Robotic Spaceflight | Astronomy.com

Oct. 20, 2018: BepiColombo launches

Elisa Neckar — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launched Oct. 20, 2018. The spacecraft is actually two satellites in one, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), commissioned with investigating one of the least-visited planets in our solar system. To reach its final position,Continue reading "Oct. 20, 2018: BepiColombo launches"

The post Oct. 20, 2018: BepiColombo launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches

Elisa Neckar — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

A joint project of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) program provides continuous monitoring of weather both on Earth and in space. The GOES satellites map lightning activity, measure and image atmospheric conditions, and track solar activity and space weather. This constant flow of data isContinue reading "Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches"

The post Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Oct. 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches

Ben Evans — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

At 4:43 A.M. on Oct. 15, 1997, the staccato crackle of the Titan IVB/Centaur’s two side-mounted solid rocket boosters shattered the predawn gloom. Pushing Cassini-Huygens off the pad with a thrust of 3.4 million pounds (1.5 million kilograms), their bright glare turned night into day (and set off numerous car alarms) above a sleeping Florida.Continue reading "Oct. 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches"

The post Oct. 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Starship’s 11th Test Flight marks new era for SpaceX rocket

Jack Burns — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:44:27 +0000

SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully completed its 11th test flight on Monday, capping a tumultuous year for the hulking vehicle as the company looks to push the envelope with a more powerful configuration. Monday’s test continued Starship’s return to form, marking its second consecutive reentry and splashdown following a string of in-flight and test stand mishaps. It was Starship’s finalContinue reading "Starship’s 11th Test Flight marks new era for SpaceX rocket"

The post Starship’s 11th Test Flight marks new era for SpaceX rocket appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sept. 29, 2022: Seeing the DART impact

Elisa Neckar — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

On Nov. 24, 2021, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) launched. The spacecraft was on its way to Dimorphos, part of a binary system with the asteroid Didymos. Nearly a year later, on Sept. 26, 2022, DART crashed into Dimorphos at about 14,000 mph (22,000 km/h). The crash was intentional: The DART mission goal wasContinue reading "Sept. 29, 2022: Seeing the DART impact"

The post Sept. 29, 2022: Seeing the DART impact appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon

Elisa Neckar — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Resembling a lumpy chunk of coral floating through space, Hyperion is one of the weirdest moons not just of Saturn, but in the whole solar system. Its shape is irregular, its rotation is chaotic, and it looks oddly spongelike. On Sept. 26, 2005, Cassini completed its first flyby of this bizarre moon, giving NASA bothContinue reading "Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon"

The post Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

NASA revives VIPER moon rover, taps Blue Origin for lunar landing

Brooks Mendenhall — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:45:55 +0000

NASA announced Friday, Sept. 19, it is reviving its canceled water-hunting rover and has awarded Blue Origin a contract to deliver it to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2027, a critical step in the agency’s plan to establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. The golf-cart-sized vehicle, known as the Volatiles InvestigatingContinue reading "NASA revives VIPER moon rover, taps Blue Origin for lunar landing"

The post NASA revives VIPER moon rover, taps Blue Origin for lunar landing appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith

Elisa Neckar — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

On Sept. 24, 1970, Luna 16 blazed a new trail in lunar sample collection – one traversed by robots. Although the Apollo astronauts had collected lunar samples on their missions, Luna 16 was the first instance of samples being gathered and returned to Earth fully robotically, with no astronauts (or cosmonauts) involved. After blasting offContinue reading "Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith"

The post Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sept. 15, 2017, Cassini’s Grand Finale

Elisa Neckar — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

After over 7,000 days in space, the Cassini mission ended on Sept. 15, 2017. Since its Oct. 15, 1997 launch, the spacecraft had returned a wealth of new knowledge and images of Saturn and its moons. Thanks to Cassini’s observations, researchers discovered liquid methane lakes on Titan, the potential habitability of Enceladus and the geysersContinue reading "Sept. 15, 2017, Cassini’s Grand Finale"

The post Sept. 15, 2017, Cassini’s Grand Finale appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sept. 13, 1994: Ulysses at the Sun’s south pole

Elisa Neckar — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

A joint NASA-ESA mission, the Ulysses solar probe launched Oct. 6, 1990, from the Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission was tasked with studying the solar wind, mapping the heliosphere, and becoming the first craft to study and chart the solar poles in detail. Equipped with a magnetometer, ion composition gauge, and instruments to measure radioContinue reading "Sept. 13, 1994: Ulysses at the Sun’s south pole"

The post Sept. 13, 1994: Ulysses at the Sun’s south pole appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.