Launch Archives

India P.M. Calls Safe Landing of Lunar Probe ‘Dawn of a New Era’

Space workers celebrate lunar landing of the India’s Chandrayaan-3 probe, making it the 4th nation to safely land a spacecraft on the Moon.

Celebrating 60 Years of Women in Space

June 16 marks the 60th anniversary of Valentina Tereshkova’s historic launch to orbit, where she became the first woman to reach space. She orbited Earth 48 times during the three-day Vostok 6 mission.

Successful SLS Launch Kickstarts Artemis Program

After months of delays, NASA’s Artemis I mission rocketed to space from Kennedy Space Center at 1:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 16, 2022.

The maiden flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) carried the Orion spacecraft to orbit to begin its first journey around the Moon.

Rivals Launch Military Satellites Amid U.S.-led Space Defense Drills

A flurry of military and intelligence satellite launches by rival powers this month came as the United States and two dozen partner nations wrapped up the largest global space defense wargame in history.

Russia launched what some leaders have described as a spy satellite for Iran and its own on-orbit snooping satellite Cosmos-2558, which is circling Earth in an orbit conspicuously close to a recently launched U.S. National Reconnaissance Office satellite, a Netherlands researcher confirmed.

Aug. 4 Sets Record for Most Launches in One Day

The beginning of August saw a flurry of launch activity as Aug. 4 set a record for most orbital launches on a single day (based on UTC launch times). The final launch count for the day reached five – three American and two Chinese.

ESA Sending Heroic, Fictional Sheep Aboard Artemis I

NASA says its Artemis I flight set to launch as soon as late August will be an uncrewed lunar fly-by. The Paris-based European Space Agency would beg to differ. Shaun is leaving the happy confines of Mossy Bottom Farm to lead the flight around the Moon, an agency press release announced.