international space station

The delays are not over for Boeing’s Starliner capsule. After years of delays, the aerospace giant finally launched the spacecraft earlier this month, but the two-person crew will spend more…

Boeing’s Starliner capsule took astronauts to space — now it needs to bring them back

Update: The Starliner mission will not move forward until no earlier than May 17, NASA announced. The long delay is to ensure launch provider United Launch Alliance can roll the…

Boeing Starliner launch delayed until May 17

Los Angeles-based Gitai said Tuesday that its autonomous robotic arm has nailed a tech demonstration outside the International Space Station. Gitai CEO Sho Nakanose told TechCrunch in an interview last…

Gitai’s autonomous robot installs panel outside the ISS, showing orbital repairs in action

SpaceX is teaming up with Northrop Grumman today to deliver more than 8,000 pounds of cargo, fresh food and scientific experiments to astronauts on the International Space Station. The NG-20…

Watch SpaceX launch a Northrop Grumman resupply mission to the ISS


Boeing and NASA managers are now estimating that the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will not be ready to fly astronauts until March 2024, one of the longest delays yet to hit…

Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule will not be ready fly crew until March 2024

There is a groundswell of commercial space initiatives focused on the moon, with established companies and newer upstarts all seeking to transform that cold, grey rock into a thriving hub…

Gitai wants to build a robotic labor force for the moon and Mars

Axiom Space’s second private crewed mission to the International Space Station is now scheduled to launch in just ten days, with the four-person crew preparing to conduct more than 20…

Axiom Space gears up for second private human spaceflight mission to ISS

Some of the biggest names in the space industry are billionaires: Elon Musk. Jeff Bezos. Richard Branson. The newest person to join this small cadre, at least by personal net…

Jed McCaleb’s private space station venture Vast might be more than just science fiction
Space

Max Q: Oh my gourd

3:00 pm PDT • October 10, 2022

Will every October issue have a Halloween/autumn pun as its title? I’LL NEVER TELL.

Max Q: Oh my gourd

SpaceX successfully launched another batch of astronauts to the International Space Station Wednesday, part of an ongoing astronaut transportation contract with NASA. Like the company’s seven other human spaceflight missions,…

SpaceX notches eighth human spaceflight mission with Crew-5

Russia is having internal discussions over continuing its participation in the International Space Station (ISS) beyond 2024, despite statements made earlier this summer that the country will pull out of…

Russia debates staying on ISS past 2024 despite tensions

NASA has finalized an agreement with SpaceX to purchase five more astronaut transportation missions to and from the International Space Station, further entrenching the space company’s position as the prime…

NASA orders five more astronaut transportation flights from SpaceX for $1.4 billion

After a little over a month of delays, NASA and SpaceX are ready to launch a resupply mission to the International Space Station, which includes more than 5,800 pounds of…

Watch SpaceX launch more than 5,800 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station

Nanoracks and Tokyo-based space startup Gitai are teaming up for a second technology demonstration on the International Space Station, a mission that could bring the Japanese startup one step closer…

Nanoracks and Gitai team up for second space robotics demo aboard the ISS
Space

AWS sent a Snowcone to space

11:00 am PDT • June 23, 2022

At its re:Mars conference, Amazon today announced that it quietly sent one of its AWS Snowcone edge computing and storage devices into space on the Axiom mission to the International…

AWS sent a Snowcone to space
Space

Max Q: Insertion burn

3:00 pm PDT • May 23, 2022

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. In this issue: Boeing’s make it or break it launch; Fresh funding for SpaceX; News from Virgin Orbit, Rocket Lab and more

Max Q: Insertion burn

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has had a rough couple years, but this afternoon it successfully docked with the International Space Station, its first successful mission to orbit. Despite a few…

Boeing’s Starliner finally makes it all the way to the ISS

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. In this issue: Rocket Lab’s milestone booster recovery Ursa Major and Phantom Space News from NASA, SpaceX and more Don’t forget to sign…

Max Q: Rocket booster, meet helicopter

If you needed any more convincing that we’ve entered a new era of human spaceflight, this mission should finally settle it for you. Houston-based startup Axiom Space will be launching…

Watch Axiom Space send crew of 4 to the International Space Station in historic mission

NASA just placed another order with SpaceX. The agency said Wednesday it had ordered six additional resupply missions from the company under its Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract. NASA also…

SpaceX, Northrop Grumman to resupply the ISS through 2026

NASA announced today that it has officially awarded SpaceX the Crew-7, Crew-8 and Crew-9 missions to the International Space Station, bringing SpaceX’s total Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract to…

NASA extends SpaceX’s Commercial Crew contract by three missions for $900 million

Just two days after SpaceX safely returned four astronauts from the International Space Station, it’s sending another quartet to orbit. Check out the launch live on the video above —…

Watch SpaceX launch four Crew-3 astronauts for NASA

Featured Article

The Googler who came to monetize space

Axiom Space, builder of the next International Space Station, recruited Tejpaul Bhatia to become its first chief revenue officer, responsible for the growth and monetization of the space ecosystem.

7:45 am PDT • November 2, 2021
The Googler who came to monetize space

Tokyo space startup Gitai Japan successfully conducted a technology demonstration of its autonomous robotic arm inside the International Space Station last week, a key milestone as the company prepares to…

Gitai successfully demos autonomous robot inside the International Space Station

More details are beginning to emerge on Houston-based Axiom Space’s ambitious project to build and operate the world’s first commercial space station. Thales Alenia Space, a European aerospace manufacturer, will…

Thales Alenia Space to develop pressurized modules for Axiom’s private space station

Max Q is a weekly newsletter from TechCrunch all about space. Sign up here to receive it weekly on Mondays in your inbox. This week, China started staffing up its…

Max Q — China’s space station gets a staff

NASA said Friday it was seeking proposals from commercial companies for two new private crewed missions to the International Space Station. The first mission would likely take place between fall…

NASA seeking proposals for two new private astronaut missions to ISS

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is once again heading to the International Space Station. The company launched its 22nd Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for NASA on Thursday. This is the fifth…

SpaceX launches Dragon cargo spacecraft to the Space Station with new Falcon 9

SpaceX is going to be providing more rides to the International Space Station for private astronauts, on top of the previously announced mission set to take place as early as…

SpaceX will launch four private astronaut missions to the Space Station through 2023

SpaceX private spaceflight ambitions got a big boost in 2018 when Japanese entrepreneur and billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced he’d be taking a trip aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on a…

SpaceX’s inaugural moon-tour private astronaut is heading to the International Space Station first