China launches Shenzhou 20 astronauts to Tiangong space station (video)

Hubble Space Telescope is in 'excellent technical condition' on its 35th birthday | Space Quiz! What space shuttle launched the Hubble Space Telescope? | China launches Shenzhou 20 astronauts to Tiangong Created for ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com | Web Version April 24, 2025 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad (NASA) Hubble Space Telescope is in 'excellent technical condition' on its 35th birthday The Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating its 35th anniversary in space today, but even as a senior citizen in the spacecraft population, it is showing no sign of slowing down. Launched in 1990 by NASA and operated jointly with the European Space Agency, the Hubble Space Telescope was a dream brought to reality. All of a sudden, scientists could harness a large, multi-purpose observatory operating in orbit, beyond the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere. Now a household name, Hubble has had a hand in many of the most crucial astronomical discoveries of the past four decades. Read More Space Quiz! What space shuttle launched the Hubble Space Telescope? Learn the answer here! Endeavor Atlantis Discovery Columbia (CCTV) China launches Shenzhou 20 astronauts to Tiangong China's latest human spaceflight mission headed for orbit on Thursday morning (April 24). A Long March 2F rocket topped with the Shenzhou 20 crew spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 24 at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT; 5:17 p.m. Beijing time). Shenzhou 20 carried commander Chen Dong, on his third trip to space, and rookie astronauts Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, both of whom were selected for China's third intake of astronauts in 2020. Watch the replay Skywatching (Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu via Getty Image) Lyrid meteor shower 2025 delights stargazers The Lyrid meteor shower put on a spectacular show, delighting sky watchers overnight with a peak rate of 10 to 20 meteors per hour. The Lyrids occur each year between April 16-25 as Earth passes through the trail of primordial debris shed in the wake of the ancient comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which takes around 415 years to complete a single long, looping orbit of the sun. The first known recording of the Lyrid shower was made by Chinese astronomers in the year 687 BC, making it the oldest recorded recurring event of its type that is still active today, according to NASA. Read More Spaceflight (ESA) African Space Agency celebrates official inauguration Africa has taken a giant leap into the global space arena with the official inauguration of the African Space Agency (AfSA), signaling the continent's commitment to space exploration and technological advancement. The inauguration ceremony was held on April 20 at the agency's permanent headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Dignitaries from across Africa and the global space community, including representatives from the African Union Commission, national governments, and international space agencies such as the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and the Italian Space Agency were in attendance, Egypt Today reported. Read More SpaceX (SpaceX) SpaceX launches 3 rockets from 3 pads in 37 hours SpaceX continues to keep up its torrid launch pace. Elon Musk's company sent three of its Falcon 9 rockets to orbit from three different pads over the course of a day and a half. The action began on Sunday (April 20), when a Falcon 9 launched the NROL-145 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was the 10th flight in service of the NRO's new "proliferated architecture" of spy satellites. Read More Technology (Rocket Lab) Rocket Lab introduces line of customizable solar arrays Rocket Lab is showing that's about more than just rockets. The California-based company has introduced a family of customizable solar arrays, designed to fit the changing needs of customer satellites. Rocket Lab is offering the new Standardized Array, or STARRAY, line as an alternative to save first- or one-time satellite manufacturers the time of designing and testing their own solar arrays from ground, up. Read More Star Wars (Disney / Lucasfilm) 'The Ninth Jedi' is getting its own spin-off series Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 has now come and gone, leaving behind a pile of exciting news about the galaxy far, far away. For fans of anime, Lucasfilm shared details and the release date for Star Wars: Visions Vol. 3. On top of that, they also revealed the first-ever long-form anime show of the franchise will continue the story of The Ninth Jedi. Read More   Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036