Crewed

Rockets being passé, China is working on using an electromagnetic railgun to launch crewed spacecraft the size of a Boeing 737, weighing 50 tonnes, into orbit. This remarkably ambitious project is even more ambitious than it seems at first glance.Call it a railgun, a catapult, or a mass driver, the idea of replacing rockets with an electromagnetic accelerator is a very attractive option. Instead of lifting off on chemical rockets that have to carry fuel and fuel to lift the fuel and fuel to lift the fuel and the…

Four astronauts are scheduled to ride on board the Orion spacecraft in September 2025 for NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. But before the Artemis crew can strap into Orion, the space agency still needs to resolve an issue with the spacecraft’s side hatch that could prevent the astronauts from exiting in case of an emergency.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonDuring a recent meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), members of the panel revealed that NASA has been studying…

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner crew ship is pictured docked to the Harmony module’s forward port on the International Space Station as the orbiting complex flew 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Mexican state of Nayarit. Credit: NASANASA and Boeing are nearing the launch of the Starliner’s first crewed flight to the ISS, focusing on technical certifications, safety improvements, and mission rehearsals to ensure the spacecraft’s readiness for operational crew rotations.NASA and Boeing are gearing up for a…

The crew members of the Artemis 2 mission of the U.S. space agency NASA, left to right, Reid Wiseman Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, stand at a press event in the ArianeGroup building.Hauke-Christian Dittrich | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesNASA is pushing back the schedule for upcoming missions of its flagship Artemis lunar program by about a year as the agency's contractors work to finish technology needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon's surface."We are adjusting our schedule to target Artemis…

is delaying its return to the Moon with . "To give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first-time developments, operation and integration, we're gonna give more time on Artemis 2 and 3," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on a call.As such, Artemis 2, which had been scheduled for a November 2024 launch, is now targeting September 2025. That four-person mission is , in a similar fashion to the uncrewed . As for Artemis 3, which will take humans back to the lunar surface for the first…

China started its manned space flights in 2003 by sending former fighter pilot, Yang Liwei into orbit in a small bronze-coloured capsule named Shenzhou-5. With this mission, Liwei became China's first man to venture into space. The country is now developing a next-generation crewed spacecraft that will be able to transport up to seven astronauts. According to a report by Reuters, a veteran Chinese astronaut Liwei has confirmed that the upcoming spacecraft may fly for the first time between 2027 and 2028. What Liwei said…

Just when you thought the saga of Boeing’s Starliner program couldn’t get any worse, it just did. The first crewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner has been delayed indefinitely due to two serious issues with the crew vehicle meant to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewFollowing numerous delays, Starliner was finally scheduled for launch on July 21, carrying NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry…

Boeing is standing down from the first-ever crewed launch of its Starliner astronaut capsule for NASA, possibly indefinitely, due to safety issues with the spacecraft's parachutes and wiring that were discovered last week.  The Starliner astronaut launch, already years behind schedule, was most recently targeted to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on July 21. Now, it likely won't launch at all this summer, and may not get off the ground this year. "It's feasible, but I certainly wouldn't…

Boeing's Starliner was supposed to fly its first crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 21st, but a couple of technical issues has kept the company from pushing through with its plan. Together with NASA, the aerospace corporation has announced that it's delaying the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft's Crew Flight Test date yet again to address the risks presented by two new problems Boeing engineers have detected.  The first issue lies with the spacecraft's parachute system. Boeing designed the…

China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, its Manned Space Agency announced, as Beijing pushes ahead with its extra-terrestrial ambitions.The world's second-largest economy has invested billions of dollars into its military-run space programme, trying to catch up with the United States and Russia after years of belatedly matching their milestones.Until now, all Chinese astronauts sent into space have been part of the People's Liberation…