SpaceX Crew-2 Launch

On April 23rd, 2021 at 5:49 am, lifted off on a Falcon 9 numbered B1061.2 and in Crew Dragon C206.2, named Endeavour by astronauts Bob Benkhen and Doug Hurley. This was the first mission ever to use a previously flown booster and a previously flown capsule, being the first company ever to reuse both of the most vital components of the rocket.  The crew of four consists of two American astronauts, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, one ESA astronaut, Thomas Pesquet, and one JAXA astronaut, Akihido Hoshide. This is the second spaceflight for Megan McArthur and Thomas Pesquet, and the … Continue reading SpaceX Crew-2 Launch

Soyuz MS-17 Return

On Saturday, April 17th at 12:55 am, the Soyuz MS-17 capsule touched down on the steps of Kazakhstan after a 6 month long mission to the International Space Station. This is the second capsule in a flurry of four manned capsule events happening at the International Space Station, which started with MS-18’s launch and continued to this mission. The capsule brought down two cosmonauts, Sergey Rhyzikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and one NASA astronaut, Kate Rubins. Rhyzikov and Rubins were on their second missions while Kud-Sverchkov was on his first.  All events all the way down to landing went off without … Continue reading Soyuz MS-17 Return

China’s Super-Heavy Lift Rocket Will Carry 100 Tons to the Moon

BY SCOTT ALAN JOHNSTON via Universe Todayavailable under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License China’s proposed next-generation rocket reached the final stage of feasibility studies this month. The planned launch vehicle, known as the Long March-9, will be capable of sending 100 tons to the Moon, and could see its first launch as early as 2030. Announced in 2018, the Long March-9 will play a key role in China’s long-term space ambitions. If all goes as planned, its first payload is likely to be a Martian sample return mission, and it would support China’s Lunar ambitions as well. Another … Continue reading China’s Super-Heavy Lift Rocket Will Carry 100 Tons to the Moon