Page 5 - Space

SpaceX Starship test halted after explosion damages prototype in Texas

A powerful explosion during a static fire test at SpaceX's Texas site forced a suspension of launch operations, as Elon Musk's company and US regulators investigate the cause of the blast

Axiom-4 mission carrying Shubhanshu Shukla delayed, now set for June 22

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station has been postponed to June 22, to allow NASA to evaluate the operations on the orbital lab after the recent repairs in the Russian section, Axiom Space announced on Wednesday. The Axiom-4 mission, which marks the return to space for India, Hungary, and Poland, was earlier scheduled for lift-off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 19 onboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. "NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 22, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4," Axiom Space said in a statement. "The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station's Zvezda service module," it said. The Axiom-4 commercial mission is led by Commander Peggy Whitson, with .

Strawberry Moon to hang lowest in decades - here's what makes it special

June's full moon, the last of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere, is also known as the Strawberry Moon. Here's all you need to know

Axiom-4 mission with Gaganyatri delayed to June 11, launch at 5:30 pm: Isro

Isro has postponed Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station to June 11, with launch now scheduled for 5:30 pm IST

Extremely fortunate to be part of space mission: Indian astronaut Shukla

Ahead of his historic journey to the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has termed the preparations for the Axiom-4 mission as an "amazing journey" and that he was extremely fortunate to be part of something that is "much larger than yourself". The 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot is all set to travel with three other crew members to the ISS onboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, that will lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Tuesday at 5:52 pm IST. Shukla, who goes by the nickname "Shux", will be the second Indian to travel to space, 41 years after his idol Rakesh Sharma undertook a spaceflight in 1984 onboard erstwhile Soviet Union's Soyuz spacecraft for an eight-day stay in orbit. "It has been an amazing journey; these are the moments that really tell you that you are getting to be a part of something that is much larger than yourself. I can only say how extremely fortunate I am to be a part of this,"

Menstruation in space: How women astronauts manage periods in orbit

From awkward tampon math to hormone management in orbit - how women astronauts handle menstruation in space, and what it says about designing for everyone

Musk's threat to pull Dragon capsule leaves Nasa reliant solely on Russia

As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world's richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk's SpaceX rocket company and his Starlink internet satellite services, Musk responded via X that SpaceX "will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. It's unclear how serious Musk's threat was. But the capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programmes, including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon. The Dragon capsule SpaceX is the only US company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules. Boeing's Starliner capsule has flown astronauts only

Musk-Trump feud threatens billions in SpaceX deals, risks US space goals

Escalating tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump raise concerns about the stability of SpaceX's contracts with Nasa and the Pentagon, vital to US space and defence

Shockwaves in space: Earthquakes found to shake up satellite signals

A recent study shows that earthquakes create complex sound waves in the ionosphere, which interfere with satellite signals, challenging existing scientific theories

Trump seeks $1 billion for private-sector-led human missions to Mars

The White House's 2026 budget proposal, calls for allocating more than $1 billion for Mars exploration, including a new Nasa initiative called the Commercial Mars Payload Services programme

SpaceX launches another Starship rocket, but it tumbles out of control

After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening in hopes of making it through the entire test flight and releasing a series of mock satellites. The 123-metre rocket blasted off on its ninth demo from Starbase, SpaceX's launch site at the southern tip of Texas. Plans called for the spacecraft to target a splashdown halfway around the world in the Indian Ocean, after popping out eight objects meant to resemble SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites. It was the first time one of CEO Elon Musk's Starships -- intended for moon and Mars travel -- flew with a recycled booster that aimed for the Gulf of Mexico. There were no plans to catch the booster with giant chopsticks back at the launch pad unlike earlier tests. The previous two Starships never made it past the Caribbean. The demos earlier this year ended just minutes after liftoff, raining wreckage into the ocean. No injuries or serious damage were reported, although airline travel wa

Sonic boom marks SpaceX Dragon's return to earth after ISS cargo mission

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carried nearly 6,700 pounds of supplies for a scientific experiment, which is designed for low gravity

No more rockets? Space elevator may soon carry astronauts to the Moon

A revolutionary study suggests a lunar space elevator built with current materials, potentially transforming the future of human space travel

Isro's 101st mission fails as PSLV-C61 suffers third-stage anomaly

Isro was unable to complete the launch of its Earth observation satellite EOS-09 aboard PSLV-C61 on Sunday due to an anomaly in the third stage of the four-stage rocket, investigation is underway

India to conduct first biological experiments aboard ISS: Jitendra Singh

India is set to conduct its first-ever biological experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to study the sustainability of human life in space, Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said on Thursday. An important initiative under the BioE3, these unique experiments, spearheaded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), will be carried out as part of the upcoming International Space Station (ISS) mission AXIOM-4, with Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as a crew member. Singh said the first experiment at the ISS will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on the growth of edible microalgae, a nutrient-rich potential food source for long-duration space missions. This project is a joint initiative of ISRO, NASA, and DBT and aims to analyse key growth parameters and changes in transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes of different algal species in space, as compared to ...

Ax-4 delayed, India's Shubhanshu Shukla to now travel to ISS on June 8

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's upcoming mission aboard SpaceX's Dragon marks a milestone for India, coming nearly 40 years after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft

Earth's 'twin' planet was more active than we thought - Nasa reveals

NASA researchers discovered new evidence of tectonic activity on Earth's twin planet, Venus, by re-examining decades-old radar data. This gives us fresh insight into evolution of planets

US firm Vast keen to use Indian rockets for rides to planned space station

US-based company Vast, planning to launch the world's first commercial space station next year, has evinced interest in using Indian rockets to transport crew members to its orbital laboratory. Vast CEO Max Hoat met the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) leadership team on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference here to discuss possible collaborations in the area of space technology. The space-habitation company is in the race to build a space station that will be the successor to the International Space Station, which will be retired by 2031. The California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. "Right now, we are on track with our launch for May 2026," Hoat told PTI in an interview. Vast plans to conduct a series of tests on the space station, before flying astronauts to the orbital laboratory by July next year. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is expected to

'Indian rockets carry more than payloads': PM Modi on space exploration

PM Modi addressed the Global Conference on Space Exploration 2025 and stated that by 2035, India will have its own 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station'

Space made me feel decades younger, says 70-year-old NASA astronaut

NASA's oldest full-time astronaut, Don Pettit, returned to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule after spending 220 days on the International Space Station