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Joe Pappalardo

Joe Pappalardo lives with his two shelter dogs in South Texas. His books include Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight and Inferno: The True Story of a B-17 Gunner’s Heroism and the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History, due out in December 2020.

An artist’s rendering shows Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander already on the moon. But the 2,240-pound spacecraft isn’t scheduled to arrive until next year, when it will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The Next Robots on the Moon

In the 1960s, the moon race was war. This time, it’s commerce.

Projected to grow to 16,000 troops, the Space Force will be by far the smallest branch of the U.S. military.

The Space Force Turns One

The newest branch of the U.S. armed services pitches its tent on a vast battlefield.

Outside Spaceport America’s hangar surrounded by the New Mexico desert, a ground crew salutes Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo carrier ship. The aircraft, VMS Eve, flew in last August from its original home in Mojave, California.

Will Space Tourists Finally Get a Ride?

Virgin Galactic has moved into its New Mexico Spaceport. Let the flights begin.