Christian Davenport

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering NASA and the space industry

Education: Colby College, B.A., American Studies

Christian Davenport covers NASA and the space industry for The Washington Post's Financial desk. He joined The Post in 2000 and has had an array of assignments, including covering the D.C.-area sniper shootings, the Abu Ghraib scandal, the Fort Hood shootings and the burial problems at Arlington National Cemetery. He was a consulting producer of “Space: The Private Frontier,” a two-hour documentary that aired on the Discovery and Science Channels, and a producer and co-host of “Space Launch Live,” the networks’ Emmy-award-winning live broadcast of SpaceX’s first crewed mission, which was the
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Latest from Christian Davenport

Japan’s spacecraft lands softly on the moon, but is running out of power

The spacecraft appeared to reach the moon, but it was not clear if the lander touched down softly.

January 19, 2024

Japan will attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon precisely

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency hopes the ‘Moon Sniper’ rover will pave the way for precise landings crucial to researching the origins of the moon.

January 18, 2024

Concerns rise China might reach moon before NASA’s return

A year-long delay in a planned mission to send astronauts to orbit the moon prompts worries among members of Congress.

January 17, 2024

Would-be historic lunar mission won’t reach moon’s surface, company says

Astrobotic acknowledged late Monday that the spacecraft, which had been leaking propellant since shortly after launch, was fighting an “uncontrollable tumble.”

January 9, 2024

U.S. spacecraft suffers fuel loss, threatening historic moon landing

The Astrobotic Peregrine is carrying experiments and the cremated remains of people it described as ”intrepid souls who never stopped reaching for the stars.”

January 8, 2024

NASA and private industry aim for moon landings in 2024

The launch early Monday of a private company’s spacecraft to the moon is the next step in NASA’s ambitious plans to return humans to the lunar surface.

January 7, 2024

Two U.S. firms to launch spacecraft to the moon within weeks of each other

The missions in January, if successful, will result in the first lunar landing by a private company.

December 24, 2023

Blue Origin returns to flight as Bezos reengages with his space company

The mission didn’t carry any people, but marked the first flight in more than a year for Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

December 19, 2023

More than a year after engine failure, Blue Origin to return to flight

The company said it would launch an uncrewed flight next week from its facility in West Texas.

December 12, 2023

Diminutive and mysterious, the Pentagon’s X-37B set to launch again

Sunday’s launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy will be the space plane’s eighth orbital mission, all of which are shrouded in secrecy.

December 9, 2023