https://launchcast.app/blog/ Deep dives on rockets, missions, NASA, SpaceX, Starlink, the ISS, and the people building the new space age. en-US Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:58:40 GMT https://launchcast.app/blog/future-of-space-decade-ahead https://launchcast.app/blog/future-of-space-decade-ahead Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mars cargo missions, lunar bases, fully reusable Starships, kilometer-class orbital telescopes, and asteroid mining. The space milestones plausible by 2035. Educational https://launchcast.app/blog/apollo-11-in-context https://launchcast.app/blog/apollo-11-in-context Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Apollo 11 used computers less powerful than a calculator and worked with paper checklists. The reality of how humans first walked on the Moon — engineering and grit. NASA https://launchcast.app/blog/booster-recovery-droneships-rtls https://launchcast.app/blog/booster-recovery-droneships-rtls Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT After launch, rocket boosters land back on Earth. The three primary methods: return to launch site, autonomous droneship landing, and catching the booster at the tower. Educational https://launchcast.app/blog/roman-space-telescope-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/roman-space-telescope-explained Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Roman has Hubble's sharpness — over 100 times the field of view. It will hunt dark energy, find rogue planets, and survey a billion galaxies. Launching 2027. Missions https://launchcast.app/blog/cryogenic-propellants-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/cryogenic-propellants-explained Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Liquid oxygen at -183 °C, liquid hydrogen at -253 °C, liquid methane at -162 °C. Why rockets need cryogenics, what it takes to handle them, and where the engineering pays off. Educational https://launchcast.app/blog/isro-india-space-program-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/isro-india-space-program-explained Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT From PSLV to Chandrayaan-3's south polar Moon landing, ISRO punches above its budget. Inside India's space agency — and the new private launchers it is enabling. Companies https://launchcast.app/blog/voyager-1-and-2-still-flying https://launchcast.app/blog/voyager-1-and-2-still-flying Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Voyager 1 and 2 launched in 1977. Both still operate from beyond the solar system. How their tech keeps working, what they are sending, and how long they can last. NASA https://launchcast.app/blog/best-stargazing-apps-comparison https://launchcast.app/blog/best-stargazing-apps-comparison Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT A practical comparison of Launchcast, Stellarium, SkySafari, Heavens-Above, and ISS Detector — what each does best, and which to use when. ISS Tracking https://launchcast.app/blog/inspiration4-first-all-civilian-orbital-mission https://launchcast.app/blog/inspiration4-first-all-civilian-orbital-mission Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT In September 2021, four civilians spent three days in orbit on Crew Dragon — no government astronauts on board. The mission that proved private orbital spaceflight had arrived. Missions https://launchcast.app/blog/sierra-space-dream-chaser-orbital-reef https://launchcast.app/blog/sierra-space-dream-chaser-orbital-reef Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Sierra Space's Dream Chaser will be the first lifting-body spacecraft to fly to the ISS in decades. Plus Orbital Reef, the inflatable LIFE habitat, and a private spaceflight push. Companies https://launchcast.app/blog/starlink-light-pollution-astronomy-impact https://launchcast.app/blog/starlink-light-pollution-astronomy-impact Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mega-constellations leave streaks across telescope images and brighten the radio spectrum. What astronomers measure, what operators have changed, and what is still unsolved. Starlink https://launchcast.app/blog/reentry-physics-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/reentry-physics-explained Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT A spacecraft returning to Earth at 28,000 km/h hits an atmosphere that converts kinetic energy into 1,650 °C plasma. Here is how heat shields keep humans alive. Educational https://launchcast.app/blog/nasa-earth-science-from-orbit https://launchcast.app/blog/nasa-earth-science-from-orbit Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Twenty-five active NASA Earth-observing missions measure climate, oceans, ice, fires, and ecosystems. Here is what they see, why it matters, and where to find the data. NASA https://launchcast.app/blog/polaris-dawn-private-spacewalk https://launchcast.app/blog/polaris-dawn-private-spacewalk Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT In September 2024, four private astronauts flew Crew Dragon to 1,400 km altitude and performed the first commercial EVA. Inside Polaris Dawn — and what comes next. Missions https://launchcast.app/blog/hubble-vs-james-webb-comparison https://launchcast.app/blog/hubble-vs-james-webb-comparison Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT They orbit at different distances, see