Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica. Likes rockets. Author of the best-selling book on the Falcon 9 and Dragon, REENTRY. benbellabooks.com/shop/reent…
Houston, TX
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I’m thrilled to announce the sequel to Liftoff, titled REENTRY, will be published on September 24. This book picks up the story where Liftoff left off, taking readers on a wild ride aboard the Falcon 9, Dragon, Heavy, and so much more.
Publisher page: penguinrandomhouse.com/books…
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This is brilliant: @Dr_ThomasZ is coming to Blue Origin to work on advanced concepts.
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Eric Berger retweeted
I've been fortunate to fly to space on three different vehicles, and I'm often asked which one I prefer. It depends on the phase of the flight. For launch thrill, nothing beats the Shuttle. For a smooth ride uphill, I'd take Dragon, then Soyuz. Dragon wins on cockpit displays and docking — the softest docking I've ever felt. For landing, a Shuttle runway is still the most civilized way home. That said, I'd be happy to ride any one of the three any day of the week!
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Falcon Heavy launch coming up in less than 10 minutes (payload for National Reconnaissance Office), and there probably aren't all that many left. Watch:
spacex.com/launches/nrol97
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Eric Berger retweeted
SpaceX's "hot work" on the Dragon prop system kept its latest crew mission pretty much on schedule. arstechnica.com/space/2026/1…
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LIVE: After lifting off this morning, Crew-13 is arriving at the @Space_Station. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the station at 7pm ET (2300 UTC), with hatches opening around 8:45pm ET (0045 UTC Oct. 2). x.lingyaoai.com/i/broadcasts/1DGleVvnq…
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Some interesting things in launch are happening north of the border.
arstechnica.com/space/2026/1…
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Russia plans to conduct a launch abort test of its next-generation crew spacecraft next year? I'll believe that when I see it.
arstechnica.com/space/2026/0…
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Eric Berger retweeted
Today, we’re announcing Varda’s $250M Series D raise, bringing the total amount of capital raised to $598 million with a $1.6B valuation.
This funding will help us build more vehicles, grow pharmaceutical partnerships, and advance toward the first medicine manufactured in space for patients on Earth.
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Answering some of the big questions about the future of a low-Earth economy that NASA has spent decades trying to establish. Is it all going poof?
arstechnica.com/space/2026/0…
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We’re going vertical! The first module is placed on the vehicle access tower. We’ve added two floors and guard rails for access, along with cryo control skids and environmental control system piping and filter boxes. Five more modules to go as we work toward returning to flight this year.
A lot of hard work behind this. Couldn’t be prouder of the team.
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Eric Berger retweeted
All the SR-71s were demilitarized before being sent to museums and that included cutting their main wing spars, rendering them unflyable. NASA kept #844 at Dryden (now Armstrong) and it was basically towed across the street, never undergoing the demil process.
WELL, WELL, WELL. The missing Blackbird apparently has a job waiting for her. Remember NASA 844? The SR-71 that mysteriously disappeared from its display at Armstrong after 26 years? Aviation Week is now reporting that NASA has been contacting former SR-71 personnel and asking them to help put her back in the air.
Not preserve her. Not move her to another museum. Return her to flight.
NASA 844 is the last SR-71 ever built and the last Blackbird ever flown. Her final flight was October 9, 1999: Mach 3.21 at 80,100 feet. Bringing her back after nearly 27 years would be an extraordinary engineering undertaking. The aircraft is only one piece of the problem. NASA would effectively have to reconstruct portions of an entire support ecosystem that disappeared with the Blackbird program.
Yes, I am doing the happy dance.
Somewhere Kelly Johnson just looked over at Ben Rich and said, “See? I told you they’d need her again.”
aviationweek.com/defense/air…
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Boeing’s price for keeping Starliner flying? $359 million.
arstechnica.com/space/2026/0…
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NASA will pay Boeing $359 million to facilitate Starliner's return to flight, and help certify the Vulcan rocket for future missions in the 2030s.
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A senior official from Boeing is participating in a Starliner media call for the first time in two years.
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NASA's Jared Isaacman says the next Starliner crewed mission will fly no earlier than 2028.
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In 18 years SpaceX has gone from orbiting Falcon 1 to orbiting Starship. What do you think they are most likely to have accomplished in 18 more years?
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1 million satellites
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10,000 Starship launches
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Human Mars landing
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AGI
5,942 votes • Final results
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The large robotic arm on the International Space Station stopped functioning this weekend. It's not clear whether the problem is temporary. No official comment from NASA yet.
arstechnica.com/space/2026/0…
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Story updated with NASA statement:
"The Canadarm2 is currently operating as expected and is being used for inspection of the Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft as part of predeparture procedures. Non-robotic components associated with the mobile transporter on the truss, which the arm is often attached to, have exhibited some communication errors."
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Eric Berger retweeted
“It’s worth it.” @blueorigin CEO @davill addressing State and NASA leaders gathered here at Rocket Park.
“It’s going to 10,000.” (Launches a year)
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