China says Mars probe stable; no word on reusable spacecraft

BEIJING (AP) — China's Mars probe Tianwen-1, which blasted into space in July, is now more than 15 million kilometers (9 million miles) from Earth en route to the red planet, the National Space Administration said Saturday. The administration said that Tianwen-1 was in stable condition, having completed...

China's first reusable spacecraft lands after 2-day flight

BEIJING (AP) — China’s first reusable spacecraft landed Sunday after two days in orbit, a possible step toward lower-cost space flight, the government announced. The secretive, military-run space program has released few details of the craft, which was launched Friday aboard a Long March 2F rocket...

Jakob van Zyl, key Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, dies

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Jakob van Zyl, an engineer who held crucial positions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was involved in numerous space exploration missions over decades, has died. He was 63. Van Zyl, who retired in 2019 after a 33-year career, suffered a heart attack on Monday and died...

SpaceX's Mars test rocket makes 1st flight, landing upright

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched a prototype of its Mars rocketship hundreds of feet into the air, then landed it upright in a successful test flight. The flight lasted barely 45 seconds and reached just 500 feet (150 meters) Tuesday night at the southeastern tip of Texas near Brownsville, but...

'On our way to Mars': NASA rover will look for signs of life

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built — a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers — blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to...

NASA launches Mars rover to mine the red planet's rocks for evidence of ancient life

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA launches Mars rover to mine the red planet's rocks for evidence of ancient life.

2020's final Mars mission poised for blastoff from Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The summer’s third and final mission to Mars — featuring NASA's most elaborate life-hunting rover — is on the verge of liftoff. The rover Perseverance will follow China’s rover-orbiter combo and a United Arab Emirates orbiter, both launched last week....

NASA's next Mars rover is brawniest and brainiest one yet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — With eight successful Mars landings, NASA is upping the ante with its newest rover. The spacecraft Perseverance — set for liftoff this week — is NASA’s brawniest and brainiest Martian rover yet. It sports the latest landing tech, plus the most cameras and...