Space Exploration News

Russia sends multinational crew to ISS

2011-12-21T16:30:29Z

Russia on Wednesday sent a multinational crew of three astronauts to the International Space Station on a Soyuz rocket from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Russian cosmonaut Reuters) - A trio of astronauts blasted off aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket on Wednesday on a mission to bring the International Space Station back up to full manpower after an August cargo launch accident disrupted flights.

The rocket carrying Russian cosmonau...

Soyuz rocket lifts off with military satellite payload

2011-12-17T16:30:14Z

A Soyuz rocket lifted off on Friday from Europe's space base in French Guiana, placing into orbit six low-orbit satellites with military or joint military-industrial use.

It was the second-ever launch of the Russian-made rocket from the European Space Agency (ESA) pad in CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Budget cuts in a program to spur commercial space taxis will likely keep the United States dependent on Russia to fly astronauts to the US space agency is developing a high-tech harpoon that could one day pierce a comet and grab samples for scientists on Earth to study for hints about how the universe formed.

The idea borrows on a concept developed by the European Space Agency but adds a sample chamber to the spear so it can capture dust from a fast-moving, ice-spewing...

Russian who helped put Gagarin in space dies at 99

2011-12-14T15:30:55Z

One of the last surviving architects of the Soviet space programme that put Yuri Gagarin into orbit half a century ago died on Wednesday, officials said. He was 99.

Boris Chertok, who helped design the country's first ballistic missiles, was a close colleague of the Soviet rocket design genius Sergei Korolyov who is widely credited for givi...

Microsoft co-founder unveils space travel plans

2011-12-13T19:30:41Z

A giant airplane that can in mid-flight launch a rocket carrying cargo and humans into orbit is the future of space travel, billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen said.

The first test flight of the ambitious venture by Allen's new company Stratolaunch Systems is not scheduled until 2015, but partners in the project vowed it would revo...

Microsoft co-founder Allen launches space project

2011-12-13T14:30:34Z

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen is planning to build a spaceship that could replace the Space Shuttle and put paying passengers into orbit this decade.

Lifelong space...

SpaceX mission to space station set for February

2011-12-09T16:30:26Z

SpaceX will fly its Dragon capsule on an unmanned mission to the International Space Station in February, marking the first-ever bid by a private company to dock at the orbiting lab, NASA said Friday.

The fly-by and berthing mission are schedul...

NASA clears SpaceX for trial run to space station

2011-12-09T14:31:06Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A private company will make a trial cargo run to the International Space Station in February, a key step in a new U.S. program to buy spacefligh...

China post office offers letters from space

2011-12-02T10:30:41Z

China's post office is hoping to boost business by allowing customers to send letters postmarked from space.

Emails will be sent to a computer aboard Tiangong-1, a spacecraft currently orbiting the earth, and rerouted to a special China Space Post Office branch on the ground in Beijing, the country's space programme said on its website.

The emails will then be printed, placed ...

NASA's Apollo 13 checklist sells for $390,000

2011-11-30T17:31:17Z

A checklist used to guide the wounded Apollo 13 spacecraft home after the explosion that led to the famed "Houston, we've had a problem" call sold at auction in Texas for just under $390,000.

The checklist booklet contains handwritten calculations by Commander James Lovell<...

Apollo 13 notebook fetches $388,375 at auction

2011-11-30T16:31:23Z

DALLAS (Reuters) - Shortly after Apollo 13 astronauts reported, "Houston, we have had a problem," Commander James Lovell jotted down handwritten calculations in hopes of guiding his crew safel...

Microscopic worms may hold key to living on Mars

2011-11-29T16:30:12Z

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists believe microscopic worms which are biologically very similar to humans may be the key to helping humans colonize other planets like Mars by giving clues on coping with long-term space living.

A team of scientists led by Nathaniel Szewczyk from Notthingham University blas...

Russia launches Chinese satellite

2011-11-26T16:30:22Z

A Russian Proton-M rocket completed the successful launch Saturday of an advanced Chinese communications satellite that should help expand television coverage in parts of Southeast Asia.

