Three years since the first flight of Starship, the next generation is here. New ship. New booster. New engines. New pad and new test site. SpaceX engineers are working to solve one of the most difficult engineering challenges in history: developing a fully, rapidly reusable rocket
And splashdown!
America is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon and bringing them home safely.
Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy did an outstanding job. These talented astronauts inspired the world and represented their space agencies and nations as humanity’s ambassadors to the stars.
This was a test mission, the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion, pushing farther into the unforgiving environment of space than ever before, and it carried real risk. They accepted that risk for all we stood to learn and for the exciting missions that follow, as we return to the lunar surface, build a Moon base, and prepare for what comes next.
And they were not alone. The entire NASA workforce, our commercial and international partners, and the hopes and dreams of people all over the world were with them. The astronauts know it, and you should too. This mission would not have been possible without you.
Congratulations. Artemis II, mission accomplished.
From Long Beach to orbit!
Built and tested for @MDA_space at Rocket Lab’s headquarters, our advanced satellite platforms are supporting @Globalstar’s direct-to-device communications services and IoT applications.
This image was captured from one of our Lightning platforms shortly after it started its new life in orbit.
A form of aerodynamic testing has occurred on Starship 7. This was a very crude test. A dedicated stand will be built for more accurate testing in the next few days!
Rocket Lab Robotics will be supporting @uarizona's EMILIA-3D lunar instrument with a single axis instrument gimbal to allow the payload camera (provided by @NAU) to generate 3D thermal models of the lunar terrain.
The gimbal is a completely integrated avionic and scan system qualified to operate within the lunar environment and resilient to exposure to the lunar regolith.
More details: https://t.co/3ZcHRTSqXh
Pre-flight testing with Hungry Hippo is underway 🦛 We're opening and closing the Hippo's two permanently attached fairing halves under flight-like conditions to simulate how they'll perform for Stage 2 deployment and Neutron's return to Earth.
After testing, Hippo will return to its hangar and wait to be attached with Neutron's interstage when it arrives in Virginia.
Cybertruck is the only pickup with IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2026
And with FSD Supervised, it has superhuman crash avoidance skills that can keep you out of a crash in the first place