Advanced Search Close Search
China takes a page from SpaceX and recaptures the first stage of a rocket to reuse it
International
AP

China takes a page from SpaceX and recaptures the first stage of a rocket to reuse it

  • AP

China has successfully recaptured the first stage of a rocket after a launch, marking a breakthrough for its space program. The Long March-10B rocket's first stage separated after liftoff and returned to a platform in the sea. The achievement, reported by state media, mirrors what SpaceX has been doing for years to reduce launch costs. The rocket launched from Hainan Island, a popular beach destination. It can carry up to 25,285 pounds into low Earth orbit. In comparison, SpaceX's Falcon 9 can carry up to 50,265 pounds. The Falcon 9 transports astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.

NASA races to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth with daring rescue mission
International
AP

NASA races to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth with daring rescue mission

  • By MARCIA DUNN - AP Aerospace Writer

NASA is racing to save its Swift telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission. The salvage effort gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver. NASA has hired Katalyst Space Technologies to boost Swift to a higher orbit where it can continue hunting for some of the universe's biggest explosions. Launched in 2004, Swift has been sinking faster and faster because of recent intense solar activity. It needs to get to a higher orbit as soon as possible to survive. Otherwise, it will come crashing down.

Satellite Rescue Mission
International
AP

Satellite Rescue Mission

  • Sophia Roberts - NASA
  • Updated

This photo provided by NASA shows Kieran Wilson, LINK’s principal investigator, and Hunter Robertson, a space systems engineer, both at Katalyst Space, standing next to their spacecraft inside the SES (Space Environment Simulator) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., April 17, 2026, ahead of thermal vacuum testing. (Sophia Roberts/NASA via AP)