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NASA said on Thursday it expects to announce on Saturday its decision on whether the two astronauts who rode Boeing’s glitchy Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station will need a SpaceX vehicle to return to Earth.

“NASA’s decision on whether to return Starliner to Earth with astronauts aboard is expected no earlier than Saturday, August 24 at the conclusion of an agency-level review,” the space agency said in a statement.

Starliner launched its first two astronauts into space in June as a crucial test before it can receive NASA approval for routine flights. But what was supposed to be an eight-day mission docked to the ISS has been drawn out by months after the capsule sprang leaks and some of its thrusters failed.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson will attend the agency-level review, the statement said. Boeing for months has sought to quell NASA fears about the Starliner issues with new test data the company has claimed validates the spacecraft’s safety for astronauts.

NASA is weighing that data against its low appetite for risk in the mission, one of four Starliner flights since 2019 to suffer mishaps.

The agency has prepared a backup plan to make two seats available on an upcoming SpaceX’s Crew Dragon mission that the Starliner crew – veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams – could use.

If NASA exercises the SpaceX backup plan, Wilmore and Williams would not come home until that mission’s conclusion in February 2025, and Starliner would attempt to return to Earth empty.

If NASA decides Starliner is safe for the astronauts, the capsule would fly them home itself much sooner, likely within the next month to free up the ISS docking port for the SpaceX mission.

The upcoming NASA decision is a nerve-wracking moment for Boeing, which has struggled to develop Starliner and compete with SpaceX’s similar but more experienced Crew Dragon. Boeing has taken $1.6 billion (roughly Rs. 13,419 crore) in losses on the Starliner program, securities filings show.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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China Launches PRSS-01 to Elevate Pakistan’s Space and Disaster Response

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August 3, 2025

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China Launches PRSS-01 to Elevate Pakistan’s Space and Disaster Response

In a major fillip to Pakistan’s space and disaster management applications, China Thursday launched the first ever Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (PRSS-01) exclusively for Pakistan. The satellite was carried into orbit on a Kuaizhou-1A rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province. PRSS-01 was injected into the intended orbit after liftoff, and all systems were declared functioning properly. The satellite will be used to support agriculture and land surveys, urban planning, emergency disaster response, as well as environmental monitoring scans for the country, and marks a new beginning in Pakistan’s ambitions of a space program. It also highlights persistent cooperation between China and Pakistan in technology associated with space science, as well as earth observation.

Earth Observation and Disaster Management

According to the official website, PRSS-01 is equipped with high-resolution imaging systems capable of providing detailed data across a wide range of civilian and governmental uses. Its uses consist of national land survey, urban planning, and real-time environmental monitoring. Crucially, it increases Pakistan’s ability to respond rapidly and efficiently when natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes occur. It is anticipated that the technology will be valuable in long-term infrastructure planning and will promote smarter, sustainable development across the country.

Strengthening Bilateral Space Cooperation

The PRSS-01 launch indicates that the strategic cooperation between China and Pakistan is deepening, in aerospace technology as well. Engineers from the two countries worked closely together throughout the development and launch processes, including substantial technological support from China. The mission will continue the spirit of collaboration evident in satellite communications and scientific payloads between China, Pakistan, and Algeria, strengthening confidence among partners.

The successful launch of PRSS-01 is not only a great leap for Pakistan in promoting national development, but also an important step towards China’s deepening cooperation with countries along the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) and its aerospace industry transforming from being big to strong. With the launch of PRSS-01, industry expects a new era in improved satellite services for Pakistan.

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Mysterious Planet Nine May Still Lurk in the Outer Solar System



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Mysterious Planet Nine May Still Lurk in the Outer Solar System

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August 3, 2025

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Mysterious Planet Nine May Still Lurk in the Outer Solar System

The concept of a large, hidden planet or planets lurking in the most distant regions of our solar system has been known since before Pluto’s discovery on 1930s. Originally named “Planet X,” it had been proposed to account for irregularities in Uranus’s orbit. That mystery was eventually resolved by recalculating Neptune’s mass. But in 2016, Caltech astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown resurrected the puzzle with a new idea — Planet Nine — which was based on the bizarre orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects. The explanation is that a huge planet far away is gravitationally pulling on these objects.

The Case for Planet Nine

According to Batygin and Brown’s observation, many of the Kuiper Belt objects don’t travel on orbits as expected. This suggests that, like the Moon (whose outward spiral from Earth is due to earth’s gravity), these distant objects are somehow being perturbed by something other than our Sun. The hypothesised Planet Nine is believed to be several times the size of Earth and orbiting out beyond Neptune. Supporting evidence are the discovery of recently detected trans-Neptunian-object with elliptical-orbits (such as 2017 OF201 ) which could have been sculpted by a massive planet.
In 2024, Brown reaffirmed confidence in the theory, stating, “There are currently no other explanations for the effects that we see.” More trans-Neptunian discoveries keep pointing toward an unknown gravitational force.

Challenges and New Clues

However, the theory faces hurdles. Other astronomers contend that there is not enough data on the Kuiper Belt to warrant a Planet Nine. Others suggest alternative explanations, such as a debris ring or even something more exotic like a small black hole. One is reduced observing time; tens of thousands of years are required for these objects so far from our planet to orbit.

Recent finds, such as the sednoid 2023 KQ14 — so elongated that it looks stable in an empty solar system — complicate the scenario even more. If Planet Nine is out there, it could be at least 500 AU away from the Sun. In the meantime, astronomers are continuing to search those huge, remote edges of our solar system using ground- and space-based telescopes.

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SpaceX, NASA Delay Crew-11 Launch Due to Thick Clouds over Kennedy Space Center



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SpaceX, NASA Delay Crew-11 Launch Due to Thick Clouds over Kennedy Space Center

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August 3, 2025

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SpaceX, NASA Delay Crew-11 Launch Due to Thick Clouds over Kennedy Space Center

Just over a minute before liftoff on July 31, SpaceX called off the launch of NASA’s Crew-11 mission due to unsafe weather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The scrub came after a dense bank of cumulus clouds drifted within a 10-mile radius of the launch pad, violating flight safety criteria. The Crew-11 mission is set to carry four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule, marking the spacecraft’s sixth flight — a reuse record under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Weather Forces Delay, But Crew-11 Eyes August 1 Launch Amid Cautious Optimism from NASA

According to NASA’s live broadcast, launch commentator Derrol Nail stated the dark cumulus clouds posed a potential hazard, as rockets should not pass through tall cloud formations. “That could generate some energy from the rocket passing through it,” Nail noted. The area around Launch Complex 39A was still being “watched” for cloud development, with live views showing clouds creeping ever closer.

The next available opportunity to launch is Friday, August 1, at 11:43 a.m. EDT (1543 GMT), with a backup time of Saturday, August 2, at 11:21 a.m. EDT (1521 GMT). NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov make up Crew-11.

Once launched, it will take the mission roughly 40 hours to reach the ISS and begin orbiting Earth’s atmosphere at about 248 miles above its surface while going over 17,500 mph. The Endeavour capsule’s sixth flight is another step in NASA and SpaceX’s collaboration to transport astronauts on privately owned spacecraft.

Crew-11 will be the 11th mission of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. It’s late, officials have mentioned, but safety is still the top thing. Disappointing though that may be, it’s a way to help ensure the crew and spacecraft will make it there in one piece, at precisely the right moment.

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