Setbacks For SpaceX, New SpaceShipTwo Introduced

Space is hard. That statement was borne out by some of the tribulations suffered by SpaceX this year, which lost a cargo vessel headed for ISS, as well as a booster and satellite on the launch pad. On the plus side, the company also made great strides towards a reusable booster, as did rival company Blue Origin. But the return to launching manned space mission from U.S. soil has been pushed back again. Some of the top aerospace stories from 2016 are just ahead ..

January

Russia Casts Wary Eye At SpaceX Success
The successful recovery by SpaceX on land of a Falcon 9 booster following an orbital insertion mission apparently has the Russians concerned about what they charge for spaceflight.

Virgin Galactic Set To Roll Out New SpaceShipTwo Next Month 
The second SpaceShipTwo is scheduled for rollout from a hangar at Mojave Air and Space Port on February 19th, according to media advisories from Virgin Galactic, and Professor Stephen Hawking has been invited to be on hand for the festivities.

Musk Says Recovered Falcon 9 Booster Is In 'Great Shape' 
SpaceX founder Elon Musk says that the Falcon 9 booster that was recovered following last month's launch is "ready to fire again," though the booster will not be re-used by the company.

Rover Rounds Martian Dune To Get To The Other Side 
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, partway through the first up-close study ever conducted of  extraterrestrial sand dunes, is providing dramatic views of a dune's steep face, where cascading sand has sculpted very different textures than the wavy ripples visible on the dune's windward slope.

NASA Astronauts Get Advance Look At CST-100 Starliner Trainers 
Two of the four NASA astronauts training to fly Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft recently tried some of the systems that will prepare them for flights to the International Space Station.

NASA Awards International Space Station Cargo Transport Contracts 
NASA has awarded three cargo contracts to ensure the critical science, research and technology demonstrations that are informing the agency’s journey to Mars are delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) from 2019 through 2024.

SpaceX Jason 3 Launch Successful, Landing Not So Much 
Different ocean ... same result. SpaceX successfully launched the Jason 3 ocean-monitoring satellite to orbit on Sunday, but the company's third attempt to land a booster on a floating platform resulted in the loss of the booster.

Blue Origin Booster Flies Again 
The very same New Shepard booster that flew above the Karman line and then landed vertically at its launch site last November has now flown and landed again, demonstrating reuse. This time, New Shepard reached an apogee of 333,582 feet (101.7 kilometers) before both capsule and booster gently returned to Earth for recovery and reuse.

Launch Of Ariane 5 Kicks Off Aggressive Schedule For 2016 
Arianespace kicked off its fast-paced 2016 operational schedule with the 70th consecutive launch success using Ariane 5, which orbited a pioneering new-generation satellite for this workhorse vehicle's leading commercial customer.

February

Todd May Named Marshall Space Flight Center Director 
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Todd May director of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. May was appointed Marshall deputy director in August 2015 and has been serving as acting director since the Nov. 13, 2015 retirement of Patrick Scheuermann.

North Korea Reportedly Plans Satellite Launch 
North Korea announced plans to launch an "Earth Observation Satellite" into orbit this month in what many are calling the test of a missile that could hit targets in the U.S.

Blue Origin Lifts The Veil On Its Future Plans ... Just A Bit 
Blue Origin, which has largely kept development of its rockets out of the media, has allowed a peek behind the curtain at the company's future plans.

Boeing, USAF Complete GPS IIF Constellation   
The USAF and Boeing have completed the GPS IIF constellation with the launch of the 12th Boeing-built satellite.

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches Payload For NRO 
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-6  on Feb. 10 at 3:40 a.m. PST. Designated NROL-45, the mission is in support of national defense.

VSS UNITY Unveiled By Virgin Galactic 
Virgin Galactic took another major step towards the restart of flight testing with the unveiling of  a new SpaceShipTwo, which was rolled out Friday in a ceremony in Mojave, CA.

Orbital ATK Successfully Completes OA-4 Cargo Delivery Mission 
Orbital ATK has successfully completed of its fourth cargo delivery mission (OA-4) to the International Space Station (ISS), including the initial demonstration flight and three operational missions under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft delivered 7,700 pounds of cargo to the ISS, the largest cargo shipment to date by a commercial company.

