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Space station

The Tiangong-1 space station passes over the moon in this photo taken in September 2013. The station is scheduled to make a crash landing in Europe within the next few weeks.

Chinese space station likely to land in Europe in a few weeks

Technology

Scientists know that a Chinese space station will be re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere within a couple of weeks. The exact time of that happening, though, is a little fuzzy.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ISS Expedition 22 crew members take a moment for photographs following a fit check of their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft at the launch site’s integration facility in December 2009.

As the private space industry emerges, what’s next for the International Space Station?

Technology
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ISS Expedition 22 crew members take a moment for photographs following a fit check of their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft at the launch site’s integration facility in December 2009.

With private space competition on full boil, the ISS looks to find its place in next chapter of space habitation

Technology
Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy shortly after landing near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

She’s Italy’s rock star astronaut. And she has landed safely back home

Science

SpaceX rocket launch marks the beginning of the private era in space

Environment

Is the Private Era in Space Officially Upon Us?

The United States, Russia, Japan, the European Union, and SpaceX: what do they all have in common?  If all goes smoothly over the next few days, each entity will have successfully, and at some point historically  brought a vessel to the International Space Station. Yesterday, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and its unmanned Dragon capsule lifted off en […]

Behind the Scenes at Orbital’s Launch Facility

SpaceX and Orbital will be the first private companies to fly missions to the International Space Station. The two companies have multi-billion dollar contracts to supply cargo to the station after the NASA shuttle program shut down.  BBC’s science reporter Neil Bowdler was granted exclusive access to Orbital’s launch facilities in Virginia.

The World

Space debris nearly plunges into International Space Station

Environment

Three astronauts on board the International Space Station had a bit of a scare when space debris whizzed by the space station. The Takeaway talks with Ben Baseley-Walker, a legal and policy consultant at the Secure World Foundation.

The World

China’s first foray into space

Environment

China is expected to launch its first three-man space mission tomorrow. The astronauts will orbit the earth for almost three days, and one will become the first Chinese to go on a space walk.