Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

It may not have a cantina, but this Virginia spaceport is firing up its local economy

Jul 13, 2023
Last year, the world set a Space Age record by launching more than 180 rockets into orbit. And every launch pumps money into local coffers.
The control room in NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. About 2,000 people work at the center.
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace

SpaceX to make historic re-usable rocket launch

Mar 30, 2017
Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to launch a commercial satellite into orbit today using a recycled rocket booster. It’s the first time SpaceX will attempt to use one of its re-landed rockets. And the Falcon 9 would be the first liquid-fueled rocket sent into space using this method.  Click the audio player above to hear the […]

What goes up must come down. Or else.

Feb 25, 2016
Space debris poses major risks for the future of space exploration.
Space debris poses major risks for the future of space exploration.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images