Andrew Jones

2 weeks ago | space.com | Andrew Jones

Once feared as a threat to Earth, the asteroid Apophis is now considered to pose a rare exploration opportunity — if space agencies can act in time. The 1,100-foot-wide (340 meters) Apophis, also known as asteroid 99942, is set to make a very close, but safe, flyby of Earth on April 13, 2029. The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing its Ramses (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) mission for a 2028 launch in order to accompany the rocky body during its close approach.

2 weeks ago | spacenews.com | Andrew Jones

HELSINKI — Astronstone, one of China’s newest commercial launch startups, has raised early-stage funding for a stainless steel, reusable launch vehicle modeled on SpaceX’s Starship system. Established in mid-2024, Astronstone announced May 29 it had secured more than 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) in part for the development of its AS-1 (Astronstone-1) stainless steel, methane-liquid oxygen reusable launch vehicle, with a “chopsticks” system for first stage recovery.

2 weeks ago | spacenews.com | Andrew Jones

HELSINKI — China carried out its ninth launch of the month early Thursday, sending the secretive Shijian-26 spacecraft into orbit. A Long March 4B rocket lifted off at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (0412 UTC) May 29 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China. Insulation tiles fell away from the rocket’s payload fairing as it climbed into a cloudy sky.

2 weeks ago | spacenews.com | Andrew Jones

HELSINKI — Chinese rocket maker Sepoch has carried out a first vertical liftoff and splashdown landing ahead of a potential orbital launch attempt later this year. The Yuanxingzhe-1 (YXZ-1) verification rocket lifted off from an elevated steel structure at the Haiyang spaceport, Shandong province, at 4:40 p.m. Eastern (2040 UTC) May 28. Video of the test shows the test article soaring vertically from a launch pad, before shutting down its engines at around 2.5 kilometers in altitude.

3 weeks ago | spacenews.com | Andrew Jones

HELSINKI — China launched its second planetary exploration mission Wednesday, sending Tianwen-2 to sample a near Earth asteroid and later survey a main belt comet. Tianwen-2 lifted off on a Long March 3B rocket at 1:31 p.m. Eastern (1731 UTC) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China, climbing into the night sky above the spaceport. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the successful launch of Tianwen-2 just over an hour after liftoff.