March

NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly Returns Safely To Earth After One-Year Mission 
NASA astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth after a historic 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station. They landed in Kazakhstan at 11:26 p.m. EST (10:26 a.m. March 2 Kazakhstan time).

Blue Origin May Conduct First Manned Test Flights In 2017 
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos says he expects to conduct his first manned test flights as early as next year, and carrying passengers as early as 2018. He says thousands of people have said they are interested in eventually flying with the company.

Arianespace Marks Key Achievements With Its Latest Ariane 5 Launch 
The numbers continue to add up for Arianespace following an early morning Ariane 5 mission that orbited the EUTELSAT 65 West A relay satellite – extending to 71 the heavy-lift vehicle’s streak of consecutive successes, while achieving other numerical milestones for the company as well.

NASA Targets May 2018 For Launch Of Mars InSight Mission 
NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission to study the deep interior of Mars is targeting a new launch window that begins May 5, 2018, with a Mars landing scheduled for Nov. 26, 2018.

SpaceX Says It May Launch A Reusable Booster In 2016 
SpaceX could launch a spacecraft using a previously-flown booster later this year, if all goes according to plan.

Simulating Space On Earth To Help Protect Astronauts 
Four new Canadian studies in the field of space health research have received funding from the Government of Canada to reduce health risks for astronauts on long-term missions. These experiments will simulate space conditions on Earth to investigate the physiological and psychosocial adaptation to space.

Astronaut Scott Kelly To Retire From NASA In April 
NASA astronaut and one-year crew member Scott Kelly will retire from the agency, effective April 1. Kelly joined the astronaut corps in 1996 and currently holds the American record for most time spent in space. After retiring, Kelly will continue to participate in the ongoing research related to his one-year mission.

Kavandi To Succeed Free As Glenn Research Center Director 
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named former astronaut Janet Kavandi director of the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Kavandi has been serving as Glenn’s deputy director since February 2015. She succeeds Jim Free, who was named deputy associate administrator for technical in the agency’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate in Washington.

ExoMars Performing Flawlessly 
Following a spectacular liftoff, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is performing flawlessly en route to the Red Planet.

International Women’s Air & Space Museum Receives Significant Donation 
The International Women’s Air & Space Museum (IWASM) recently received a donation from former NASA mission controller, Marianne Dyson, who is originally from Canton, Ohio.

April

SpaceX/Dragon Succeeds with ISS Resupply/Ocean Landing On Drone Barge 
They did it... and while the successful landing of a Falcon 9 first stage on a moving target was not quite centered, there is no doubt that SpaceX has the right stuff... and then some.

Moon Express Begins Process Of Commercial Lunar Mission Approval 
Moon Express has become the first private space company to request the U.S government to conduct a payload review of its spacecraft and plans leading to regulatory approval of a commercial mission to the Moon in 2017. Moon Express initiated the review process through a submission to the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST), bringing the company another important step closer to the Moon.

NASA To Attach, Test First Expandable Habitat On ISS 
The first human-rated expandable structure that may help inform the design of deep space habitats is set to be installed to the International Space Station Saturday, April 16.

High School Students Compete In Cook-off for Astronaut Recipe Selection 
Ten teams of high school students are competing to have their dishes selected as food for astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Spaceport America Welcomes EXOS Aerospace 
A five year launch partnership for Suborbital Active Rocket with GuidancE (SARGE) vehicles has been announced between EXOS Aerospace Systems & Technologies and Spaceport America. The SARGE system is a suborbital reusable space launch vehicle.

NASA Works To Improve Solar Electric Propulsion 
NASA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc. of Redmond, Washington, to design and develop an advanced electric propulsion system that will significantly advance the nation's commercial space capabilities, and enable deep space exploration missions, including the robotic portion of NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) and its Journey to Mars.

SpaceX Founding Team Launches Vector Space Systems To Redefine Space Commerce 
Vector Space Systems, a Micro Satellite space launch enterprise comprised of new-space industry veterans from SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, McDonnell Douglas and Sea Launch, has secured more than $1 million in angel funding at Space 2.0 in Silicon Valley. Vector Space Systems, which sports a roster of technology and aerospace giants to provide industry insight, expertise and leadership, was formed to fundamentally change the dynamics and economics of the space launch industry.

