Andrew Jones
Andrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China's rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter @AJ_FI.
Latest articles by Andrew Jones
![photo of a golden spacecraft in orbit around mars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eDnyZPdjNz4cY9tvv2dZRb-320-80.jpg)
Massive Mars dust storm spotted by China's Tianwen-1 probe (photos)
By Andrew Jones published
China's Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter spotted a massive dust storm near Olympus Mons, the biggest mountain in the solar system.
![side-by-side artist's illustrations showing a small space station (at left) and a close-up of the station's airlock (right).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zJWLZSNskK8oCPeQFKLzN3-320-80.jpg)
UAE to provide airlock for NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space station
By Andrew Jones published
The United Arab Emirates will build an airlock for NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space station, and will get to send an astronaut to the outpost for the contribution.
![a white rocket launches into a dark night sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/r86nxLsF3pc8mZyrxBEQem-320-80.jpg)
China's 1st launch of 2024 puts 4 small weather satellites into orbit (video)
By Andrew Jones published
A Kuaizhou 1A solid rocket launched four Tianmu-1 weather satellites on Jan. 5, on the first of what will be many Chinese missions in 2024.
![a red and white rocket stands against a blue sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W8JDCoLeeBuGGhRS3wpqwX-320-80.jpg)
ULA's 1st Vulcan Centaur rocket is ready to fly. Will it live long and prosper?
By Andrew Jones published
United Launch Alliance's new, long-awaited Vulcan Centaur rocket is all set to lift off for the first time ever. But will the vehicle establish itself in a competitive launch market?
![An Indian PSLV rocket lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Jan. 1, 2024 local time, carrying the nation's XPoSat X-ray satellite.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yzg9HaeoxGVYGJY7cReHTR-320-80.jpg)
India launches X-ray satellite to study black holes, supernovas and more (video)
By Andrew Jones published
India sent its XPoSat X-ray observatory into orbit on New Year's Day to study black holes, supernovae and other cosmic phenomena.
![a gold-foil-covered spacecraft on the surface of a rocky moon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AsSRj5A7d73jMJ8gMi8TTT-320-80.jpg)
Japan delays MMX Mars moon sample-return mission to 2026
By Andrew Jones published
Japan has postponed the launch of a mission seeking to bring samples of a Martian moon to Earth until 2026, due to problems with the nation's new H3 rocket.
![side-by-side photos of two daytime rocket launches](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Gfywor5z5TBDzfFuYYh8eW-320-80.jpg)
China launches 2 sets of commercial weather satellites in 3-day span (video)
By Andrew Jones published
On Dec. 24 and Dec. 27, China launched clusters of small satellites to provide commercial meteorological data.
![a winged space plane with folded wings in a hangar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VNuUVMJoedCnWMTdkfS6hK-320-80.jpg)
Dream Chaser enters final testing ahead of 2024 debut space flight
By Andrew Jones published
If all goes to plan, the spacecraft dubbed 'Tenacity' will launch on a Vulcan Centaur rocket in 2024.
![A rocket with four engines launches off a pad at night with bright engine plumes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ohfWaNBFWmzScZfucShtCd-320-80.jpg)
Chinese startup LandSpace poised to begin reusable rocket landing tests
By Andrew Jones published
Chinese launch startup Landspace appears ready to test launching and landing rockets from China's Gobi Desert.
![The Chinese company iSpace's Hyperbola-1 rocket launches on Dec. 17, 2023.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e9srvwXvpfGzh9ZGcjfC8h-320-80.jpg)
Commercial Chinese rocket launches small returnable spacecraft to orbit (video)
By Andrew Jones published
The Chinese company iSpace's sixth Hyperbola-1 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center early Sunday (Dec. 17) morning, carrying a recoverable satellite to orbit.
![The astronauts of China's Shenzhou 17 mission give each other haircuts on the nation's Tiangong space station.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7g3KeVXYTDQ5hD6RJwhhJP-320-80.jpg)
Watch Chinese astronauts get haircuts aboard Tiangong space station (video)
By Andrew Jones published
Shenzhou 17 commander Tang Hongbo and rookie crewmates Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin recently helped each other get haircuts aboard China's Tiangong space station.
![the international space station shoots a laser toward a satellite, which is relaying it back down to earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jJtPQFXfuLghmULjWLmKge-320-80.jpg)
Pew! Pew! Pew! NASA's 1st successful two-way laser experiment is a giant leap for moon and Mars communications
By Andrew Jones published
NASA has completed its first laser link with an in-orbit laser relay system, marking a significant advancement in space communication technology.
![A giant rocket separating during stage separation, with fiery plumes in all directions.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jbtJjmhK8LBPLkSTA5A8ke-320-80.jpg)
FAA's launch mishap investigations need a rethink, government report finds
By Andrew Jones published
The Federal Aviation Administration should evaluate and improve the way it investigates space launch mishaps, according to a new report.
