For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – China has at last released the first pictures from their Zhurong Mars rover today, May 19, since it successfully soft landed the first ever Chinese spacecraft on the surface of the Red Planet last Friday, May 14 on the plains of Utopia Planitia – but had provided no significant post landing confirmatory
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket put on a dazzling display Monday afternoon, May 18, after liftoff of the billion dollar cyber-hardened, heat detecting early missile warning and defense detection SBIRS GEO-5 satellite for the U.S. Space Force as the 19 story rocket soared overhead into picture
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – Liftoff of the billion dollar early missile warning and defense detection SBIRS GEO-5 satellite for the U.S. Space Force will have to wait another day after an issue with the LOX chilldown today forced a 24 hour launch scrub of the mission critical for U.S. national defense aboard a
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – The billion dollar early missile warning and defense detection SBIRS GEO-5 satellite for the U.S. Space Force is poised for liftoff Monday afternoon, May 17, on a mission critical for U.S. national defense aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Spaceport – and the weather
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – The Space Coast was treated to another beautiful blastoff as the next batch of Starlink broadband internet satellites soared to orbit Saturday evening, May 15, on a rideshare mission using an 8x recycled booster – thus aptly demonstrating that SpaceX is maintaining an aggressive launch pace with of 5 successful liftoffs
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Another recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is poised for liftoff near sunset Saturday, May 15, after going vertical at pad 39 with the next batch of Starlink broadband internet satellites this morning at Florida’s Spaceport. SpaceX is targeting Saturday, May 15 for its next Starlink mission launching aboard the Falcon 9
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Newly confirmed and sworn in NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson announced that long-time Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Director and veteran Space Shuttle Commander Robert D. Cabana, has been tapped to become NASA Associate Administrator at agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. effective Monday, May 17, replacing Steve Jurczyk who is retiring. The
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA’s bold and wildly successful OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successful fired up its main engine for seven minutes Monday afternoon, May 10, to bid adieu and depart Asteroid Bennu placing the probe on a trajectory heading for a return to Earth in 2023 and delivery of a treasure trove of pristine primordial asteroid material
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA’s history making Ingenuity Helicopter continues its astonishing mission with another pair of envelope stretching firsts by completing the first ever one way trip to a new airfield in the direction the Perseverance rover is heading and then soaring skyward to a new record high altitude above Mars during above Mars during
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – SpaceX achieved another astounding rocket reusability milestone with the record-setting 10th launch to space of the fleet-leading Falcon 9 first stage booster B1051 during a magnificent middle-of-the night vault to orbit with 5 dozen Starlink internet satellites on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9 from Florida’s Spaceport The dawn of