Main Street Independent

STORYLINE  ·  active

NASA Artemis Lunar Mission

NASA's crewed Artemis II mission to orbit the Moon, SpaceX launch partnerships, and the US return to deep-space human exploration

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes during test firing at Cape Canaveral

Illustration accompanying article: Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes during test firing at Cape Canaveral
  • Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a test firing Thursday night, heavily damaging the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
  • No deaths or injuries were reported from the blast, which produced a giant fireball visible for miles.
  • Emergency officials warned the public to avoid any wreckage that might wash ashore and to call 911 if they encounter it.
  • The explosion is the second major setback in a month for Blue Origin, which grounded the New Glenn fleet in April after an upper-stage engine failure left a satellite in the wrong orbit.
 2026-05-30 · 3 MIN READ

Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes during launch pad test

Illustration accompanying article: Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket explodes during launch pad test
  • Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday night, with no reported injuries.
  • Jeff Bezos, the company's founder, said via X that it was "too early to know the root cause" but that the company would rebuild and resume flights.
  • The New Glenn had been grounded since April after an engine failure left a satellite in the wrong orbit on only the rocket's third flight.
  • Blue Origin intends to use New Glenn to launch landers to the moon for NASA, including the landers that will carry astronauts to the lunar surface.
 2026-05-29 · 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: NASA outlines multi‑phase moon base plan with landers, rovers and drones

NASA revamps Artemis moon landing plan to tighten flight schedule

2026-02-28

NASA said Friday it is revamping its Artemis moon-exploration program by adding an extra practice flight and reshaping the mission lineup to reduce risk and shorten the gaps between launches. The changes come after Artemis II was pushed back and after a safety panel warned the agency to scale back its overly ambitious goals for a first lunar landing since 1972.

Seismic networks help track falling space debris

2026-01-22

Scientists can use earthquake monitoring networks to track falling space debris more accurately than radar, according to a new study published Thursday. The research by Johns Hopkins University's Benjamin Fernando and colleagues showed that seismic readings from sonic booms generated by a Chinese space module as it reentered Earth's atmosphere in 2024 placed the object's path nearly 20 miles farther south than orbital radar had predicted. The findings offer a faster way to locate debris and assess whether falling objects pose a risk to aircraft in flight.

Four astronauts depart ISS early in NASA's first medical evacuation

2026-01-14

Four astronauts departed the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX capsule on Wednesday in NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight, after an unidentified crew member developed a health problem requiring ground-based diagnosis. The returning crew — American astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Russia's Oleg Platonov — aimed for a Thursday morning splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. NASA officials declined to identify the affected astronaut or disclose the nature of the health concern, citing medical privacy.

NASA cuts space station mission short in first-ever medical evacuation

2026-01-08

NASA announced Thursday it is cutting a mission aboard the International Space Station short after one of its four crew members experienced a medical issue, the agency said — marking what officials described as the first medical evacuation in the space station's history. The affected astronaut is stable, and the agency's top medical officer said the situation does not constitute an onboard emergency. The four-person crew will return to Earth in the coming days, ahead of their originally planned schedule. NASA also canceled the year's first planned spacewalk as a result of the medical issue.

Here's your 2026 guide to the top celestial moments

2026-01-04

The moon and sun will headline next year’s skywatching lineup, from a Jan. 3 supermoon to a Feb. 17 ring-of-fire eclipse in Antarctica and a total solar eclipse Aug. 12 in the Arctic. NASA plans a new lunar flyby mission expected to send the first astronauts to study large areas of the moon’s far side not seen by Apollo, while robotic missions and landers are also targeted for 2026.

Here’s your 2026 guide to major moon, sun and eclipse events

2026-01-03

The moon and the sun will headline 2026’s skywatching calendar, including a “Blue Moon” scheduled for May and a supermoon on Jan. 3, along with a ring-of-fire solar eclipse in February and a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12. NASA plans major attention on the moon as Artemis missions expand, while China and private companies also target new robotic landings and far-side observations.

Here's your 2026 guide to major moon missions and sky events

2026-01-01

The moon and sun take center stage in 2026, from a lunar far-side mission and new robotic landers to multiple solar and lunar eclipses. NASA’s Reid Wiseman is set to lead a flyby-and-return mission aimed at regions of the lunar far side Apollo astronauts missed, alongside plans for a “Blue Moon” lunar lander and other commercial and international efforts. Elsewhere in the year, skywatchers will also have ring-of-fire and total eclipses to watch, along with a parade of planets and several supermoons.

Japan’s H3 rocket fails to deliver geolocation satellite into orbit

2025-12-29

Japan’s space agency said its new flagship H3 rocket failed to put a navigation satellite into a planned orbit during a Monday launch from Tanegashima. JAXA said a premature cutoff of the rocket’s second-stage engine burn prevented confirmation that the satellite separated as planned, and it is investigating the data to determine what happened.

German paraplegic engineer Michaela Benthaus becomes first wheelchair user in space

2025-12-29

Michaela Benthaus, a paraplegic engineer from Germany, became the first wheelchair user to blast into space in a Blue Origin New Shepard flight from West Texas on Dec. 20, 2025, the company said. Benthaus left her wheelchair on the capsule deck before liftoff and later said the experience was “the coolest experience.”