Stephen Clark

6 days ago | arstechnica.com | Stephen Clark

Engineers switched to a backup fuel line less than a quarter of the way through Psyche's mission. A NASA spacecraft bound for an unexplored metal-rich asteroid has reignited its plasma thrusters, continuing its cruise deeper into the Solar System after switching to a backup fuel line. The $1.4 billion Psyche mission, built to explore an asteroid with the same name, has four electric thrusters fueled by xenon gas.

1 week ago | arstechnica.com | Stephen Clark

SpaceX had high hopes for Starship in 2025, but it's been one setback after another. SpaceX's next Starship rocket exploded during a ground test in South Texas late Wednesday, dealing another blow to a program already struggling to overcome three consecutive failures in recent months. The late-night explosion at SpaceX's rocket development complex in Starbase, Texas, destroyed the bullet-shaped upper stage that was slated to launch on the next Starship test flight.

1 week ago | arstechnica.com | Stephen Clark

Car companies aren't accustomed to making vehicles that can only be used once. An experimental reusable rocket developed by the research and development arm of Honda Motor Company flew to an altitude of nearly 900 feet Tuesday, then landed with pinpoint precision at the carmaker's test facility in northern Japan. The accomplishment may not sound like much, but it's important to put it into perspective.

1 week ago | arstechnica.com | Stephen Clark

Some space companies aren't necessarily against this idea, but SpaceX hasn't spoken. The Federal Aviation Administration may soon levy fees on companies seeking launch and reentry licenses, a new tack in the push to give the agency the resources it needs to keep up with the rapidly growing commercial space industry. The text of a budget reconciliation bill released by Sen.

2 weeks ago | arstechnica.com | Stephen Clark

Canada is the only G7 nation without a launch program. Quebec wants to do something about that. Welcome to Edition 7.48 of the Rocket Report! The shock of last week's public spat between President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has worn off, and Musk expressed regret for some of his comments going after Trump on social media.