Space exploration — missions, telescope discoveries, planetary science, and the race to the stars.
NASA’s Curiosity rover finds a mysterious honeycomb landscape on Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered an extensive honeycomb-patterned landscape in a Martian valley, revealing tiny polygon-shaped fractures that bla…
Move over He-Man, Mattel's Major Matt Mason space toys could still be blasting off for Hollywood
Mattel is developing a live-action film adaptation of Major Matt Mason, the toy line that debuted in 1966 as the company's answer to the space race er…
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 221 — Starship Can Float?
SpaceX's Starship completed a controlled reentry during Flight 13 that left the vehicle intact enough to remain buoyant in the ocean, according to dis…
Dinosaur-killing asteroid may have caused firestorms 17 times hotter than the thermal limit lethal to humans
Scientists have discovered that the asteroid impact 66 million years ago that killed the dinosaurs likely triggered catastrophic firestorms across Ear…
On this day in space! Aug. 1, 1968: NASA ends production of Saturn V moon rocket
NASA halted production of the Saturn V rocket on August 1, 1968, just one year before Apollo 11 landed humans on the moon. The decision reflected budg…
The search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa just got more complicated
A new computational study reveals that Europa's subsurface ocean presents unexpected obstacles for astrobiologists hunting for signs of life. Researc…
Scientists create an “electron lighthouse” with laser light
Researchers have engineered a novel optical device that launches and directs electrons through semiconductor materials using laser light alone, elimin…
Where to watch the next total solar eclipse anywhere in the world
A total solar eclipse crosses a narrow path on August 12, reaching parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal during this rare celestial event. …
Moonquakes could reveal ice buried beneath lunar south polar craters
Seismic waves traveling through the moon's crust could expose vast deposits of ice hidden beneath the lunar south polar region, according to research …
Laying odds on the potential for Martian water near future landing zones
NASA plans to land humans on Mars within the next decade, but a critical challenge remains: finding accessible water near equatorial landing zones. Wh…
Watching August's 2026 solar eclipse from the UK? Stay safe with the best solar eclipse glasses
# UK Observers Can Safely View August 2026 Solar Eclipse With Proper Eyewear A solar eclipse will cross the UK in August 2026, giving British observe…
Probing binary stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud with the JWST
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have begun detailed observations of binary star systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite ga…
The US government wants to bypass environmental laws for commercial launches and spacecraft reentries
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to streamline environmental reviews for commercial space launches and spacecraft reentries to address…
1st three-headed asteroid found in our solar system — and it has a little moon
Astronomers using high-contrast imaging have discovered that asteroid 44 Nysa possesses an unexpected architecture: three distinct lobes and a small m…
On this day in space! July 30, 1610: Galileo sees Saturn's rings for the 1st time
Galileo Galilei turned his telescope toward Saturn on July 30, 1610, and saw something no human had witnessed before: the planet's rings. The Italian …
Satellites spy penguin poop on Danger Islands | Space photo of the day for July 30, 2026
Researchers have used NASA satellite imagery combined with ground observations to monitor dietary shifts in penguin populations on Antarctica's Danger…
'It's going to do things that currently are impossible': The Roman Space Telescope, NASA's next great observatory, is ready to launch Aug. 30
NASA is preparing to launch the Roman Space Telescope on August 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, marking a major expansion of humanity's abilit…
Watch this stirring new 'Star Trek' 60th anniversary video saluting the iconic sci-fi franchise
Paramount premiered a new tribute video celebrating "Star Trek" at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, marking the franchise's 60th anniversary in 2024.…
NASA launched this spacecraft to save a satellite. Now, it needs saving too
NASA's Swift Boost mission, launched this month to extend the life of the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory, has encountered unexpected problems. The …
SpaceX launching secret US spy satellite early on July 30: Watch it live
SpaceX will launch a classified U.S. reconnaissance satellite in the early morning hours of July 30, with live coverage available to the public. The m…
This genuinely pocket-sized smart telescope makes capturing the deep sky and the solar system almost effortless
A new pocket-sized smart telescope promises to democratize astronomical observation by eliminating traditional barriers to deep-sky and solar system i…
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aces Mars flyby capturing stunning timelapse video
NASA's Psyche spacecraft successfully executed a Mars gravity assist maneuver on November 13, 2024, accelerating itself toward its destination asteroi…
Blazing like 10 billion suns: NASA’s Swift sees a wandering black hole devouring a star
NASA's Swift Observatory detected a supermassive black hole tearing apart a star at extraordinary brightness levels. The event occurred in a galaxy lo…
Asteroid strike caused global firestorm that incinerated the dinosaurs
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago didn't just explode on impact. It vaporized trillions of tonnes of rock that shot into …
NASA fuels its next-gen Roman Space Telescope for August launch
NASA began fueling operations for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, advancing preparations for its scheduled August 30 launch. The space agency i…
Our Milky Way galaxy appears to have flipped 90 degrees long ago. But why?
Astronomers have uncovered evidence that the Milky Way experienced a dramatic 90-degree rotation in its distant past, a finding revealed through analy…
Magnitude 6.8 earthquake traps shoppers as mall collapses in Japan — here's why the seismic event was unusual
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southwestern Japan, collapsing a shopping mall and trapping people inside. The inland quake proved unusual in severa…
The ultimate packing list for Aug. 12, as a solar eclipse coincides with the Perseid meteors peak
August 12, 2026 brings a rare convergence of two major astronomical events: a solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Skywatchers pla…
After 241 days in orbit this NASA astronaut is finally home
Chris Williams, a NASA astronaut, returned to Earth on Monday after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station. Williams and two Roscosm…
We’ve found the best example yet of an enormous wandering black hole
Astronomers detected a wandering supermassive black hole by observing a star being torn apart by its gravity. The discovery represents the clearest ev…
Starship in space! See highlights of SpaceX megarocket's epic Flight 13 test launch (video)
SpaceX's Starship completed its 13th test flight, advancing the company's development of the most powerful operational rocket in the world. The full-s…
Rocket Lab to start launching missile-defense missions from Alaska under $266 million Space Force deal
Rocket Lab signed a 266 million dollar contract with the U.S. Space Force to conduct up to 18 suborbital missions focused on missile defense, with mos…
On this day in space! July 27, 1962: The 1st zero-g cosmonaut training flight took off on a Soviet jetliner
On July 27, 1962, Soviet cosmonauts achieved weightlessness for the first time without leaving Earth's atmosphere. Two Russian cosmonauts boarded a sp…
What happened to space horror movies?
# What Happened to Space Horror Movies? Space horror films have largely disappeared from multiplexes and streaming platforms, marking a dramatic shif…
I'm not an astronaut, but I went to the International Space Station (sort of)
# Summary A contributor reflects on the wonder of the International Space Station's continued operation, emphasizing the achievement of maintaining a…
NASA astronaut, 2 cosmonauts return to Earth after 241 days on space station (video)
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Lyagov and Nikolai Chub landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday, July 26, after spending 2…
Planet hunter gets the silent treatment | Space photo of the day for July 24, 2026
The European Space Agency's Plato spacecraft has completed crucial testing protocols in preparation for launch, according to Space.com. Plato, an acro…
Lightning strike on Chinese rocket captured in epic launch photo
A Long March-3B rocket carrying a satellite payload survived a lightning strike during its ascent this week and successfully completed its mission, ac…
Space context
Space exploration — missions, telescope discoveries, planetary science, and the race to the stars.