Spaceflight

The launch was carried out with a reusable Falcon 9 rocket

NASA conducted a test firing of the engines for its giant Space Launch System (SLS) lunar rocket on Jan. 16 but they shut down earlier than planned, the space agency said.

The "hot-fire" test at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi was supposed to last a little over eight minutes - the time the engines would burn in flight - but they shut down just over a minute into the burn.

Ljubljana – Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek took part in the virtual European Space Conference to present the opportunities for Slovenian science and economy brought by the country’s participation in the European Space Agency. He sees this sector as an opportunity for successful recovery after the coronavirus crisis.

Science returns from the space station through NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttle

“About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth & half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life”

SpaceX launched a Turkish communications satellite into orbit late on Jan. 7. 

The technology company's Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida, carrying the Turksat 5A satellite.

Turkey plans to launch a communication satellite on the night between Monday and Tuesday next week, the country's transport and infrastructure minister announced on Dec. 30. 

Following the Turksat 5A satellite, the country will also launch another communication satellite, the Turksat 5B, in June, Adil Karaismailoğlu announced in Turkey's Black Sea province Ordu.

A new Chinese carrier rocket made its first flight on Tuesday under a long-term plan to develop reusable launch vehicles aimed at reducing mission costs and speed up launch schedules for commercial clients.

The medium-lift Long March 8 Y-1 blasted off at 12:37 p.m. (0437 GMT) from the southern Chinese island of Hainan carrying five satellites, state media reported.

Russia's Roscosmos will be able to send an additional supply of oxygen to the ISS in February, if necessary, General Director of the organization Dmitry Rogozin told reporters.

A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Dec. 17 with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China's rapidly advancing space program.