called "Who Wants to Be an Astronaut?" It aims to send one ordinary person to the International Space Station for an 8-day stay.

The fiery fate of China’s Long March 5B rocket

The core stage of China's Long March 5B rocket - which launched the Tianhe space station module - plummeted into the Indian Ocean on May 8, 2021. In a statement issued that day, new NASA administrator Bill Nelson criticized China's handling of the re-entry.

SpaceX Starship prototype soars 6 miles up, then lands upright

SpaceX's test flight of Starship SN15 went off without a hitch today, May 5, 2021. Following 4 Starship prototypes that exploded upon landing after their high-altitude flight tests, the SN15 landed safely.

Florida bill says companies like SpaceX retain ownership of fallen hardware

In and around Florida, at least, no more "finders keepers" once a new bill becomes law on July 1. The Spaceflight Assets bill affirmed by the Florida legislature in late April 2021 requires that anyone who finds "reasonably identifiable" spacecraft parts make a "reasonable effort" to notify the hardware's owner.

Liftoff! 4 astronauts in Crew-2 mission blast off to ISS

The launch of Crew-2, the 2nd flight of this particular Crew Dragon, went off without a hitch Friday morning, after being postponed due to weather.

It flew! Mars helicopter takes to the air

The Mars helicopter - named Ingenuity - successfully flew in the thin air of Mars early in the day on Monday, April 19. Images here.

For the 2nd time, Northrop Grumman catches a satellite in Earth orbit

Northrop Grumman said last week that its Mission Extension Vehicle 2 - a robot spacecraft designed to help prolong the life of satellites in space - successfully docked to a commercial communications satellite. "We are now the only provider of life extension services for satellites," a company spokesperson said.

China and Russia will be building a moon base together

China and Russia are cooperating in plans to build a lunar research outpost on the moon. The China National Space Administration and Roscosmos - Russia's space agency - made the announcement in a memorandum dated March 9, 2021.

Hubble Space Telescope back out of safe mode, working to resume normal operations

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope went into a protective safe mode early March 7, after on onboard software program failed during a guide star acquisition. NASA has now announced that spacecraft was moved out of safe mode, into a pre-science state with the plan of returning to normal operations.