spaceflight

Space agency is gearing up to send Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft it has developed for a planetary mission, on a 1.8-billion-mile journey.

Spaceflight will be the ninth Commercial Crew astronaut rotation mission SpaceX has performed for NASA.

Agency leader Mike Whitaker fields questions about the delayed fifth flight of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket.

The flight on Sunday morning marks the second test of the company’s Spaceship Neptune vehicle, which will float to about 100,000 feet in altitude.

Commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis each spent a few minutes outside the Dragon capsule, performing tests on their spacesuits.

The gargantuan rocket’s fifth test flight will attempt a complex booster ‘catch’ maneuver but not for at least a few months.

Researchers believe the space agency is prioritizing short-term wins and commercial arrangements over the personnel and technology that power it.

The historic mission will see civilian astronauts attempt a spacewalk for the first time in history, and spaceflight enthusiasts can watch it live.

The spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station without crew no earlier than Friday.

The FAA opens a mishap investigation into the company’s workhorse booster after it tipped over while attempting to land on a droneship.