Space

Spectroscopic data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have confirmed that dark streaks appearing on Martian slopes are the result of liquid water.

Spurred by consumer demand, enabled by consumer electronics, cubesats are becoming more capable and commercially viable, says Scotland-based developer Clyde Space.

Without a new spending bill by Sept. 30, the U.S. government could be forced to shut down.

The closure of Ex-Im leaves only one U.S. spacecraft builder able to obtain export financing: Palo Alto-based Space Systems/Loral, whose Canadian parent company can tap financial backing from Export Development Canada, even if construction of the satellite is performed in the U.S.

Scott Kelly has some tricks for enduring his year-long stay on the space station.

The technical centerpiece of China’s new launchers, the YF-100 engine, has now flown in the smallest member of the family, Long March 6. The rapid-response solid-propellant launcher Long March 11, meanwhile, should fly imminently.

Enceladus is home to a global subsurface ocean that sprays plumes of ice from its south pole.

SpaceX and other new players in the A&D field may change the way heritage providers do business.

Deep-space flight time and expense could be greatly reduced through the use of nuclear rocket engines and make Mars exploration more feasible.

For the foreseeable future, national security space launches will keep the United Launch Alliance and enginemaker Aerojet in business. But the outlook down the road is full of change and opportunity, as Blue Origin plans to build a new launch vehicle and test facility in Florida and will team up with ULA on a new Vulcan rocket.

Republican lawmaker says NASA shortchanged itself in delaying the first manned Orion flight.

Aerojet’s offer for ULA falls on deaf ears, leaving rocket maker without a ride in EELV program.

Historic space-launch facilities in Florida are getting a private-sector makeover

NASA doesn’t believe Orbital ATK can meet its announced schedule for returning Antares to flight.

The chairman of United Launch Alliance says the company is not seriously considering a recent proposal by Aerojet Rocketdyne to purchase the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture for a reported $2 billion in cash.

The botanist played by Matt Damon in The Martian has real-life counterparts in space and on the ground today.

Company reshuffles Falcon 9 manifest, moving a commercial satellite launch on an upgraded version of the rocket ahead of the Jason-3 ocean-monitoring mission for NASA.

Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral will be the site of a clean-sheet facility for launching Blue Origin’s planned orbital launch vehicle and testing its methane-fueled BE-4 rocket engine.

JPL concept outlines a slingshot concept for exploring multiple asteroids, comets and small planets in the outer Solar System in one mission.

ULA, Blue Origin announce production deal in wake of Aerojet’s offer to buy rocket manufacturer.

What is a company to do if it can’t get rights to a competitor’s coveted product? If you are Aerojet, just offer to buy that competitor.

An international fleet of spacecraft is providing scientists and weather forecasters with new insight into precipitation, its effects, and its causes.

The new rocket, based largely on an upgrade of the Falcon 9 v1.1, will launch four missions next year, including two for commercial customers.

Science experiments may help extend the life of satellites, evaluate environmental damage and monitor fallout from nuclear disasters.

Sustaining the ISS is an ongoing challenge that creates new problems and spurs creative solutions.