May

SpaceX Wins National Security Launch Contract 
SpaceX has been looking to obtain a national security launch contract but United Launch Alliance (ULA), which is a joint venture by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, has been the preferred provider. This time, ULA elected not to bid and SpaceX was awarded the contract by default.

SpaceX Makes Most Ambitious Landing To Date 
SpaceX has recovered a Falcon 9 booster in a landing attempt that company founder and CEO Elon Musk gave about a 50-50 chance of succeeding.

Rep. Derek Kilmer Vows Continued Support for Commercial Spaceflight Industry  
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation recently hosted its second in a series of Executive Leadership Forums, an open dialogue for policymakers, industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss key issues and opportunities in the commercial spaceflight industry.

Is SpaceX Headed For The Red Planet? 
SpaceX has tweeted that its Red Dragon spacecraft combined with the Falcon Heavy Rocket can make it to Mars…and beyond. According to nasaspaceflight.com (this is not a NASA website) SpaceX has entered into an agreement with NASA for a Mars mission. The spacecraft, known as the Red Dragon, is a variation of the SpaceX’s Dragon 2 spacecraft.

NASA, Space Station Partners Announce Future Mission Crew Members 
NASA and its International Space Station partners have announced the crew members for missions to the orbiting laboratory in 2017. The selection includes first-time space flyer NASA astronaut Scott Tingle and veteran Randy Bresnik.

NASA Plans June Deep Space Rocket Booster Test 
NASA is planning to test the largest, most powerful booster in the world for the agency's new deep space rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), on June 28 at Orbital ATK Aerospace System's test facility in Promontory, Utah.

Russian ISS Taxi Service To End In 2018 
The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos will not be ferrying any more U.S. Astronauts to ISS when the current agreement between that agency and NASA expires in 2018.

NASA's JWST Reaches Major Milestone In Path To Launch 
Another major milestone towards the launch of the James Webb Telescope has been reached with the completion and delivery of the fully integrated Optical Telescope Element (OTE) by Northrop Grumman.

June

Blue Origin Plans Parachute Failure Test On Next Flight 
The next flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft will have a problem. This time, rather than having the crew module separate and drift safely back to Earth under parachutes, a failure of the parachute system is planned.

XCOR Idles Workers From Lynx Program
XCOR has suspended work on the Lynx spacecraft and idled many of its employees working on suborbital spaceplane. The website parabolicarc.com reports that the company is apparently refocusing its primary efforts on development of an upper stage engine for ULA.

Airbus Defense And Space To Guide Lunar Lander To The Moon 
Airbus Defense and Space, the world’s second largest space company, and the European Space Agency (ESA), have signed a contract for the early development of a system that will ensure the safe and precise landing of the Russian Luna-Resource lunar lander.

NASA Awards Contract For Suborbital Flight Services 
NASA has selected Blue Origin, LLC, in Van Horn, Texas, to integrate and fly technology payloads near the boundary of space on their New Shepard suborbital spacecraft in support of NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Lofts Dual Satellite Payload Into Space 
SpaceX was able to successfully boost two satellites into geostationary transfer orbits. The two payloads were the EUTELSAT 117 West B satellite, and the ABS-2A satellite for Bermuda-based Asia Broadcast Satellite Inc.

Three ISS Crew Members Return to Earth 
There's no place like home... though the arrival can be a mite sudden... Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA, flight engineer Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos touched down at 5:15 a.m. EDT (3:15 p.m. Kazakhstan time) June 18, 2016 southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan.

Blue Origin Failed Parachute Test Successful 
Blue Origin on Sunday successfully launched and landed the New Shepard booster for the fourth time, and showed that the crew capsule could be safely recovered with only two of its three parachutes functioning.

Allen: Stratolaunch Near Completion 
The Stratolaunch airplane designed to carry rockets that will deliver satellites to orbit is near completion, according Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who is bankrolling the effort.

SpaceX Fee Pulled From Port Canaveral Meeting Agenda 
After considering a tariff that would have charged SpaceX about $15,000 to bring boosters back into Port Canaveral and offload them from the droneship landing pad, Port Canaveral CEO John Murray pulled the item from Wednesday's meeting agenda.

