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.
Stephen Clark
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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
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.
Stephen Clark
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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.”
Stephen Clark
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57
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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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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.”
Stephen Clark
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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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Most Read
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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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237
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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.”
Stephen Clark
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109
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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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327
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.
Stephen Clark
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169
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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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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.”
Stephen Clark
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107
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.”
Stephen Clark
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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.
Stephen Clark
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Rocket Report: Pentagon needs more missile interceptors; Artemis II clears review
SpaceX has started commissioning a second launch pad at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas.
Stephen Clark
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Anduril, the autonomous weapons maker, doubles the size of its space unit
“We are focused on protecting space, assuring access to space, ensuring custody of space.”
Stephen Clark
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Reentry of NASA satellite will exceed the agency’s own risk guidelines
“Due to late-stage design changes, the potential risk of uncontrolled reentry increased.”
Stephen Clark
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Satellite firm pauses imagery after revealing Iran’s attacks on US bases
Planet wants to prevent “adversarial actors” from using images for “Battle Damage Assessment” purposes.
Stephen Clark
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247
Rocket Report: SpaceX launch prices are going up; Russia fixes broken launch pad
It looks like United Launch Alliance will build more upper stages for NASA’s SLS rocket.
Stephen Clark
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174
Space Command chief throws cold water on the question of UAPs in space
“I am not aware of anything that is extraterrestrial, other than comets and things like that.”
Stephen Clark
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No fooling: NASA targets April 1 for Artemis II launch to the Moon
“Engineers are assessing what allowed the seal to become dislodged to prevent the issue from recurring.”
Stephen Clark
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The Air Force’s new ICBM is nearly ready to fly, but there’s nowhere to put it
“There were assumptions that were made in the strategy that obviously didn’t come to fruition.”
Stephen Clark
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296
ULA isn’t making the Space Force’s GPS interference problem any easier
Officials expect the investigation into a booster anomaly on ULA’s Vulcan rocket to last multiple months.
Stephen Clark
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Pentagon buyer: We’re happy with our launch industry, but payloads are lagging
“The point is to get missions out the door as fast as possible. Two to three years is too slow.”
Stephen Clark
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NASA says it needs to haul the Artemis II rocket back to the hangar for repairs
“Accessing and remediating any of these issues can only be performed in the VAB.”
Stephen Clark
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273
After fueling test, optimism grows for March launch of Artemis II to the Moon
“We’re now targeting March 6 as our earliest launch attempt … there is still pending work.”
Stephen Clark
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Rocket Report: Chinese launch firm raises big money; Falcon 9 back to the Bahamas
The company that attempted China’s first orbital-class rocket landing says it will soon try again.
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