NASA and Lockheed Martin have successfully tested a supersonic jet designed to minimize noise. The X-59 jet took its first flight over the southern California desert, marking a potential step toward faster commercial travel. On Tuesday, the jet flew slower than the speed of sound but is capable of traveling faster without the loud "sonic boom" that has hindered widespread use. The test is seen as a significant move toward commercial supersonic flights, which could cut flight times in half. The project aims to overcome noise issues and lead to regulatory changes for supersonic travel in the U.S.
A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas has exploded, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky. The company says the Starship "experienced a major anomaly" at about 11 p.m. Wednesday while on the test stand at Starbase, SpaceX's launch site at the southern tip of Texas. The company says in a statement on X that "all personnel are safe and accounted for." SpaceX says there are no hazards to nearby communities. It has asked people not to try to approach the site. It marked the latest in a string of incidents this year involving the massive rockets.
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By HANNA ARHIROVA and ANTON SHTUKA Associated Press
Russia has fired more than two dozen missiles at Kyiv, attacking the Ukrainian capital for the first time in six weeks and sending panicked residents flooding into the relative safety of the subway system in a scene reminiscent of the first weeks of the war. Air defenses shot down all 31 of the missiles early Thursday, though officials say the falling wreckage still damaged apartment buildings and injured 13 people, including a child. The attack happened a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to "respond in kind" to recent Ukrainian aerial attacks on the Russian border region of Belgorod, which Russian officials say have killed civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the West to send more air defense systems.
Four astronauts from four countries are back on Earth after catching a ride from the International Space Station with SpaceX. Their capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle early Tuesday. NASA's Jasmin Moghbeli led the returning crew. She was joined by astronauts from Denmark, Japan and Russia. The four moved into the space station last August for what turned out to be a 199-day mission. Their replacements arrived last week.
The retired NASA space shuttle Endeavour has been carefully hoisted into place at a Los Angeles science museum where it will be displayed as if it is about to blast off. A massive crane delicately moved Endeavor and crews attached it to a huge external fuel tank and its two solid rocket boosters late Monday night into the predawn hours Tuesday. The orbiter had to be inserted into the partially built Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center in Exposition Park. The building will be completed around Endeavour before the display opens to the public. Endeavour flew 25 missions between 1992 and 2011.
Japan has become the fifth country in history to reach the moon. Its spacecraft, which wasn't carrying astronauts, landed on the lunar surface early Saturday. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy. Officials say they need more time to analyze whether the spacecraft made a pinpoint landing. That was a key priority of the mission. The head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science says officials believe that rovers were launched, sending data back to Earth. But he says the spacecraft's solar battery isn't generating power and that it only has a few more hours of battery life.
Astronauts will have to wait until next year before flying to the moon and at least two years before landing on it. NASA on Tuesday announced the latest round of delays in its Artemis moon-landing program. The news came barely an hour after a U.S. company abandoned its own attempt to land on the moon because of a fuel leak. NASA is relying heavily on private companies for its astronaut moonshots, part of the reason for the new delays. The space agency had planned to send four astronauts around the moon late this year. It cited safety and technical issues for the delays.
A moon landing attempt by a private US company appears doomed because of a fuel leak on the newly launched spacecraft. Astrobotic Technology managed to orient the lander toward the sun Monday so its solar panel could capture sunlight and charge its onboard battery. The propulsion system problem was reported hours after a successful liftoff from Florida. Astrobotic was aiming to be the first private company to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. A second lander from a Houston company is due to launch next month. NASA gave the companies millions to build landers and make deliveries to the moon.
