That's a hat trick! Varda successfully returns 3rd space capsule from orbit

SpaceX will launch Starship's 9th test flight next week | Varda successfully returns 3rd space capsule from orbit | Strongest solar flare of 2025 erupts from sun Created for ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com | Web Version May 15, 2025 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad (SpaceX) SpaceX will launch Starship's 9th test flight next week SpaceX's Starship megarocket will fly again next week, if all goes according to plan. Elon Musk announced that timeline target in a Tuesday evening (May 13) X post, which also included another nugget of news that space fans will find interesting. "Just before the Starship flight next week, I will give a company talk explaining the Mars game plan in Starbase, Texas, that will also be live-streamed on X," Musk wrote in the post. Read More (Varda Space/Rocket Lab) Varda successfully returns 3rd space capsule from orbit California startup Varda Space Industries has completed its third successful space capsule return mission. After 8.5 weeks in orbit, W-3 softly touched down at the Koonibba Test Range operated by Southern Launch on Tuesday at 10:07 p.m. EDT (0207 GMT and 11:37 a.m. local time on May 14). Read More Skywatching (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center GOES 19 satellite) Strongest solar flare of 2025 erupts from sun The sun roared to life early Tuesday (May 14), unleashing a powerful X-class solar flare from a newly emerging sunspot region AR4087. The eruption peaked at 4:25 a.m. EDT (0825 GMT), triggering strong R3-level radio blackouts across Europe, Asia and the Middle East - the sunlit side of Earth at the time - as sunspot region 2087 crackles with activity. Solar flares of this magnitude are uncommon, according to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Solar flares are ranked by strength in five classes: A, B, C, M and X, with each step representing a tenfold increase in energy. The recent X flare clocked in at X2.7, placing it at the lower end of the most powerful solar flare class. Read More Spaceflight (Intuitive Machine) Here's why the private Athena lunar lander toppled over We now know why the private Athena lander toppled over on the moon earlier this year. Athena, the second lunar lander built and operated by Houston company Intuitive Machines, fell onto its side shortly after touching down near the lunar south pole on March 6. Athena's solar panels couldn't harvest enough sunlight in this orientation, and the probe was declared dead the next day. More than two months later, Intuitive Machines has completed an autopsy, pinning the anomaly on three issues that worked together to bring Athena down. Read More Science & Astronomy (CASC) China is sharing moon samples, but not with NASA Precious moon samples brought back to Earth by China's Chang'e 5 mission in 2020 have finally been shared with international researchers - but the law has made it difficult for U.S.-based scientists to receive any of the material. Read More SpaceX (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites from Florida A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink 6-67 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida today (May 14) at 12:38 p.m. EDT (1638 GMT). The rocket lifted off against a bright blue Space Coast sky, carrying 28 wireless internet satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). 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