spaceplanes
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Chinese Spaceplane Releases Mysterious Object in Orbit Months After Launch
China’s curious spaceplane is at it again, releasing an unidentified object into orbit that could signal the end of its mysterious mission. The U.S. Space Force is currently tracking the mystery object, which the reusable spaceplane appears to have released on May 24 at around 3 p.m. ET, Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center…
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NASA’s Space Shuttle Looks Launch Ready for the First Time in Years
NASA’s Endeavour orbiter made its way to the top of a 20-story-tall vertical display of the retired Space Shuttle, completing a legendary ready-for-launch stack that makes it look as though it’s ready to soar to the skies once more. A 450-foot crane carefully lifted the 122-foot-long (37 metres) winged orbiter onto two solid rocket boosters…
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NASA’s Partners Are Complicating Plans to Build ISS Replacement
NASA’s plans to retire the International Space Station and replace it with commercial projects are not kaput, they’re just changing. Wrinkles are now appearing in Blue Origin’s plans for Orbital Reef, while Northrop Grumman’s unnamed space station project might not even happen. Ars Technica reports that Northrop Grumman may be ending its contract with NASA…
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Virgin Galactic Reaches ‘Space’ for the First Time in 2 Years
The Richard Branson-founded company is seeking to resume its commercial flights in late June.