No GroundTechnology
Rockets, instruments, and the engineering behind exploration.
SpaceX Caught a Starship Returning From Orbit
Ship 42 flew about 14 orbits, then settled into the launch tower’s arms at Starbase. The booster on the same flight aborted its own catch and was lost in the Gulf of Mexico.
For the First Time, a Robot Built a Structure in Space Without Astronauts
A Caltech robot funded by DARPA assembled a new section of an antenna frame in orbit, from a box of struts and joints. It won’t finish the job, but it showed the idea can work.
NASA Is Sending a Nuclear-Powered Rover Into the Moon’s Dark
PROMISE, built from Mars rover hardware, is designed to keep working through the lunar night and inside shadowed craters that may hold ice. NASA is targeting a late-2028 launch.
NASA Is Asking Companies How to Save Hubble Before It Falls
No engine, a slowly sinking orbit and a likely reentry in 2033 to 2034. NASA is asking companies who could reach Hubble by 2032.
Artemis II’s heat shield passed the test
9 char-loss spots vs. 103 on Artemis I. A shorter reentry path cut damage tenfold; Mach 39 and 4,000°F+ outside, mid-70s inside.
CRS-35 launched with the station’s last new solar arrays
Launched 6:33 a.m. ET Oct. 13; booster landed at LZ-40. 6,300+ lb, including the final iROSA solar arrays. Docked 10:27 a.m. ET Oct. 15.
Crew-12 is home after 237 days in space
Splashed down off Los Angeles at 11:34 a.m. ET Oct. 8 in Crew Dragon Freedom after 237 days and 3,792+ orbits.
A two-week lunar night is why a reactor is on the table
NASA and DOE want fission power on the Moon by 2030. Russia and China are talking mid-2030s. Neither reactor is there yet.
Falcon Heavy launches NROL-97 from pad 39A
Falcon Heavy lofted the classified NROL-97 mission at 11:54 p.m. ET Oct. 1 from LC-39A. Side boosters landed at LZ-1 and LZ-2; first NRO Falcon Heavy flight.
Transporter-18 succeeds — 130 payloads to SSO
SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare lifted off ~11:32 a.m. PT Oct. 1 from Vandenberg SLC-4E with ~130 payloads to SSO. Deployments finished ~3:41 p.m. ET; booster landed at LZ-4.
Crew-13 docks at ISS — fastest U.S. launch-to-docking
Crew-13 docked at the ISS at 7:05 p.m. EDT Oct. 1 — 7h 55m after liftoff, the fastest U.S. launch-to-docking in station history. The hatch opened at 9:19 p.m. EDT.
ESA’s Smile begins science operations
Smile is approved for science ops. UVI captured the full northern aurora ring in UV — the first since 2008.
Starship reaches orbit — Flight 14 deploys 26 Starlinks
From Starbase to orbit, then a fiery Pacific return. Flight 14 closed the loop Starship had never closed before.