![The Japanese launch startup Interstellar Technologies performs a combustion chamber static fire test at Japan's Hokkaido Spaceport as part of development of the Cosmos engine for its Zero rocket. Image released on Dec. 7, 2023.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ELAyyY7QadfiEvAR82m2p3-320-80.jpg)
Watch a Japanese startup test a rocket engine that will run on cow-dung methane (video)
By Andrew Jones published
A Japanese space startup has taken a big step toward developing its first orbital rocket — which will be powered by gas from cow dung.
![a small white rocket lifts off from forested mountain terrain.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6Z6Dg2XkCw9VdeMhbp7F7f-320-80.jpg)
China lofts Yaogan spy satellites on 500th Long March rocket launch (video)
By Andrew Jones published
A fifth group of three Yaogan-39 satellites launched over the weekend, on a mission that marked the 500th liftoff for China's Long March family of rockets.
![a gold-foil-covered spacecraft on the surface of a rocky moon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RMH4iPBHsybrCo3WhDSfhF-320-80.jpg)
Japan may delay its Mars moon sampling mission MMX due to rocket problems
By Andrew Jones published
Japan’s ambitious mission to explore the two mini moons of Mars could be facing a lengthy delay as JAXA's new H3 rocket, which will launch MMX, failed on its debut flight in March.
![a white rocket launches into a dark night sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hypTwKaUsSXMgFVKiBPi4T-320-80.gif)
Chinese startup Galactic Energy bounces back with successful satellite launch
By Andrew Jones published
Chinese startup Galactic Energy is flying high again after a successful satellite launch on Monday (Dec. 4).
![illustration showing four astronauts in white spacesuits exploring the moon.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Hny7Jk8DaFwHC4WxFSAQVU-320-80.jpg)
India sets sights on a moon base by 2047
By Andrew Jones published
India is setting long-term goals that could see the country establish its own moon base before 2050.
![a rocket topped with a red capsule launches in the desert](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/scXLAePgdTCLpJLEX3MCiE-320-80.jpg)
Iran launches 'bio-space capsule' protoype, aims to fly astronauts by 2030
By Andrew Jones published
Iran test launched what it describes as a "bio-capsule" as part of its plan to put its own astronauts into space by the end of the decade.
![A Long March 2C rocket carrying MISRSAT-2 and two other satellites lifts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Dec. 4, 2023 local time.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xLBzrH4qU6En5RrH7TPXhR-320-80.jpg)
China launches remote-sensing satellite for Egypt (video)
By Andrew Jones published
China launched a remote-sensing satellite for Egypt late on Sunday (Dec. 3) as space cooperation between the two countries deepens.
![China's Zhurong Mars rover captured this panorama of the Red Planet. Visible in the foreground are the rover's solar panels and communications equipment.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VovrbZTgbusHQUba2SvZp5-320-80.jpg)
China could use a foldable helicopter to collect samples on Mars
By Andrew Jones published
A new journal article outlines the design for a quadcopter that could assist China's mission to collect samples from Mars.
![SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida on Monday, September 4, 2023 (EDT). The capsule returned from the International Space Station with the Crew-6 members Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, Sultan AlNeyadi and Konstantin Borisov after 185 days.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fe3AKt5zip77ucubRc43eh-320-80.jpg)
SpaceX buys parachute manufacturer Pioneer Aerospace
By Andrew Jones published
SpaceX has acquired Pioneer Aerospace, a company that provided components for Dragon spacecraft parachutes before filing for bankruptcy.
![a rocket rises as fire blasts from the bottom. brown smoke rises against a grey sky.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vfR2uYJFiHjTqwjpYi99Ac-320-80.jpg)
China's Landspace gears up for 3rd launch of its methane-powered rocket
By Andrew Jones published
The Zhuque-2 was the first methane-fueled rocket to reach Earth orbit, and the Chinese private spaceflight company Landspace is set to launch it again later on Dec. 5.
![a cube-shaped satellite wrapped in gold foil floats above Earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hNRNDkW5VQsXrhoVYF9CcV-320-80.jpg)
Lockheed Martin's 'Tantrum' tech could help get satellites up and running without the wait
By Andrew Jones published
Lockheed Martin and Firefly Aerospace are combining to launch a demonstrator that aims to slash the time it takes spacecraft payloads to become operational.
![a rocket stands upright inside a hangar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3V5mx7B5BoskD2m9KSps77-320-80.jpg)
See ULA assemble new Vulcan Centaur rocket for its 1st launch on Dec. 24 (photos)
By Andrew Jones published
United Launch Alliance (ULA) has its sights set on a festive first launch of its brand new rocket that will send the robotic Peregrine lander built by Astrobiotic to the moon.
Get the Space.com Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!