Heading to space is an enormous feat, one that the Soyuz rockets have been aided the U.S. with for the last 7 years. But with commercial spaceflight underway, this might be the last time the U.S. launches from Russian soil. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUzylITl2I

Earth is greener today than it was 20 years ago thanks to 'human activity,' NASA study shows China and India are leading the way in 'ambitious tree planting programs' ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-duAC3Hp3k

The fourth Long March-5 rocket, to be used to launch China's first Mars exploration mission, was vertically transported to the launching area at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in south China's Hainan Province on Friday. The carrier rocket, coded as Long March-5 Y4, is planned to be launched in late July or early August, according to the China National Space Administration. The China National Space Agency (CNSA) will be launching their first interplanetary mission to Mars on top of their heavy lift rocket, the Long March 5! This will be the heaviest payload ever sent to Mars and features orbiters, a lander and a rover!!! China's Mars rover will likely attempt to land at a site in north-eastern Mars, according to a new paper published just days ahead of the mission's launch. China’s heaviest rocket has rolled to its launch pad for lift-off Thursday with the country’s first Mars landing mission, an ambitious attempt to place an orbiter around the Red Planet and a robotic rover on the Martian surface in early 2021. The Chinese mission, named Tianwen 1, is the second of three probes taking aim on the Red Planet this month, when Mars is properly positioned in its orbit around the sun to allow a direct journey from Earth. Such launch opportunities only come about once every 26 months. A Long March 5 rocket is set for liftoff with China’s Tianwen 1 mission some time between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. EDT (0400-0700 GMT) Thursday, according to public notices warning ships to steer clear of downrange drop zones along the launcher’s flight path. The launch will be the first operational flight of China’s Long March 5 rocket, the most powerful launch vehicle in the country’s inventory. Ground crews at the Wenchang Space Launch Center on Hainan Island — China’s newest launch site — transferred the Long March 5 rocket to its launching stand Friday for final pre-flight checkouts. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v3qykwteuU