Long-delayed Boeing Starliner ready for first piloted flight to the International Space Station

Years behind schedule and more than a billion dollars over budget, Boeing’s Starliner capsule is finally poised for its first piloted launch Monday, a critical test flight carrying two veteran astronauts to the International Space Station and in so doing, demonstrate an alternative to SpaceX’s already operational Crew Dragon. While SpaceX has launched 50 astronauts,

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China launches lunar probe in first-of-its-kind mission to get samples from far side of the moon as “space race” with U.S. ramps up

China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon in a first-of-its-kind mission to return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with

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Astronauts thrilled to be making first piloted flight aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft

Two veteran astronauts flew to the Kennedy Space Center Thursday afternoon to prepare for the first piloted launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, a long-awaited flight running years behind schedule after two uncrewed test flights and extensive work to resolve a variety of technical problems. Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, two of NASA’s most

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