Space
The latest news and reporting on space exploration and discovery.
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NASA finally got the stuck lid off its asteroid Bennu sample container
NASA says it's finally removed two fasteners that were keeping it from getting to the asteroid Bennu sample. The sample is housed in a Touch-and-Go-Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), which itself is being protected in a glovebox.
NASA's new X-59 plane could hit supersonic speeds with minimal sonic boom
NASA’s X-59 Quesst supersonic commercial jet will have its flight test livestreamed on January 12.
Peregrine Mission 1 heralds the beginning of the moon’s commercialization
Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander is scheduled to launch on January 8 atop United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket. The mission is the first of those contracted under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
Now’s the last chance to send your name to one of Jupiter’s moons on NASA’s Europa Clipper
NASA's Europa Clipper mission is set to launch in October 2024 to study whether the icy Jupiter moon could support life. In a campaign called Message in a Bottle, NASA has invited the public to have their names added to the spacecraft alongside a poem by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón.
NASA beamed a video of a cat named Taters from deep space to Earth
On December 11, NASA successfully beamed an ultra-high definition video from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth. At the time, Psyche was about 19 million miles away. The video signal was received 101 seconds after it was sent.
SpaceX dominated private spaceflight in 2023, but its competitors (mostly) aren't quitting
In 2023, there were at least 200 successful orbital launches, and nearly half of them were conducted by SpaceX. Private space companies have been ramping up their activities as they compete to serve as launch providers and facilitate space tourism. But it wasn't a milestone year for all.
These tomatoes were lost on the International Space Station for almost a year
NASA shared a photo of two tomatoes that turned up on the International Space Station after eight months lost. They were harvested by astronaut Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth in September. The tomatoes held up well in space, appearing only dehydrated but otherwise intact.
Watch Blue Origin's first launch in 15 months here at 11:37AM ET
Blue Origin's first New Shepard launch in over a year is set to take place on Tuesday. You can watch the livestream here.
Webb telescope’s new Uranus image looks like a portal to another dimension
The James Webb Space Telescope has a treat to celebrate the upcoming second anniversary of its launch. NASA and the ESA, which operate the craft alongside the CSA, shared a dazzling new image of the icy planet Uranus.
Looking back at 25 years of the ISS
Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station’s (ISS) physical assembly in orbit. On December 6, 1998, the crew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor attached the US-built Unity node to the Russian-built Zarya module, kicking off the modular construction of the ISS.
Black hole behavior suggests Dr. Who's 'bigger on the inside' Tardis trick is theoretically possible
Do black holes, like dying old soldiers, simply fade away? Do they pop like universe-spawning balloons?
SpaceX loses another Starship and Super Heavy rocket in double explosion during test
SpaceX launched the second flight of Starship from its Boca Chica spaceport on Saturday morning. A few minutes into launch, the Super Heavy booster exploded, followed by Starship itself.
SpaceX prepares for Starship's second test flight after securing FAA clearance
The FAA has cleared Starship for a second test flight after an explosive first launch. SpaceX is now aiming for a November 17 launch date.
A commercial spaceplane capable of orbital flight is ready for NASA testing
NASA will soon start testing what's dubbed as the world’s first commercial spaceplane capable of orbital flight. All going well, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser will make it first supply run to the International Space Station in April.
NASA is launching a rocket on Sunday to study a 20,000-year-old supernova
NASA plans to launch the INFUSE mission at 11:35 PM ET on Sunday October 29 from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It will observe the Cygnus Loop, or Veil Nebula, supernova remnant
Mars' core looks bigger than it is because it's wrapped in radioactive magma
Two studies published in the journal Nature have found that Mars' core is smaller and denser than previously thought, and surrounded by a layer of molten silicates. The findings clear up previous confusion about its internal makeup.
Lunar rock samples suggest moon is older than previously thought
Researchers have just discovered that the moon is about 40 million years older than previously thought.
NASA's John Mather keeps redefining our understanding of the cosmos
Inside the Star Factory melds stunning photography with insightful profiles of the people that made the James Webb Space Telescope possible.
India wants to build its own space station and send astronauts to the moon by 2040
India announced plans to build the Bharatiya Antariksha Station — or the Indian Space Station — by 2035, and follow this up with a crewed mission to the moon by 2040. The country is preparing by planning its first crewed mission, currently set for 2025.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft embarks on a six-year journey to its asteroid namesake
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has embarked on a six-year, 2.2-billion-mile journey to study an asteroid of the same name. Psyche the asteroid is estimated to contain clues to planetary formation in the early Solar System.