Mission Control

SpaceX conducted the orbital launch of Starship's 14th test flight, streamed live from its launch site as mission control tracked the vehicle in real time. The event drew large audiences watching the rocket's progress, with viewers following the countdown, liftoff, and flight milestones. Interest centres on Starship's continuing development as SpaceX pushes toward orbital capability and future deep-space missions.

SpaceX's Starship, the largest rocket ever built, is set to attempt its first orbital flight. The test from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas would mark a major milestone in the company's effort to develop a fully reusable launch system for missions to the Moon and Mars. Space watchers are awaiting confirmation of the launch window and whether the rocket can complete a full orbit and controlled reentry.

NASA is testing and practicing safe landing techniques for spacecraft headed to the Moon and eventually other destinations beyond. The work supports upcoming crewed and robotic missions under the agency's lunar exploration plans, where a controlled descent remains one of the riskiest phases of any landing. The agency highlighted the training and technology efforts aimed at touching down safely on the lunar surface.

Milt Windler, the NASA flight director who helped bring the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to Earth in 1970, has died at the age of 94. Windler was one of the four flight directors who led Mission Control's efforts during the emergency, working with Gene Kranz, Glynn Lunney and Gerry Griffin. Tributes are recalling his role in one of NASA's finest hours.

Milt Windler, the NASA flight director best known for his role in bringing the crew of Apollo 13 safely home after the 1970 in-flight explosion, has died at the age of 94. Windler was one of four flight directors who led Mission Control's response to the crisis. Readers are remembering him as a key figure in NASA's golden era of human spaceflight.

NASA has opened applications for the next class of flight directors, the people who lead mission control teams during human spaceflight operations at the Johnson Space Center. The announcement invites candidates from engineering, science and aviation backgrounds to apply for one of the most senior operational roles in the space agency.

NASA has opened applications for flight director positions, the top roles in its mission control operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Flight directors lead teams responsible for human spaceflight missions, including the International Space Station and future Artemis lunar flights. The announcement is drawing attention from space professionals and enthusiasts, as openings for these prestigious roles are rare and highly competitive.

A collaborative study involving the Florida Institute of Technology, 4SPACE LLC, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and NASA Ames Research Center has found that lunar gravity significantly changes how fluids behave. The researchers say these altered fluid dynamics pose substantial challenges for future space-based missions, including fuel storage, life support and other systems that depend on controlling liquids in low gravity environments.

IEEE Spectrum reports that generative AI is giving spacecraft and rovers in deep space a level of autonomy engineers once feared. Robots operating far from Earth sometimes need to make their own decisions when communication delays make ground control impractical, and AI is increasingly being trusted to handle that decision-making.

Space-mining company AstroForge says it intends to let artificial intelligence run an entire mission autonomously using its Solo system. If successful, it would be one of the first deep-space missions operated end to end by AI rather than ground controllers, a notable step for autonomous spacecraft operations and for the company's asteroid-mining ambitions.

The United Nations has extended the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti through March 2027, as gang violence continues to intensify across the country. The decision reflects international concern over Haiti's worsening security crisis, where armed groups have expanded control and destabilised large parts of the capital and beyond, raising questions about the mission's long-term effectiveness.

The final US coalition troops have left Iraq, ending the combat mission against ISIS. Under a bilateral agreement with Baghdad, Iraqi forces are taking control of former US bases as the government seeks to reinforce its sovereignty. The withdrawal marks a major shift in the two-decade American military presence in the country.

The United Nations has extended the mandate of the international security force supporting Haiti's government by six months, following a new wave of killings attributed to gangs. The decision comes as gang violence continues to overwhelm Haitian police, with armed groups controlling large parts of the capital and driving displacement and humanitarian crisis across the country.