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Lull in Falcon Heavy missions opens window for SpaceX to build new landing pads

Remember the first time you saw a SpaceX rocket nail a bullseye landing after hurtling back from space? How about the first time two boosters landed side-by-side, punctuating the inaugural launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket with thrilling synchrony? Some of SpaceX's most defining moments happened on a piece of beachfront property at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is where SpaceX first landed a reusable Falcon 9 booster coming back from space and, a few years later, land

F-35 pilot held 50-minute airborne conference call with engineers before crash

A US Air Force F-35 pilot spent 50 minutes on an airborne conference call with Lockheed Martin engineers trying to solve a problem with his fighter jet before he ejected and the plane plunged to the ground in Alaska earlier this year, an accident report released this week says. The January 28 crash at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks was recorded in a video that showed the aircraft dropping straight down and exploding in a fireball. The pilot ejected safely, suffering only minor injuries, bu

China's Getting Ready to Land Astronauts on the Moon While NASA Flails Helplessly

Over half a year into Donald Trump's second term, NASA still doesn't have a long-term head. That leadership vacuum comes as the space agency is staring down the barrel of some devastating cuts to its science budget, with the White House betting its future on space exploration alone. The chaos has raised serious questions about NASA's ambitious plans to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time in over half a century. The dates of its planned Artemis program launches keep

It Looks Like China's Getting Ready to Land Astronauts on the Moon While NASA Flails Helplessly

Over half a year into Donald Trump's second term, NASA still doesn't have a long-term head. That leadership vacuum comes as the space agency is staring down the barrel of some devastating cuts to its science budget, with the White House betting its future on space exploration alone. The chaos has raised serious questions about NASA's ambitious plans to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time in over half a century. The dates of its planned Artemis program launches keep

Picking a Spot for NASA’s Lunar Nuclear Reactor Is Trickier Than It Sounds

In a bold, strategic move for the U.S., acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans on Aug. 5, 2025, to build a nuclear fission reactor for deployment on the lunar surface in 2030. Doing so would allow the United States to gain a foothold on the Moon by the time China plans to land the first taikonaut, what China calls its astronauts, there by 2030. Apart from the geopolitical importance, there are other reasons why this move is critically important. A source of nuclear energy will be

With Trump’s cutbacks, crew heads for ISS unsure of when they’ll come back

The next four-person team to live and work aboard the International Space Station departed from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, taking aim at the massive orbiting research complex for a planned stay of six to eight months. Spacecraft commander Zena Cardman leads the mission, designated Crew-11, that lifted off from Florida's Space Coast at 11:43 am EDT (15:43 UTC) on Friday. Sitting to her right inside SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule was veteran NASA astronaut Mike Finc

Honda’s hopper suddenly makes the Japanese carmaker a serious player in rocketry

An experimental reusable rocket developed by the research and development arm of Honda Motor Company flew to an altitude of nearly 900 feet Tuesday, then landed with pinpoint precision at the carmaker's test facility in northern Japan. The accomplishment may not sound like much, but it's important to put it into perspective. Honda's hopper is the first prototype rocket outside of the United States and China to complete a flight of this kind, demonstrating vertical takeoff and vertical landing t

Honda Unexpectedly Enters the Space Race With First Successful Rocket Launch

In a bizarre twist, Honda, the Japanese car manufacturer, has taken its engineering off-road—and into space. The company launched and landed a prototype reusable rocket on Tuesday, June 17, marking a key milestone toward its newfound goal of achieving suborbital spaceflight by 2029. In the surprise announcement, Honda R&D—the company’s research arm—said it successfully completed the first launch and landing test of its 20.6-foot (6.3-meter) experimental reusable launch vehicle after reaching an