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ESA Postpones SMILE Launch After Vega-C Component Issue Surfaces Days Before Liftoff
A subsystem production defect forced Avio to delay the Vega-C VV29 flight carrying ESA and China's SMILE magnetosphere-imaging mission, originally set for April 9, with no new date confirmed.
FAA Finalizes Special Conditions for ZeroAvia's 600 kW Electric Engine, Charting a Certification Path for Hydrogen-Electric Aviation
The FAA has published bespoke airworthiness rules for ZeroAvia's ZA601 electric motor, marking the first time the agency has established a regulatory framework for hydrogen-electric aircraft propulsion.
ESA and China's SMILE Spacecraft Arrives at Launch Site for April Liftoff to Map Earth's Magnetic Shield in X-Rays
The joint ESA-Chinese Academy of Sciences SMILE spacecraft reached French Guiana after a two-week ocean voyage and is preparing for an April launch on a Vega-C rocket. It will be the first mission to image Earth's magnetosphere in soft X-rays.
Astronomers Catch Two Planets Colliding 11,000 Light-Years Away in a Replay of the Impact That Formed Earth's Moon
A University of Washington team identifies signs of a catastrophic planetary collision around star Gaia20ehk, offering the first real-time analog of the giant impact that created Earth's Moon 4.5 billion years ago.
NASA's Starliner Investigation Finds 61 Failures Across Engineering, Leadership, and Culture — Classifies Mission at Shuttle-Disaster Level
NASA classified the 2024 Boeing Starliner crewed flight as a Type A mishap — its most severe designation — after an investigation found helium leaks, thruster failures, suppressed dissent, and a culture of mistrust that stranded two astronauts for nine months.
SpaceX Crew-12 Cleared for February 11 Launch After Falcon 9 Return to Flight, Crew Will Carry Smartphones Under New NASA Policy
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission is confirmed for February 11 after FAA clears Falcon 9 following a second-stage anomaly, while a historic policy change will let astronauts carry personal smartphones into orbit for the first time.