Next up is launch, as Boeing's Starliner takes trek to Cape Canaveral
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 14:10Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, set to take its first humans on board during the Crew Flight Test mission next month, was transported from Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a 10-mile trip to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
It arrived at United Launch Alliance's Vertical Integration Facility early Tuesday where it was placed atop an Atlas V rocket ahead of the planned launch from Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 as early as May 6. The capsule will take NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a planned eight-day mission to the International Space Station.
Boeing completed fueling its spacecraft at the Starliner production facility adjacent to KSC's massive Vehicle Assembly Building earlier this month.
"Samples were taken and specialized tests were conducted throughout the propellent loading process to ensure the safety of the team performing the operation and the safe operation of the spacecraft on orbit," said Mark Sorensen, Starliner CFT Crew Module lead.
Before it left the building, Boeing performed a final weigh-in that also acted as the center-of-gravity check.
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter team says goodbye—for now
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 14:02The final downlink shift by the Ingenuity team was a time to reflect on a highly successful mission—and to prepare the first aircraft on another world for its new role.
Taking the next steps for satellite-to-smartphone services
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 14:02CSIS releases annual assessment of global trends in the weaponization of space
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 13:51Estonia pioneers instrument for Comet Interceptor mission through Prodex
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 13:30An ESA programme called Prodex has enabled Estonian researchers and industry to join an international mission to intercept and examine a comet entering the inner Solar System for the first time.
Advancing defense: the GovCon impact on Air and Space Force reoptimization
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 13:30Calling all researchers: carry out part of your projects in ESA labs
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 11:20Are you working on a space-related research project? Do you think that you would benefit from access to ESA facilities? Apply to carry out research at ESA via our latest Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) Channel.
ESA selects four new Earth Explorer mission ideas
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 11:00As humans exert greater pressure on natural processes, understanding the intricate workings of our Earth system is increasingly vital for effective action on mitigation and adaption strategies. ESA’s Earth Explorer missions yield a wealth of astonishing findings, serving as the bedrock of scientific research in this field. Now, four new concepts have been selected to undergo assessment study, one of which is destined to be the twelfth in this family of world-leading satellite missions.
Satellite imaging company Iceye raises $93 million in latest funding round
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 11:00NASA open to significantly reduced return of Mars samples
Wednesday, 17 April 2024 10:35Starliner arrives at the pad for crewed test flight
Tuesday, 16 April 2024 22:21NASA's VIPER moon rover gets its head and neck
Tuesday, 16 April 2024 19:41In this image from Feb. 12, 2024, engineers lift a mast into place on NASA's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) robotic moon rover. VIPER's mast and the suite of instruments affixed to it look a lot like the rover's "neck" and "head." The mast instruments are designed to help the team of rover drivers and real-time scientists send commands and receive data while the rover navigates around hazardous crater slopes, boulders, and places that risk communications blackouts.
The team will use these instruments, along with four science payloads, to scout the lunar south pole. During its approximately 100-day mission, VIPER seeks to better understand the origin of water and other resources on the moon, as well as the extreme environment where NASA plans to send astronauts as part of the Artemis campaign.
Provided by NASA