The Roscosmos space agency said the Andre Kuipers will have a special treat waiting for him in orbit when he arrives in space next month: five kilogrammes of Amsterdam's finest cheese, its maker said Saturday.

The 53-year-old Kuipers is due to blast off on board a Soyuz rocket on December 21 with two other astronauts for a five-month-mission on board the

No new contact with stranded Mars probe

2011-11-25T13:30:24Z

The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Friday it had been unable to establish a new link with Russia's stricken Mars probe but added that the craft's orbit seemed to have become more stable.

ESA's tracking station in Perth, Western Australia monitored the airwaves for eight ...

Russia 'makes first contact' with stranded Mars probe

2011-11-24T13:30:40Z

Russia on Thursday announced its scientists had for the first time made contact with its stranded Mars probe Phobos-Grunt, a day after the European Space Agency said it had received a signal.

"A signal from the probe has been received and some telemetry data. At the moment our specialists are working on this ...

Russia's stranded Mars probe sends signal to Earth

2011-11-23T10:30:39Z

Engineers fought desperately on Wednesday to save Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft after the Martian probe sent "a first sign of life" more than two weeks after being stranded in orbit.

After days of frustrating silence, contact with the probe was made on Tuesday at 2025 GMT at a European Space Agency ground station in Perth,

Russia brings astronauts safely back to Earth

2011-11-22T10:30:33Z

Three astronauts landed safely in the Kazakh steppe aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule on Tuesday after a stay of over five months aboard the International Space Station, Russian mission control said.

American Mike Fossum, Japan's Satoshi Furukawa and

International space trio lands in Kazakhstan

2011-11-22T03:30:32Z

ALMATY (Reuters) - Three astronauts inside a Russian Soyuz capsule parachuted safely back to Earth Tuesday after nearly six months on the International Space Station (ISS), the first landing since

China launches two satellites: state media

2011-11-20T18:30:44Z

China placed two satellites in orbit on Sunday, including a spacecraft that will collect and relay data for disaster relief efforts, state press reported.

The two satellites were successfully launched aboard a Long March carrier rocket, China's main space launch vehicle, from northwest China's Jiuquan satellite launch centre, Xinhua news agency said.

The ...

China's spacecraft comes back to Earth

2011-11-17T14:30:43Z

China's unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou VIII returned to Earth on Thursday, state media reported, after completing two space dockings that have pushed forward the nation's ambitious space programme.

The vessel's re-entry module landed in the northern region of Inner Mongolia after it separated from its orbital and propelling m...

China spacecraft returns to Earth after docking test

2011-11-17T04:30:16Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - An unmanned Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth successfully on Thursday after more than two weeks in orbit, marking a pivotal moment for the rising power's plans to secure a long-term manned foothold in space.

The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft touched down in northern China's Inner

US honors astronauts for pioneering space flights

2011-11-16T19:30:24Z

The US Congress on Wednesday bestowed its highest civilian honor on four American space pioneers of the 1960s, marking the first time the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to astronauts.

Winners included Neil Armstrong, 81, who was the first man to walk on the Moon; his colleague Buzz Aldri...

New crew arrives at ISS

2011-11-16T14:30:53Z

A spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American docked Wednesday with the International Space Station in the first Russian manned mission for five months after a spate of technical failures.

The glitch-free docking of the Soyuz TMA-22 came after a textbook launch on Monday and was a huge boost to Russia which postponed the mission in the...

NASA budget plan saves telescope, cuts space taxis

2011-11-16T06:30:35Z

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A compromise spending plan for NASA preserves the over-budget replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope and halves President Barack Obama'...

Russian, U.S. crew safely dock with space station

2011-11-16T06:30:28Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three astronauts in Russia's Soyuz spacecraft safely docked with the International Space Station on Wednesday, to the relief of agenc...

Russian spacecraft docks with ISS

2011-11-16T05:30:22Z

A spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American astronaut docked Wednesday with the International Space Station in the first Russian manned mission for five months after a spate of technical failures.