SNC Enters Talks With The United Nations 
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding toward defining one or more Dream Chaser missions that will host payloads from member countries.

July

NASA Awards Contract To Increase Water Recovery On Space Station 
NASA has selected Paragon Space Development Corporation, a small business headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, to develop a system that will increase the rate of water recovery from the urine of astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

NASA's Juno Spacecraft In Orbit Around Mighty Jupiter 
After an almost five-year journey to the solar system’s largest planet, NASA's Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit during a 35-minute engine burn. Confirmation that the burn had completed was received on Earth at 8:53 p.m. PDT (11:53 p.m. EDT) Monday, July 4.

ISS Crew Complement Grows to Six 
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) joined their Expedition 48 crew members aboard the International Space Station officially at 2:26 a.m. EDT July 9 when the hatches opened between their Soyuz MS-01 and the space station.

Navy MUOS-5 Satellite Transfer Maneuver Temporarily Halted 
The fifth Mobile User Objective System satellite, which successfully launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 on June 24, was projected to reach its geosynchronous orbit and enter its test location 22,000 miles above Hawaii by July 3.

Thales, Orbital ATK Sign Upcoming ISS Cargo Resupply Missions Contract 
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo-Finmeccanica, announced the signing of a new contract with Orbital ATK at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, UK.

SpaceX Launches Cargo To ISS 
SpaceX has recovered a fifth Falcon 9 booster, and for the second time the rocket landed back at Cape Canaveral following its launch of a Dragon supply spacecraft to ISS.

SpaceX Requests Two New Landing Pads At Cape Canaveral 
SpaceX has asked the federal government for permission to construct two new landing pads at Cape Canaveral Air Station on the central Florida coast. The company says that it is looking ahead to the possibility of landing three separate rockets almost simultaneously.

Kepler Confirms 100+ Exoplanets 
An international team of astronomers has discovered and confirmed a treasure trove of new worlds using NASA’s Kepler spacecraft on its K2 mission. Among the findings tallying 197 initial planet candidates, scientists have confirmed 104 planets outside our solar system. Among the confirmed is a planetary system comprising four promising planets that could be rocky.

August

NASA Orders Second SpaceX Crew Mission To ISS 
NASA took another important step Friday in returning U.S. astronaut launches from U.S. soil with the order of a second post-certification mission from commercial provider SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. Commercial crew flights from Florida’s Space Coast to the International Space Station will restore America’s human spaceflight launch capability and increase the time U.S. crews can dedicate to scientific research, which is helping prepare astronauts for deep space missions, including the Journey to Mars.

Florida's Space Coast Gets Boost From Lockheed Martin 
Lockheed Martin plans to expand capabilities at its Astrotech Space Operations site in Titusville, Florida with the assistance of the North Brevard Economic Development Zone and the State of Florida. Future investments would help Lockheed Martin grow Astrotech Space Operations' capabilities and could add as many as 300 jobs to the site over the next four years.

FAA Grants Operator License For SpaceShipTwo 
Virgin Galactic kicked off August with two important milestones. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA-AST) has awarded Virgin Galactic an operator license for SpaceShipTwo. The license award, which will ultimately permit commercial operations of the vehicle, was the culmination of several years of in-depth interaction with the FAA.

Moon Express Plan To Become First Private Company To Venture Beyond LEO Approved 
The U.S. Government has made a historic ruling granting the first private enterprise, Moon Express, permission to travel beyond Earth's orbit and land on the Moon in 2017. This breakthrough U.S. policy decision provides authorization to Moon Express for a maiden flight of its robotic spacecraft to the Moon's surface, beginning a new era of ongoing commercial lunar exploration and discovery, unlocking the immense potential of the Moon's valuable resources.

Dream Chaser Spacecraft To Begin Phase Two Flight Testing 
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser full-scale, flight test vehicle is ready for transportation to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California where Phase Two flight tests will be conducted in coordination with Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).

NASA Selects Six Companies To Develop Deep Space Habitat Prototypes, Concepts 
NASA has selected six U.S. companies to help advance the Journey to Mars by developing ground prototypes and concepts for deep space habitats.

