Antares blasts off on the Cygnus Orb-1 mission.
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Engine Failure Investigation Slips Next Cygnus ISS Resupply Mission Into July

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that it has updated its Antares launch schedule for the Orb-2 mission to a date no earlier than (NET) July 1, 2014.  Orb-2 is the second of eight cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station under the company’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The new launch schedule reflects […]

Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) Flight System hardware. Image is credited to NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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NASA Uses Laser To Beam “Hello, World!” Video From ISS

NASA successfully beamed a high-definition video 260 miles from the International Space Station to Earth Thursday using a new laser communications instrument. Transmission of “Hello, World!” as a video message was the first 175-megabit communication for the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), a technology demonstration that allows NASA to test methods for communication with […]

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NASA’s Final Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Report Released

With two companies now providing commercial cargo launch services for the International Space Station, NASA is issuing its final report on the now-complete Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program that laid the groundwork for those flights. The report, titled “Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, A New Era in Spaceflight” (NASA/SP-2014-617), documents the work of NASA’s Commercial […]

Lockheed Martin technicians and engineers attach the heat shield to the Orion crew module inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper
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Orion Receives Heat Shield For Late 2014 EFT-1 Test Flight

Lockheed Martin technicians and engineers attach the heat shield to the Orion crew module inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper NASA and Lockheed Martin engineers have installed the largest heat shield ever constructed on the crew module of the agency’s Orion spacecraft. […]

The Dragon V2 stands on a stage inside SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., prior to its unveiling. The spacecraft is designed to carry people into Earth's orbit and was developed in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement. SpaceX is one of NASA's commercial partners working to develop a new generation of U.S. spacecraft and rockets capable of transporting humans to and from Earth's orbit from American soil. Ultimately, NASA intends to use such commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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Photo Feature: Meet The SpaceX Dragon V2 Spacecraft

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk unveiled the Dragon V2 during a ceremony for the new spacecraft inside SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. The spacecraft is designed to carry people into Earth’s orbit and was developed in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement. SpaceX is one of NASA’s […]

Dragon V2 is unveiled. Credit: SpaceX.
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SpaceX Unveils Next-Generation Manned Dragon Spacecraft

With just a bit of Hollywood-esque flash, SpaceX unveiled the long-awaited passenger-carrying version of their Dragon spacecraft Thursday during a ceremony at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. In front of a gathering of media, employees and invited guests, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk lifted the curtain on the upgraded capsule known as Dragon Version 2, […]

Space stations need lifeboats. Image Credit: NASA/Matthew Young
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New Spacecraft Will Become First U.S. Space Lifeboat in 40 Years

The next generation of American spacecraft designed to carry people into low-Earth orbit will be required to function as a lifeboat for the International Space Station for up to seven months. This service has not been provided by an American spacecraft since an Apollo command module remained docked to Skylab for about three months from […]

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Dragon Begins Third ISS Resupply Mission; First Stage Recovery Test Success

  A GoPro Captures Launch Of A SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Carrying Dragon CRS-3 Dodging a gloomy weather forecast, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared into space this afternoon to begin a critical resupply mission to the International Space Station and test a revolutionary booster stage recovery system that could change the economics of the […]