This is not your Apollo moon buggy. NASA wants a new moon rover.

The “Lunar Terrain Vehicle” would play a key role in NASA’s plan to create the infrastructure that would allow a long-term human presence on the moon.

By Christian DavenportJune 2, 2023

Boeing crewed spaceflight for NASA delayed again in another setback

Ten years after it was awarded a $4.2 billion contract by NASA, Boeing has yet to fly any NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

By Christian DavenportJune 1, 2023

State Department seeks to expand its space diplomacy efforts

The new agency document details a “strategic framework for space diplomacy.”

By Christian DavenportMay 30, 2023

Virgin Galactic plane reaches space with 6 employees onboard

The successful test flight should mean the company, founded by Richard Branson, could soon begin commercial service.

By Christian DavenportMay 25, 2023

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit sells assets, shuts down

The company's plan to send satellites to space from rockets launched from a 747 drew interest from the Pentagon.

By Christian DavenportMay 23, 2023

SpaceX launches 4 private citizens to the space station

It's the second mission chartered by the Houston company Axiom Space. Aboard will be a veteran NASA astronaut, two Saudis and an American entrepreneur.

By Christian DavenportMay 21, 2023

Bezos’s Blue Origin wins NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon

Friday's contract award is for NASA's planned third human lunar landing. SpaceX won contracts for the first two Artemis landing missions.

By Christian DavenportMay 19, 2023

Is the sun white or yellow? It’s a hot debate, and everyone’s wrong.

A Twitter post left people divided over the sun's color. We asked scientists to weigh in.

By María Luisa PaúlMay 16, 2023

A start-up teams with SpaceX to be first to orbit a commercial space station

If the plans come to fruition, it would mark another milestone in the privatization of space.

By Christian DavenportMay 10, 2023

NASA goes full throttle on Mars, but hits speed bumps on road to Venus

At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, leadership is steering this storied institution through an unusually rocky period

By Joel AchenbachMay 2, 2023

Elon Musk describes Starship flight as ‘roughly what I expected’

The flight termination system took too long to destroy the rocket, Musk said, and the pad needs to be reinforced with steel.

By Christian DavenportApril 29, 2023

U.S. is concerned about rivals’ space threats, leaked documents show

Russia's program is in tatters, hurt by international sanctions and competition with SpaceX, while China's is showing increasing capabilities.

By Christian DavenportApril 27, 2023

SpaceX launch torched part of state park, sent debris flying, feds say

The SpaceX Starship explosion above Texas started a 3.5-acre fire and sent debris flying thousands of feet away, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

By Ben BraschApril 26, 2023

Japanese start-up loses contact with spacecraft during moon landing

The ending was a disappointment for a company that had hoped to become the first commerical enterprise to land a spacecraft on the moon.

By Christian DavenportApril 25, 2023

SpaceX didn’t want to blow up its launchpad. It may have done just that.

Videos shared on social media showed debris slamming into a van several hundred feet away and striking the nearby beach and the shoreline as if they were a war zone.

By Christian DavenportApril 22, 2023

Why SpaceX’s Starship explosion is a low-key success

The sheer scale of Starship, which is deemed the world’s most powerful rocket, and its successful liftoff is a feat in itself.

By Anumita KaurApril 20, 2023

In photos: The scene as the unmanned Space X Starship explodes

SpaceX’s Starship lifted off the pad in Southern Texas and cleared the launchpad, its first milestone, but then began tumbling as it was preparing for stage separation and the vehicle came apart some four minutes into flight.

By Washington Post StaffApril 20, 2023

Four minutes till failure: Watch SpaceX’s Starship come apart in flight

On Thursday, SpaceX’s Starship was about four minutes into flight when it exploded. See what we know happened so far.

By Adriana Usero and Christian DavenportApril 20, 2023

SpaceX’s Starship lifts off successfully, but explodes in first flight

Still, it was widely hailed as a success, with congratulations coming from NASA.

By Christian DavenportApril 20, 2023

See the tests of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes that ended in fireballs

Elon Musk's SpaceX is expected to attempt to launch its fully stacked Starship as soon as this week. Take a look back at the rocket's test flights.

By Christian Davenport and Jonathan Baran April 20, 2023