SpaceX Notches Another Successful Launch, Recovery 
A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully delivered the JCSAT-16 commercial communications satellite to its targeted Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) Sunday. The booster was successfully recovered on the company's floating droneship after delivering its payload.

ISS Readies For Manned SpaceX, Boeing Spacecraft 
Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins concluded their spacewalk at 2:02 EDT, Friday. During the five-hour and 58-minute spacewalk, the two NASA astronauts successfully installed the first of two international docking adapters (IDAs).

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract For Mars 2020 Rover Mission 
NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for a mission that will address high-priority science goals for the agency’s Journey to Mars.

September

XPRIZE Verifies Launch Agreement For Third Google Lunar XPRIZE Team 
XPRIZE has officially verified Team Synergy Moon’s launch agreement as part of the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, a global competition for privately-funded teams to land an unmanned spacecraft on the surface of the moon by December 31, 2017. The Synergy Moon mission will use a NEPTUNE 8 rocket, built and launched by Interorbital Systems, to carry a lunar lander and at least one rover to the surface of the moon, launching from an open-ocean location off the California coast during the second half of 2017.

SES-10 Launching To Orbit On Flight-Proven Falcon 9 Rocket 
An agreement has been reached between satellite operator SES and SpaceX to launch SES-10 on a flight-proven Falcon 9 orbital rocket booster.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Explodes During Test
SpaceX posted this information on its website concerning the launch pad accident. "At approximately 9:07 am ET, during a standard pre-launch static fire test for the AMOS-6 mission, there was an anomaly at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 resulting in loss of the vehicle.

House Science Committee Calls For Commerce Department To Deliver Key Report 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) (pictured), Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs. The letter requests delivery of a statutorily required report that the committee has not yet received.

VSS Unity’s First Flight Test Completed 
Thursday marked an exciting milestone for Virgin Galactic. For the first time, a spaceship built by The Spaceship Company and operated by its parent company Virgin Galactic has taken to the skies.

Source Of SpaceX Launch Pad Explosion Is Puzzling For The Company 
SpaceX founder Elon Musk is calling the recent failure of a Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad "the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years."

Jeff Bezos Unveils 'New Glenn' Rocket 
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos has unveiled plans for his next space launch system, and it's no bottle rocket to be sure. Named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn is 23 feet in diameter and lifts off with 3.85 million pounds of thrust from seven BE-4 engines.

SpaceX On Track To Determining AMOS-6/Falcon 9 Accident Cause 
As promised, SpaceX is starting to reveal details of their investigation into the catastrophic loss of a Falcon 9, its payload and other damage to the launch complex.

UN, SNC Announce First-Ever Dedicated United Nations-Dream Chaser Mission 
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and have announced details of the first-ever United Nations space mission at the International Astronautical Congress  today in Guadalajara, Mexico.

October

Boeing Appoints Jim Chilton President Of Network & Space Businesses 
Boeing veteran Jim Chilton will succeed Craig R. Cooning as president of the company’s Network & Space Systems (N&SS) businesses effective Oct. 21.

Blue Origin Crew Escape System Test Is An Unqualified Success 
Blue Origin reached a significant milestone with a spectacular, and successful test of its crew capsule escape system. The entire flight lasted about eight minutes. The launch was delayed by about 45 minutes as the Blue Origin team resolved some minor technical issues.

CASIS And NCATS Announce ISS Funding Opportunity 
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has announced a funding opportunity focused on human physiology and disease onboard the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. Data from this research — which will feature "tissue chips" (or "organs-on-chips") — will help scientists develop and advance novel technologies to improve human health.

Hurricane Nicole Delays NASA Resupply Launch to Space Station 
NASA and its partner Orbital ATK have postponed the launch of the company’s next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, as the agency prepares for Tropical Storm Nicole at its tracking site in Bermuda.

Test Milestone For Next-Gen GPS Controls Complete 
Another milestone has been reached in the development of the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System, known as GPS OCX.

NASA Offers Prize Money For Winning 3D-Printed Habitat Ideas 
NASA is offering $1.1 million in prize money in Phase 2 of the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge for new ways to build houses where future space explorers can live and work. The three-part competition asks citizen inventors to use readily available and recyclable materials for the raw material to print habitats.

