News

Bloomberg • Loren Grush

Blue Origin New Glenn explodes during Florida static hot-fire test, damaging LC-36 pad infrastructure

Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffered a major anomaly during a planned static hot-fire at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (LC-36), triggering an explosion that destroyed the booster and upper stage and caused substantial pad damage, including a toppled launch tower. All personnel were accounted for; the event raises near-term execution risk for NASA’s Artemis-relevant timeline.

2026-05-28T19:10:16.075507-07:00

Associated Press

Shenzhou-21 crew returns to Earth after nearly seven-month Tiangong stay, handing off via Shenzhou-22

2026-05-29T06:10:27.080349-07:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX trims its IPO valuation target to at least $1.8T while preparing a June marketing push and up-to-$75B raise

2026-05-28T18:54:23.030802-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

NASA picks Venturi Astrolab for crewed Artemis lunar rover, selecting one of two providers

2026-05-28T01:13:31.661041-07:00

News Timeline

Associated Press

❗️

Shenzhou-21 crew returns to Earth after nearly seven-month Tiangong stay, handing off via Shenzhou-22 China’s Shenzhou-21 astronaut crew parachuted into the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, ending a ~7-month mission on the Tiangong space station. The return followed a station handover that used Shenzhou-22, launched empty in November 2025 to replace Shenzhou-20 after space-debris damage.

2026-05-29T06:10:27.080349-07:00

Shenzhou-21 crew returns to Earth after nearly seven-month Tiangong stay, handing off via Shenzhou-22

Bloomberg

❗️

Blue Origin New Glenn explodes during Florida static hot-fire test, damaging LC-36 pad infrastructure Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffered a major anomaly during a planned static hot-fire at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (LC-36), triggering an explosion that destroyed the booster and upper stage and caused substantial pad damage, including a toppled launch tower. All personnel were accounted for; the event raises near-term execution risk for NASA’s Artemis-relevant timeline.

2026-05-28T19:10:16.075507-07:00

Blue Origin New Glenn explodes during Florida static hot-fire test, damaging LC-36 pad infrastructure

Bloomberg

❗️

SpaceX trims its IPO valuation target to at least $1.8T while preparing a June marketing push and up-to-$75B raise SpaceX is reportedly targeting an IPO valuation of at least $1.8 trillion and raising up to $75 billion, with IPO marketing expected in June. The move comes as investors chase exposure to the rocket-and-AI company ahead of its expected public debut, driving a surge in speculative interest.

2026-05-28T18:54:23.030802-07:00

SpaceX trims its IPO valuation target to at least $1.8T while preparing a June marketing push and up-to-$75B raise

Bloomberg

Russia to fly first crewed mission from Baikonur in July with a NASA astronaut aboard Russia plans its first manned launch from Baikonur this year in July, assigning a crew that includes a NASA astronaut. The announcement ties U.S.-Russian crew participation to Russia’s near-term launch cadence from Kazakhstan’s cosmodrome as both sides continue different human-spaceflight roadmaps.

2026-05-28T02:30:53.694730-07:00

Russia to fly first crewed mission from Baikonur in July with a NASA astronaut aboard

SpaceWatch Global

❗️

NASA picks Venturi Astrolab for crewed Artemis lunar rover, selecting one of two providers NASA selected Venturi Astrolab, Inc. as one of two providers to develop a crewed lunar rover for the Artemis campaign. The award brings a new surface-mobility capability into NASA’s Artemis architecture as the agency advances steps toward a sustained return of humans to the Moon.

2026-05-28T01:13:31.661041-07:00

NASA picks Venturi Astrolab for crewed Artemis lunar rover, selecting one of two providers

NASA

Russian cosmonauts return inside ISS after ~5.5-hour EVA for science hardware install and retrieval Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev concluded their ISS spacewalk at 4:24 p.m. EDT after about five and a half hours. During the EVA, they installed and retrieved science experiments tied to external hardware work, returning to the station after completing the planned timeline.

2026-05-27T13:46:05.950560-07:00

Russian cosmonauts return inside ISS after ~5.5-hour EVA for science hardware install and retrieval

Space.com

❗️

China integrates robotic Chang’e lunar activities into human spaceflight for Moon landings by 2030; NASA arms Artemis with crewe China is reshaping its lunar program by merging Chang’e robotic probe work with its human spaceflight plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. Separately, NASA has selected Venturi Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to supply Artemis crewed lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs), with student teams developing lunar robotics for 2026.

2026-05-27T11:13:00.583858-07:00

China integrates robotic Chang’e lunar activities into human spaceflight for Moon landings by 2030; NASA arms Artemis with crewe

SpaceNews.com

Artemis 2 spotlights supply-chain realities behind NASA’s return to the Moon As Artemis 2 draws global attention for its first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo, the mission also functions as a stress test for deep-space supply chains. Recent Artemis II updates underscore the operational readiness signals that suppliers, hardware integration, and partner delivery timelines will have to sustain.

2026-05-27T06:18:11.106885-07:00

Artemis 2 spotlights supply-chain realities behind NASA’s return to the Moon

Menu

Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

Blue Origin New Glenn explodes during Florida static hot-fire test, damaging LC-36 pad infrastructure

Shenzhou-21 crew returns to Earth after nearly seven-month Tiangong stay, handing off via Shenzhou-22

SpaceX trims its IPO valuation target to at least $1.8T while preparing a June marketing push and up-to-$75B raise

NASA picks Venturi Astrolab for crewed Artemis lunar rover, selecting one of two providers

News Timeline