The glitch-free docking of the Soyuz TMA-22 came after a textbook launch on Monday and was a huge boost to Russia which postponed the missi...

US space pioneers to get congressional medals

2011-11-15T19:30:30Z

The US Congress on Wednesday will award the nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to four American astronauts including the first man to walk on the Moon, 81-year-old Neil Armstrong.

Other recipients are Buzz Aldrin, 81, who was second man to walk on the Moon, and

China completes second space docking

2011-11-14T17:30:26Z

China completed its second space docking on Monday, state media reported, as it moves closer towards fulfilling its ambition to set up a manned space station.

The move comes 12 days after the Asian nation successfully completed its first ever "kiss" in space, when the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft joined onto the Tiangong-1 experimental module 343 kilometres (213 miles) above the Earth.

The two unmanned vehicles had been trave...

Russia sends astronauts back to space after mishaps

2011-11-14T13:30:36Z

Russia on Monday successfully resumed sending astronauts to the International Space Station after a break of over five months forced by the crash of a Russian spaceship into Siberia.

Two Russians and an American blasted off to the orbiting laboratory on a Soyuz-FG rocket, Russia's first manned mission since t...

U.S. and Russian crew blast off safely for space station

2011-11-14T03:30:14Z

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Three astronauts blasted off on Monday to return a full crew to the International Space Station (ISS) as Russia seeks to restore confidence in its space program after the crash of ...

Russian, U.S. crew blast off safely for space station

2011-11-13T22:00:05Z

Russian, U.S. crew blast off for space station

2011-11-13T21:00:19Z

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Three astronauts blasted off Monday to restore a full crew to the International Space Station (ISS) after the crash of a Russian cargo spaceship disrupted operations and undermined...

Russia to return full crew to space station after crash

2011-11-13T14:00:14Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three astronauts will take off Monday returning a full crew to the International Space Station (ISS) after the crash of a Russian cargo spaceship disrupted operations and undermined faith in...

Russia set to resume manned spaceflight after failures

2011-11-13T11:30:18Z

Russia will on Monday launch three astronauts for the International Space Station on a key mission Moscow hopes will restore faith in its space programme after an unprecedented string of failures.

Two Russians and one American will blast off on a Soyuz-FG rocket from Russia's Reuters) - The sun's abundant energy, if harvested in space, could provide a cost-effective way to meet global power needs in as little as 30 years with seed money from governments, according to a study by an international scientific group.

Orbiting power plants capable of collecting solar energy and beaming it to Earth appear "technically feasible" within a decade or two based o...

Analysis: Botched Mars mission shows Russian industry troubles

2011-11-13T04:00:11Z

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's unsuccessful launch of a Mars moon probe points up the problems of a once-pioneering space industry struggling to recover after a generation of brain drain and crimped budgets.

An unmanned craft, launched la...

Russia resumes manned spaceflight after failures

2011-11-12T20:30:19Z

Russia on Monday launches three astronauts for the International Space Station on a key mission Moscow hopes will restore faith in its space programme after an unprecedented string of failures.

Two Russians and one American will blast off on a Soyuz-FG rocket from Russia's

APTOPIX India Rocket Explosion

2010-12-25T09:30:24Z

State-run Indian Space Research Organizations' (ISRO) satellite GSAT-5P rocket explodes in mid-air shortly after its launch in Sriharikota, India, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2010. The satellite GSAT-5P was hit by a snag Saturday in the first stage itself after its launch from the Sriharikota space center. It was the second failure for ISRO this year. A previous developmental flight of the geosynchronous satel...

India Rocket Explosion

2010-12-25T07:30:23Z

Space Shuttle

2011-01-07T07:01:07Z

This image provided by NASA TV shows the space shuttle Discovery on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center Friday morning Dec. 17, 2010 as a tanking test begins. Teams will fill the spacecraft’s external fuel tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen just as they do during a launch attempt to verify r...

Kazakhstan Space Launch

2010-12-15T16:04:23Z

In this photo provided by NASA, the Soyuz TMA-20 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. Russia's Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut International Space Station, ISS, blasts off from the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. The Russian rocket carries ...