Month: March 2025

Watch a private German rocket explode during 1st orbital launch attempt from European soil (video)

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A dramatic drone video shows Isar Aerospace’s first orbital launch attempt, which ended with a fiery crash into the frigid sea about 30 seconds after liftoff. The Germany company’s first Spectrum rocket lifted off Sunday morning (March 30) from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway on the first-ever orbital launch attempt from European soil. Spectrum cleared the tower but suffered an anomaly shortly thereafter. The rocket flipped over and slammed into the ocean near the pad, sending an orange-tinted cloud high into a clear Arctic sky, as the video shows. Isar…

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NASA Trains for Orion Water Recovery Ahead of Artemis II Launch

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4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Crew Module Test Article (CMTA), a full scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft, is seen in the Pacific Ocean as teams practice Artemis recovery operations during Underway Recovery Test-12 onboard USS Somerset off the coast of California, Saturday, March 29, 2025. NASA/Bill Ingalls Preparations for NASA’s next Artemis flight recently took to the seas as a joint NASA and Department of Defense team, led by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, spent a week aboard the USS Somerset off the…

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FAA closes investigation into SpaceX Starship Flight 7 explosion

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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has closed its investigation into Flight 7 of SpaceX’s huge Starship vehicle, which ended with a dramatic explosion over the Atlantic Ocean. Flight 7 sent Starship aloft from SpaceX‘s Starbase site in South Texas on Jan. 16. Things went well at first; Starship’s first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, came back to Starbase for a launch-tower landing about seven minutes after liftoff as planned. However, the giant rocket’s 171-foot-tall (52-meter) upper stage exploded high in the sky a few minutes later, sending debris raining…

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Artemis II Core Stage Integration – Complete!

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Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and primary contractor Amentum integrate the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket with the solid rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1 inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Artemis II is the first crewed test flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.

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Career Spotlight: Technologist (Ages 14-18)

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4 Min Read Career Spotlight: Technologist (Ages 14-18) What does a technologist do? Technologists are professionals who research, develop, and test emerging technologies. They also find useful ways to put new technologies to work. A technologist is an expert in a specific type of technology, often within a specific field. Many industries rely on innovations developed by technologists. Some of these include aerospace, research, manufacturing, healthcare, and information technology. NASA technologists make use of technological advancements to improve NASA’s capabilities and better meet the needs of its missions. They also…

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Career Spotlight: Scientist (Ages 14-18)

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4 Min Read Career Spotlight: Scientist (Ages 14-18) What does a scientist do? Science is about exploring answers to questions. A scientist uses research and evidence to form hypotheses, test variables, and then share their findings. NASA scientists conduct groundbreaking research to answer some of humanity’s most profound questions. Most scientists start as project scientists in their early careers. They spend a lot of time publishing their peer-reviewed literature and presenting scientific research. Senior-level scientists provide leadership in the NASA community, actively publish research group work, and take on management roles.…

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SpaceX rolls out rocket for historic Fram2 astronaut flight over Earth’s poles (photos)

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The hardware that will fly a historic private astronaut mission has made it to the launch pad. On Saturday (March 29), SpaceX posted photos on X of the Fram2 mission’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule rolling out to Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The milestone keeps Fram2 on track to launch on Monday evening (March 31). Liftoff is scheduled for 9:46 p.m. EDT (0146 GMT on April 1), though there are three additional instantaneous opportunities during the 4.5-hour-long launch window. Fram2, which is…

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ISS National Lab explores the future of space in new podcast ‘Between a Rocket and a Hard Space’

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It seems like everyone on Earth — and beyond — is getting into the podcast business these days. The International Space Station National Laboratory just launched “Between a Rocket and a Hard Space,” a brand-new podcast that explores the future of space innovation. The series will delve into the discoveries, innovations, projects and personalities helping to forge the future of space. Episodes can be accessed via all major platforms, including Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify and YouTube. Key artwork for the ISS National Laboratory’s new podcast series. (Image credit: NASA/ISS National…

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Earth’s sea ice hits all-time low, NASA satellites reveal

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New research from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Colorado measured Arctic sea ice cover on March 22, during what should’ve been its annual peak. In conclusion, the agency reported seeing 5.53 million square miles (14.33 million square kilometers) of sea ice — for context, that’s the lowest Arctic winter sea ice levels have ever been. To make matters worse, NASA scientists also discovered that, this year, summer ice in the Antarctic retreated to 764,000 square miles (1.98 million square kilometers) as of March 1,…

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