For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – China’s Zhurong rover rolled onto Mars, Saturday, May 22, starting its mobile 3 month long mission to explore the Red Planet after successfully becoming the first ever Chinese spacecraft to soft land on the 4th rock from the Sun a week earlier, on May 14 on the plains of Utopia Planitia. “China’s
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA has completed the crew assignments for the SpaceX Crew-3 team by adding a fourth astronaut to the crew – namely rookie Kayla Barron to serve as a mission specialist for the agency’s mission to the International Space Station (ISS) targeted to launch no earlier than (NET) Oct. 23 from Florida’s Spaceport. Kayla
For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – A stunning new video released by the team controlling NASA’s history making Ingenuity Helicopter gives viewers the sensation of standing on the Red Planet and seeing the amazing chopper fly over Mars in 3D firsthand – see still image above and the spectacular full video below. But to get the full effect
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 – 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