All articles tagged with #private spaceflight
NASA picked Blue Origin to fly the first of three uncrewed lunar missions, funding roughly $230 million toward the initial two lander missions to test payloads and tech for a future Moon base, with SpaceX as a competing option for crew landers and Artemis missions; the plan pursues an iterative, privately supported path to a sustained lunar presence by the 2030s.
LandSpace's Zhuque-2E Y5 successfully launched from Dongfeng, delivering a 2.8-ton payload to a 900 km orbit and signaling heavier-payload capability for China's private-space sector; the two-stage methane rocket uses four first-stage engines and a second-stage engine, with a 267-ton liftoff mass and 338 tons of thrust, following Zhuque-3's recovery test and underscoring momentum toward future large-scale constellations.
Impulse Space, founded by former SpaceX employee Tom Mueller, plans to develop a robotic lunar lander with a potential first mission as early as 2028, aiming to deliver up to 3 tons of payload to the moon using its Helios kick stage and in-house built lander, expanding private lunar exploration efforts.
A crew of astronauts from India, Poland, Hungary, and the US, including veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, returned from an 18-day mission aboard the ISS, marking significant milestones for their respective countries' space programs and the commercial spaceflight industry, with their capsule set to land in the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX successfully launched four astronauts on the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station, marking the fourth private spaceflight by Axiom Space. The crew includes veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and astronauts from Poland and Hungary, returning their countries to human spaceflight after over 40 years. The mission faced delays due to weather and technical issues but proceeded with a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which will remain docked at the ISS for a two-week research mission.
Four astronauts, including retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and representatives from India, Poland, and Hungary, are launching on a private mission to the ISS organized by Axiom Space and SpaceX, marking the first time astronauts from these countries will live and work on the station. The mission, Ax-4, will last about two weeks and include scientific experiments, with a launch delayed by weather but now scheduled for Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center.
A private Japanese company, ispace, experienced its second consecutive failure in attempting a lunar landing with the Resilience lander, which crashed on the Moon due to a malfunction in its laser distance measurement device, ending its mission prematurely. Despite the setbacks, ispace plans to launch more missions in 2027 with an upgraded lander.
A Japanese private lunar lander from ispace crashed during its attempt to land on the moon, marking the second failed mission for the company, which aims to advance commercial lunar exploration despite setbacks.
A Japanese private lunar lander from ispace crashed during its attempted touchdown on the moon, marking the second failed mission for the company. Despite technical issues with altitude measurement and a faster-than-expected descent, ispace plans to continue its lunar exploration efforts, aiming for future missions including a larger lander in 2027.
A Japanese private company, ispace, is attempting a lunar landing in the north of the moon with its lander Resilience and a mini-rover named Tenacious, marking a significant step in the growing trend of commercial lunar exploration.
The Japanese private company ispace is attempting to land its lunar lander, Resilience, in the Moon's Sea of Cold on June 5, marking a significant milestone for commercial space exploration and Japan's lunar achievements. The mission involves deploying a rover and scientific instruments, following a complex trajectory and orbital maneuvers, with a live webcast available for the public to watch the historic event.
SpaceX is preparing to launch the private Nova-C moon lander, built by Intuitive Machines, in mid-February from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, called IM-1, aims to land near the moon's south pole to gather data on water ice. Nova-C will carry six NASA science instruments and six commercial payloads. If successful, it will be the first private spacecraft to ace a lunar landing, following the recent rocky landing attempt by Japan's SLIM lander.
Virgin Galactic successfully flew its first paying customers to space, reaching an altitude of 52.9 miles above sea level. The mission, named Galactic 01, marked a significant milestone for the company after facing setbacks and a pause in spaceflights. The crew conducted experiments and collected data during the flight, including measuring radiation levels and studying microgravity effects. Virgin Galactic plans to resume monthly space hops, with the next mission, Galactic 02, scheduled for August. The company competes with Blue Origin and SpaceX in the suborbital space tourism sector.
The loss of the OceanGate Expedition's submersible, the Titan, and its passengers highlights the need for the private spaceflight industry to pay attention to safety regulations and risk management. The incident raises questions about the recovery of lost private space vessels and passengers, and the deployment of government assets for search and rescue. The private space industry should learn from the deep ocean disaster and prepare for potential mishaps to ensure the safety of passengers and the future of human expansion into space.
A SpaceX capsule carrying a former NASA astronaut and three paying customers docked with the International Space Station, marking the second all-private mission to the orbiting outpost. The mission, called AX-2, was put together by Axiom Space and is designed to spur private sector participation in spaceflight. The AX-2 crew will spend about eight days working on the space station, including stem cell and biomedical research. Peggy Whitson, the former NASA astronaut, became the first woman to command a private spaceflight. The mission also makes history as stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi becomes the first woman from Saudi Arabia to travel to space.