NASA

Updated 8:25 p.m. Eastern with post-launch statement. TOKYO — Firefly Aerospace placed eight cubesats into orbit on a mission funded by NASA on the first flight of the company’s Alpha rocket since an upper stage malfunction more than half a year ago. The Alpha rocket lifted off from a foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:04 a.m. Eastern July 4. A launch attempt July 2 was scrubbed after a ground equipment issue halted the countdown just before ignition of the rocket’s first stage engines. The rocket started deploying its payload of eight cubesats about 35 minutes after the upper stage shut down, a process expected to last about 11 minutes according to a timeline provided by Firefly. The orbit was a low Earth orbit, but Firefly did not disclose the sp...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but no images have left a greater impact on our understanding of the universe quite like the Hubble Space Telescope’s deep fields. Like time machines, these iconic images transport humanity billions of light-years back in time, offering a glimpse into the early universe and insight into galaxy evolution!You’ve probably seen these images before, but what exactly do we see within them? Deep field images are basically core samples of our universe. By peering into a small portion of the night sky, we embark on a journey through space and time as thousands of galaxies appear before our very eyes.So, how can a telescope the size of a school bus orbiting 340 miles above Earth uncover these mind-boggling galactic masterpieces? We’re here to break it do...

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off June 25 carrying the final spacecraft in a series of geostationary weather satellites that also features several firsts. The Falcon Heavy lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 5:26 p.m. Eastern, 10 minutes into a two-hour window as launch directors found favorable weather despite forecasts the day before that predicted only a 30% chance of acceptable weather. The rocket’s payload, the GOES-U weather satellite, is scheduled to deploy from the Falcon Heavy’s second stage four and a half hours after liftoff, once the stage completes a sequence of three burns to place the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. GOES-U is the fourth and final satellite in the Geostationary Operational Envir...

Are you ready to add some “space” to your spring break in the Space City? We got you, explorer. Space Center Houston’s Moon 2 Mars Festival, presented by Wellby Financial, is back for year three. Beginning Wednesday, March 13 through Saturday, March 16, the festival celebrates the wonders of space with live music, cutting-edge space tech, immersive experiences, Texas barbecue and more. The festival ends on Saturday, March 16 with internationally renowned rock band The All-American Rejects hitting the stage at 7:30 p.m. But every day is loaded with musical artists and DJs representing the Lone Start State! Learn more about these artists and their set times at the festival! We’ve compiled this quick mission brief for you and your crew—so sit back, relax and enjoy this lineup of Te...