NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is zooming through its 23rd science-gathering solar encounter, heading toward a close approach of the Sun on Saturday, March 22, that matches its record distance of 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the solar surface. The spacecraft will also equal its record-setting flyby speed of 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 …
NASA’s EZIE Satellites Healthy, Operating Normally
Mission controllers for NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission have received signals from the mission’s three satellites confirming that they are in good health and operating as expected. The EZIE spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on March 15 EDT (March 14 PDT). Over the next two …
NASA’s Recently Launched SPHEREx Ejects Dust Cover From Telescope
NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory, which launched into low Earth orbit on March 11, has opened its eyes to the sky. On March 18, the mission team commanded the spacecraft to eject the protective dust cover that shielded the telescope opening. Once science operations begin several weeks from now, SPHEREx (short for Specto-Photometer for the …
Muscle, Bone, and Blood Studies on Station Promoting Space and Earth Health
The Expedition 72 crew with its four newest members is returning to science operations following a busy period of crew swap activities. Human research was Thursday’s main focus as the International Space Station residents studied how living in space affects bones, muscles, and brain blood flow.
Four New Crewmates Adjust to Station Life Following Crew-9 Return
Four Expedition 72 crewmates are getting used to life aboard the International Space Station following their arrival on Saturday and the departure of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a U.S. cargo craft is poised to be released from the orbital outpost ending a seven-and-a-half-month stay.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Splashes Down Off Coast of Florida
NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov have successfully splashed down in the Gulf of America, off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, at 5:57 p.m. EDT. Hague and Gorbunov have been at the International Space Station since Sept. 29, 2024, while Williams and Wilmore arrived on June 6. This […]
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Return Continues, Dragon Completes Deorbit Burn
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft completed its deorbit burn at 5:18 p.m. EDT. NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are less than an hour away from a splashdown off the coast of Florida. Four minutes before splashdown, the drogue parachutes will deploy at about 18,000 feet in altitude […]
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Prepares for Deorbit Burn
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew members are moments away from a deorbit burn on their journey from the International Space Station to Earth. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, undocked from the space station at 1:05 a.m. EDT March 18. The deorbit burn, […]
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9: Crew Preparing for Splashdown
Live NASA+ coverage is underway as agency astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are about one hour away from splashing down aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. The deorbit burn is scheduled to begin […]
Dragon Undocks With SpaceX Crew-9 Members for Return to Earth
At 1:05 a.m. EDT Tuesday, NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov undocked from the space-facing port of International Space Station’s Harmony module aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.