spaceflight

07 Jul

ESA’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, is poised to launch for the first time on Tuesday

stp2y0 CommentsNewsariane 6, ESA, news, rocket, spaceflight, tomorrow

Ariane 6, the European Space Agency’s next-gen heavy-lift rocket, is expected to take its inaugural flight on July 9, ending a yearlong gap in Europe’s ability to access space on its own. The launch vehicle, made by ArianeGroup, replaces Ariane 5, which was retired last July following its 117th mission. The launch window opens at 2PM ET on Tuesday (8PM CEST).Ariane 5 was in operation from 1996 to 2023 and was ESA’s main launch system. Ariane 6 was supposed to take over right away after its predecessor’s retirement, but years of delays in its development meant it ultimately wasn’t ready…

29 Jun

NASA and Boeing say Starliner astronauts ‘are not stranded,’ but will be on the ISS for a few more weeks

stp2y0 CommentsNewsBoeing, gear, nasa, news, spaceflight, starliner

NASA and Boeing plan to spend the next few weeks conducting tests on the ground in order to better understand issues with the Starliner spacecraft’s thrusters before giving its crew the go-ahead to fly back to Earth. But, officials insisted in a Friday afternoon, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are not “stranded” on the International Space Station. “We’re not in a rush to come home,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.Starliner has been docked with the ISS since June 6 for what was meant to be a 10-day flight test all in all. During its approach…