Once again, SpaceX has set a new record for the tallest rocket ever built
SpaceX cleared an important milestone Monday on the road to launching a new version of Starship.
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Stephen Clark
Space Reporter
Exposed on public author pages
Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. With more than a decade of experience covering spaceflight and space science, Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. He worked full-time for Spaceflight Now, a leading space industry news publication, for 14 years, including five years as editor, covering the end of the space shuttle program and the rise of commercial spaceflight. Stephen is based in Texas, and studied business and journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
Recent stories by
Stephen Clark
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab make a breakthrough in rotor technology
Testing shows rotor blades won’t disintegrate when they spin at supersonic speed.
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SpaceX is starting to move on from the world’s most successful rocket
Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is set to become SpaceX’s busiest launch site—for now.
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Here’s what has to happen if NASA wants to land on the Moon every month
NASA is serious about taking more shots on goal, but some of them need to start landing.
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Rocket Report: Falcon Heavy is back; Russia’s Soyuz-5 finally debuts
Two launches this week delivered 61 more satellites to orbit for the Amazon Leo broadband network.
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Russia cloaks launch schedule after spaceport falls in Ukraine’s sights
“We had serious inbound attempts to the cosmodrome that day.”
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Put it in pencil: NASA’s Artemis III mission will launch no earlier than late 2027
SpaceX and Blue Origin tell NASA their lunar landers will be ready for Artemis III in late 2027.
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Artemis II broke Fred Haise’s distance record, but he is happy to pass it on
“It wasn’t a big deal. It just coincided with the fact that Moon was farther away from the Earth.”
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Most Read
This is who’s developing Golden Dome’s orbital interceptors—if they’re ever built
“If boost-phase intercept from space is not affordable and scalable, we will not produce it.”
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US Space Command: Russia is now operationalizing co-orbital ASAT weapons
“They’re putting operational systems up within orbit reach of our high-value satellites.”
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Pentagon pulls the plug on one of the military’s most troubled space programs
Problems with the ground system would have “put current GPS military and civilian capabilities at risk.”
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Blue Origin’s rocket reuse achievement marred by upper stage failure
Blue Origin’s reused first stage hit its targets, but New Glenn’s upper stage did not.
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Rocket Report: Starship V3 test-fired; ESA’s tentative step toward crew launch
Blue Origin will soon launch the third flight of its New Glenn rocket, this time with a reused booster.
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After a saga of broken promises, a European rover finally has a ride to Mars
Europe’s first Mars rover mission is now on its fourth rocket: SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy
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The race to Shackleton Crater is on—will Jeff Bezos or China get there first?
US and Chinese landers could be operating in close proximity on the Moon later this year.
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Vulcan woes will “absolutely” be a factor in Pentagon’s next rocket competition
“If the spacecraft is ready to go, that’s going to give it a priority.”
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NASA chose the right crew to launch a new era of human space exploration
“It’s a special thing to be human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”
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Four astronauts are back home after a daring ride around the Moon
“I can’t imagine a better crew that just completed a perfect mission right now.”
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Orion helium leak no threat to Artemis II reentry but will require redesign
After leaks on Artemis I and II, Orion’s next flight to the Moon will need new valves.
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The gravity of their experience hasn’t quite set in for the Artemis II astronauts
“I’m actually getting chills right now just thinking about it. My palms are sweating.”
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The Moon is already on Google Maps—did Artemis II really tell us anything new?
“I think the biggest value here is the PR. I mean, it’s getting the public excited.”
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Astronauts set distance record, revealing the Moon as a place to be explored
“Humans have probably not evolved to see what we’re seeing. It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing.”
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Trump proposes steep cut to NASA budget as astronauts head for the Moon
Congress will likely reject the White House’s NASA cuts, just as it did last year.
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Artemis II, NASA’s boldest mission in generations, launches crew to the Moon
Liftoff of Artemis II with four astronauts occurred at 6:35 pm EDT (22:35 UTC) on Wednesday.
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Launch day has arrived for NASA’s Artemis II mission—here’s what to expect
“It’ll go when the engines light at T-0.”
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NASA is leading the way to the Moon, but the military won’t be far behind
“I just don’t want to get caught flat-footed when we start to have to protect US interests out there.”
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After more than 53 years, humans may finally return to the Moon this week
“Things are certainly starting to feel real here at the Cape.”
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After 16 years and $8 billion, the military’s new GPS software still doesn’t work
“It’s a very stressing program. We are still considering how to ensure we move forward.”
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Rocket Report: Russia reopens gateway to ISS; Cape Canaveral hosts missile test
The US Space Force might move additional payloads off of ULA’s grounded Vulcan rocket.
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Here is NASA’s plan for nuking Gateway and sending it to Mars
Only one US-built nuclear reactor has ever flown in space, and that was more than 60 years ago.
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A mission NASA might kill is still returning fascinating science from Jupiter
“We can’t quite afford to support everything that we have done in the past.”
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A unique NASA satellite is falling out of orbit—this team is trying to rescue it
Katalyst Space Technologies must launch the Swift rescue mission by this summer.
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Once again, ULA can’t deliver when the US military needs a satellite in orbit
ULA’s Vulcan launch vehicle is grounded after a solid rocket booster anomaly last month.
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NASA wants to know how the launch industry’s chic new rocket fuel explodes
“We put fuel in a rocket, blow it up in a remote location, and measure how big the boom is.”
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Dogfighting in space won’t look like the movies, but this company wants in on it
“Where we are today in space warfare is very similar to where air superiority was in the 1930s.”
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NASA officials sidestepped questions on Artemis II risks—there’s a reason why
“This ought to make for some good reading,” NASA’s mission management team chair said.
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