Infrastructure
International Space Station moved twice to dodge orbital debris
Crews have maneuvered International Space Station twice in one week to avoid orbital debris, using thrusters to move the research outpost to a higher orbit.
With commercial spacewalk, Polaris Dawn makes history
September’s five-day Polaris Dawn mission included an altitude record and the first spacewalk by private citizens, showing a vision for the future for commercial human spaceflight.
New missions, better warnings aim to mitigate solar storms
The strongest solar storm in two decades struck the planet in May, disrupting satellites and spreading a brilliant array of northern lights across the skies.
Commercial space stations trekking new paths to orbit
As NASA prepares to deorbit the International Space Station, four commercial space stations are planned to succeed it.
Europa Clipper begins journey to search for life
The Europa Clipper mission launched in October to study the possibility of life on one of Jupiter’s largest moons.
SNAPSHOT: Space Force improves detection for hypersonic missiles
As the United States develops hypersonic capabilities, the Space Force is working to better detect enemy weapons, which combine maneuverability, speed, and stealth to hit targets with little warning.
NASA cheers SpaceX Starship test as lunar deadline looms
NASA leaders cheered SpaceX’s successful fifth Starship test flight on Oct. 13, which demonstrated capabilities the agency plans to use when it returns astronauts to the Moon.
FAA grounds Falcon 9 after failed landing
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily grounded Falcon 9 launches following a failed landing on Aug. 28. This is the second time the FAA has halted the rocket this year.
Increased launches lead to greater focus on space sustainability
The rate of orbital launches has never been higher. Neither has the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the past million years. While these numbers are not exactly correlated, the increase in both has coincided with a number of new sustainability-oriented space companies.
Lunar rovers paving the way for an economy on the Moon
As private companies continue to outpace governments in orbit, national space agencies are increasingly outsourcing and contracting to fulfill their ambitions both near and far.