In early 1959, crews were preparing for what was to be the first orbital launch attempt from Vandenberg Air Force Base when things went wrong, with nearly tragic results. Dwayne Day examines the near-explosion on the pad and how it shaped the Air Force's space engineering processes.
Ten countries have signed the Artemis Accords so far this year, as many as signed all of last year. Jeff Foust reports on what is driving the growing interest in the document outlining best practices for responsible space exploration.
A new surge of government and commercial space activity is opening up the Moon for exploration and development. But, Martin Elvis warns, that activity would interfere with aspects of the Moon that make it an ideal outpost for astronomy.
The history of spaceflight offers plenty of material for makers of documentaries, but so does the frenzied modern era. Jeff Foust reviews two documentaries screened at a recent film festival, one on Apollo 13 and the other on the commercial space race of today.
During the Cold War, the NRO explored options for obtaining reconnaissance photos rapidly in a crisis, most of which relied on existing launch systems. Joseph Page discusses one concept that would have instead involved a "Franken-rocket" launched from a fighter jet.
NASA announced last week it is changing how it operates the Hubble Space Telescope after one of its three remaining gyros malfunctioned. Jeff Foust reports on efforts to keep the telescope running as long as possible as the debate about a private servicing mission reached a crescendo.
An Indian startup successfully carried out a suborbital test of a launch vehicle last month. Jatan Mehta cautions that, despite this milestone, Indian companies face many obstacles entering the commercial launch industry.
There is a growing interest among some companies in setting up power-intensive data centers in orbit. Lawrence Furnival examines some of the technical and financial issues regarding the concept.
After years of delays, Boeing and NASA appeared ready to finally launch astronauts on the company's Starliner spacecraft, until they ran into another set of problems. Jeff Foust reports on the latest delays for a program that has suffered more than its share of problems.
There has been little progress at the United Nations on space security issues, as seen in a pair of recent Security Council debates. Ajey Lele argues that space security is being held hostage to geopolitics among China, Russia, and the United States.