different wavelengths, and answer different questions. A side-by-side look at the two flagship space telescopes. ISS Tracking https://launchcast.app/blog/stoke-space-fully-reusable-second-stage https://launchcast.app/blog/stoke-space-fully-reusable-second-stage Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Most reusable rockets recover only the first stage. Stoke is building Nova — a vehicle that returns the entire rocket. Inside the technology and the team. Companies https://launchcast.app/blog/nasa-eyes-on-the-solar-system https://launchcast.app/blog/nasa-eyes-on-the-solar-system Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Free 3D tools from NASA let you fly through the solar system, follow live missions, and explore exoplanets. A guide to Eyes on the Solar System and friends. NASA https://launchcast.app/blog/crew-9-iss-mission-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/crew-9-iss-mission-explained Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT When Boeing Starliner could not safely bring its crew home from the ISS, SpaceX Crew-9 delivered a rescue plan. The full story of the most-watched ISS handoff in years. Missions https://launchcast.app/blog/why-rockets-have-stages https://launchcast.app/blog/why-rockets-have-stages Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT A single-stage rocket cannot reach orbit. The Tsiolkovsky equation tells us why — and why every orbital rocket since 1957 has used at least two stages. Educational https://launchcast.app/blog/how-many-satellites-are-in-orbit https://launchcast.app/blog/how-many-satellites-are-in-orbit Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT In just five years the satellite count tripled. Where the boom is happening, who owns what, and what it means for the night sky. Starlink https://launchcast.app/blog/james-webb-space-telescope-discoveries https://launchcast.app/blog/james-webb-space-telescope-discoveries Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT JWST has revealed galaxies older than thought possible, weighed alien atmospheres, and photographed planet-forming disks. A tour of its biggest finds — and what comes next. Missions https://launchcast.app/blog/augmented-reality-sky-mode-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/augmented-reality-sky-mode-explained Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT AR sky mode in Launchcast aligns satellite tracking with your phone's camera so you can literally see where to look. Here is the technology that makes it work. ISS Tracking https://launchcast.app/blog/firefly-aerospace-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/firefly-aerospace-explained Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Firefly Alpha launches small payloads. Blue Ghost is a NASA-contracted lunar lander. Now MLV — Medium Launch Vehicle — is in development with Northrop Grumman. Inside Firefly. Companies https://launchcast.app/blog/starlab-commercial-station-preview https://launchcast.app/blog/starlab-commercial-station-preview Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT A preview of Starlab — the commercial space station from Voyager Space and Airbus that will host astronauts and research after ISS retirement. Modules, capabilities, and timeline. Recent https://launchcast.app/blog/nasa-mars-exploration-strategy https://launchcast.app/blog/nasa-mars-exploration-strategy Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT How NASA's Mars program evolved from flybys to rovers to sample return — and what the path to a crewed mission looks like through the 2030s and 2040s. NASA https://launchcast.app/blog/rocket-engine-types-compared https://launchcast.app/blog/rocket-engine-types-compared Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Different engines for different jobs. Solids for boosters, liquids for big lifts, hybrids for safety, electrics for deep space — what each does and why. Educational https://launchcast.app/blog/oneweb-eutelsat-explained https://launchcast.app/blog/oneweb-eutelsat-explained Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT OneWeb survived bankruptcy, merged with Eutelsat, and now operates a 648-satellite constellation focused on enterprise and government — not consumers. Inside the network. Starlink https://launchcast.app/blog/dragonfly-mission-titan-helicopter https://launchcast.app/blog/dragonfly-mission-titan-helicopter Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT In 2034, a rotorcraft the size of a small car will land on Saturn's moon Titan, hop dozens of kilometers between sites, and search for the chemistry that leads to life. Missions https://launchcast.app/blog/real-time-iss-tracking-how-it-works https://launchcast.app/blog/real-time-iss-tracking-how-it-works Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Behind every "ISS is over you now" notification is a chain of orbital math. Here is how Launchcast and other trackers compute the station's position to sub-kilometer precision. ISS Tracking https://launchcast.app/blog/relativity-space-3d-printed-rockets https://launchcast.app/blog/relativity-space-3d-printed-rockets Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT Relativity prints over 85% of each rocket using massive metal printers. After a successful Terran 1 maiden flight, the company pivoted to a fully reusable medium-lift design. Companies