Expedition 72 changed commanders today as a new crew prepares to launch to the International Space Station and four orbital residents get ready to return to Earth. Meanwhile, human research, fluid physics, and spacesuits wrapped up the end of the week aboard the orbital outpost.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 crew members are on their way to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for launch to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot, along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, left Ellington Field...
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 crew members now are expected to arrive no earlier than 3 p.m. EST at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot, along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, to...
By Wayne Smith You don’t want to sleep on this upcoming lunar event. Just step outside on the evening of March 13 or early in the morning of March 14 and take a look at the total lunar eclipse for yourself. And you can count NASA’s Dr. Renee Weber among those who will be checking...
Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 lunar lander touched down at approximately 12:30 p.m. EST on March 6, 2025. Watch the IM-2 post-landing news conference for more information. Participants included Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters; Clayton Turner, associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters; Steve Altemus, CEO, Intuitive Machines, and Tim Crain, chief...
Intuitive Machines’ confirmed its lunar lander, Athena, touched down on the Moon at approximately 11:30 a.m. CST on Thursday. The company’s IM-2 mission is part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. A post-landing news conference will take place at 4 p.m. EST from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Watch live on NASA+.
The Expedition 72 crew will change commanders on Friday as four crewmates prepare for their return to Earth. Meanwhile, the International Space Station residents continued their ongoing human research activities while unpacking supplies from a new cargo craft.
The IM-2 lander is beginning its vertical descent where the lander’s Guidance and Navigation Control system flies the lander to a point approximately 98 feet (30 meters) above the designated landing site. Then the lander goes into a vertical descent at about 10 feet-per-second (3-meters-per-second). After that, the lander brakes to a 3-feet-per-second (1-meter-per-second) descent rate...
The final burn of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 lunar lander has begun. Powered descent initiation is a main engine firing that will take about 12 minutes. It’s designed to slow the lander’s speed in preparation for final descent moments before touchdown. During this phase, the lander must slow down by about 4,000 miles per hour...
After launching Feb. 26 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Intuitive Machines’ lander is preparing to land on the Moon at 11:30 a.m. CST at Mons Mouton near the Moon’s South Pole. Watch now on NASA+ or the agency’s website. Aboard the mission are a suite of NASA technology and science payloads on their way...