Musk: Sabotage Likely Not The Cause Of Falcon 9 Loss 
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said recently that sabotage has been ruled out in the loss of a Falcon 9 booster and its satellite payload, the result of a launch pad explosion September 1.

Mars Landing Of ESA Schiaparelli Probe Uncertain 
The thrusters designed to slow the ESA Schiaparelli Mars lander fired for less time than was anticipated as it descended toward the Martian surface, leaving the fate of the lander uncertain.

Fueling Problem May Have Led To Loss Of Falcon 9 Booster, Payload 
SpaceX is focusing on the procedures used to fuel the Falcon 9 rocket which exploded on its launch pad September 1, causing the loss of the booster and its satellite payload.

November

SpaceX May Have Solved Falcon 9 Explosion Mystery 
SpaceX may have finally solved the mystery of what caused a Falcon 9 rocket to explode in early September, resulting in the loss of the booster and its satellite payload.

USS San Diego Successfully Completes Orion Crew Module Recovery Operation 
Amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD 22) successfully completed recovery operations of the NASA Orion crew module Nov. 1. The Underway Recovery Test-5 (URT-5) is part of a U.S. government interagency effort to safely retrieve the Orion crew module which is capable of carrying humans into deep space.

NASA Updates 2017 International Space Station Crew Assignments
NASA and its international partners have updated the assignments for several crew rotations to the International Space Station in 2017. The changes reflect a switch in assignments for some NASA astronauts, as well as a reduction in the number of Russian cosmonauts on some missions.

NASA Looks For Ways To Trim SLS, Orion Development Costs 
NASA has posted a Request for Information (RFI) calling for input from the public on how the agency might trim the cost of developing its Space Launch System and Orion capsule.

Peggy Whitson Becomes Oldest Woman Astronaut 
When Peggy Whitson arrived at ISS this weekend, she became the oldest woman to fly in space at the age of 56. And during this mission, she is expected to regain her title as the U.S. astronaut with the most time spent on orbit.

SpaceX, MUSK Targeted By Conservative PAC 
A conservative Political Action Committee called Citizens for the Republic has been harshly criticizing Elon Musk and his various companies. The PAC has established a website called "Stop Elon Musk from Failing Again".www.aero-news.net

Cassini Spacecraft Approaches Its Mission Finale 
A thrilling ride is about to begin for NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Engineers have been pumping up the spacecraft's orbit around Saturn this year to increase its tilt with respect to the planet's equator and rings. And on November 30, following a gravitational nudge from Saturn's moon Titan, Cassini entered the first phase of the mission's dramatic endgame.

ISS Resupply Mission Goes Astray 
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has confirmed that a Progress cargo resupply spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been lost. The spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday on a Soyuz rocket, but experienced an anomaly around six and a half minutes into its flight.
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December

ISS Resupply Mission Goes Astray 
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has confirmed that a Progress cargo resupply spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been lost. The spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday on a Soyuz rocket, but experienced an anomaly around six and a half minutes into its flight.

VSS Unity, The New SpaceShipTwo, Free-Flies For The First Time 
The newest SpaceShipTwo has flown free for the first time. According to the Virgin Galactic crew, "Our new spaceship, VSS Unity, has successfully completed its first free flight!

NASA Shortens First Crewed Mission Of Orion 
NASA has scaled back its plans for the first crewed mission of its Orion spacecraft, Exploration Mission 2 (EM-2).

SpaceX Delays First Manned Dragon Flight
NASA has updated its schedule for launching manned mission from the United States, and it indicates a slip in the date for the first SpaceX manned Dragon mission.

Second Glide Test For VSS Unity 
There was no notice, and little fanfare. Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides Tweeted: "Second glide flight of VSS Unity completed. Well done to the pilots and the whole crew. Great way to end the year!"

SpaceX Offers Sneak Peek At Falcon Heavy Rocket 
For those who just can't get enough of all things SpaceX, the company has released a photo giving a glimpse of the Falcon Heavy booster interstage, which it hopes to be able to launch sometime in 2017.

FMI: www.aero-news.net