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Space News

The moon and Earth as seen from the ISS.

An ace photographer is about to leave the ISS. Here are his best shots

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has been sharing some awesome photos and videos taken during his first visit to the International Space Station.
The Falcon Heavy rocket on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA scrubs Thursday’s launch of Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter moon

An approaching hurricane has forced NASA and SpaceX to call off Thursday's planned launch of the highly anticipated Europa Clipper mission.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is depicted receiving a laser signal from the Deep Space Optical Communications uplink ground station at JPL’s Table Mountain Facility in this artist’s concept. The DSOC experiment consists of an uplink and downlink station, plus a flight laser transceiver flying with Psyche.

NASA can now talk to its spacecraft using lasers

NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications test has completed its first phase, showing that laser communications in space are possible and faster than radio.
Engineers work on NASA’s Voyager 2 at JPL in March 1977, ahead of the spacecraft’s launch that August. The probe carries 10 science instruments, some of which have been turned off over the years to save power.

NASA turns off another of Voyager 2’s instruments to save power

The Voyager spacecraft, launched in the 1970s, has turned off its plasma science instrument to save power for exploring interstellar space.
A damaged wheel on NASA's Mars Curiosity rover.

A NASA Mars rover has a giant hole in one of its wheels

The wheels on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover are falling apart, but the plucky rover keeps on rolling.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as seen from the space station.

NASA’s skywatching tips for October include a comet and Europa

NASA is back with its monthly update of what to look out for in the night sky over the coming weeks. And there's plenty to enjoy in October.
China's spacesuit for its first lunar landing.

China plans to use this spacesuit for its first crewed moon landing

China is planning to achieve its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, and it just showed off the spacesuit that it wants to use for the endeavor.
A cup of coffee in space.

Watch how astronauts drink coffee in space

NASA has shared a short video showing how astronauts aboard the International Space Station get their daily coffee fix.
Rosette Nebula Captured with DECam

See the stunning Rosette Nebula in all its glorious colors

The Dark Energy Camera has snapped a stunning image of a rose-like nebula located 5,000 light-years away.
Artist’s impression of a sub-Earth-mass planet orbiting Barnard’s star

There’s a tiny exoplanet orbiting our neighbor, known as Barnard’s star

At just six light-years from Earth, Barnard's star is close by and has long been of interest to researchers searching for exoplanets. Now, they've found one.
The Crew-9 Crew Dragon on its way to the space station.

Watch the Crew Dragon hurtling through space at 17,500 mph

Watch this footage showing a Crew Dragon spacecraft zipping through space, high above the Pacific Ocean, as it travels to the space station.
The view enjoyed by the four crew members of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission.

Watch out-of-this-world footage from the recent Polaris Dawn mission

A camera attached to the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon spacecraft recorded some remarkable footage from 450 miles above Earth.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX Crew-9 mission launches to ISS carrying two astronauts

A much-delayed SpaceX Crew Dragon mission launched with just two crew members due to issues with the test flight of the Boeing Starliner.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks photographed in March 2024.

How to spot the ‘comet of the century’ in October

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is passing by the sun and will soon pass by Earth, and could be a spectacularly bright object by mid-October.
The Lobster Nebula seen with ESO’s VISTA telescope.

See the wonders of the Milky Way in this new infrared map

The European Southern Observatory’s VISTA telescope has collected more than 500 terabytes of data on our galaxy.
A Starlink dish.

SpaceX’s Starlink service just hit a new customer milestone

Four years after going online, SpaceX's internet-from-space Starlink service now reaches 4 million customers globally, it was announced on Thursday.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as seen from the space station.

ISS astronauts enjoy front row seats for comet’s journey toward the sun

Astronauts aboard the space station are following the movement of a comet and using the opportunity to capture some remarkable photos and footage.
The newly-discovered GS-NDG-9422 galaxy appears as a faint blur in this James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) image. It could help astronomers better understand galaxy evolution in the early Universe.

‘That’s weird’: This galaxy could help astronomers understand the earliest stars

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted a weird galaxy that originated just a billion years after the Big Bang.
SpaceX engineers high above the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX recreates iconic New York City photo with Starship workers

SpaceX has put its hardworking engineers front and center by recreating an iconic New York City photo at its Starbase facility in Texas.
planetary defense research mission readies for asteroid visit esa hera

Planetary defense research mission readies for asteroid visit

The European Space Agency is about to launch a spacecraft on an important research mission designed to bolster planetary defense.
A photo of Earth at night taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit.

Astronaut’s stunning photo shows ‘flowing silver snakes’

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station has captured some stunning images of Earth showing flowing silver snakes and glowing golden claws.
spacex starship stacked fifth flight gycd3lob0aqhpe

See SpaceX’s Starship rocket get stacked ahead of its fifth test flight

SpaceX has shared images of it Starship rocket, which is stacked and ready for a launch on its fifth flight test.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft atop, is vertical at the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch to the International Space Station.

SpaceX Crew-9 launch delayed again because of Tropical Storm Helene

As Florida braces for the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene, the launch of NASA's Crew-9 mission from the Kennedy Space Center has once again been delayed.
Crew-7's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on the launchpad.

How to watch SpaceX’s Crew-9 launch to the ISS on Saturday

SpaceX and NASA are targeting Saturday for the launch of the Crew-9 mission to the space station.
elon musk stylized image

Elon Musk shares new target date for Starship voyage to Mars

Elon Musk is aiming to launch about five uncrewed Starship voyages to Mars by 2026, but it's worth noting that the SpaceX CEO's forecasts often slip.
Europa Clipper.

Europa Clipper overcomes transistor issue and is ready for launch next month

This May, engineers working on NASA's Europa Clipper discovered a problem with the spacecraft and had to scramble to get it for launch.
SpaceX's Starship engines during a ground-based test.

Watch SpaceX fire up Starship engines ahead of fifth test flight

SpaceX shared footage of a recent static fire test involving its Starship spacecraft, a modified version of which is aimed at putting astronauts on the moon.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague smiles and gives two thumbs up during the crew equipment interface test at SpaceX’s Dragon refurbishing facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Why the SpaceX Crew-9 launch has been delayed again

The SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which will see just two astronauts head to the International Space Station, has been delayed once again.
London seen from the ISS.

London sparkles in astronaut’s gorgeous night shot from the ISS

A gorgeous image captured by a recent arrival at the International Space Station shows the night lights of London gleaming.
The two ‘phantoms’ of the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE), which will fly to the Moon on NASA's first Artemis I mission, occupy two of passenger seats (Seat #3 and Seat #4) in the Orion capsule.

How scientists are keeping the Orion spacecraft safe from radiation

NASA's Orion spacecraft will need to protect astronauts from dangerous radiation when they visit the moon in the upcoming Artemis missions.
This composite image of Arp 107, created with data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) and MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument), reveals a wealth of information about the star formation taking place in these two galaxies and how they collided hundreds of million years ago. The near-infrared data, shown in white, show older stars, which shine brightly in both galaxies, as well as the tenuous gas bridge that runs between them. The vibrant background galaxies are also brightly illuminated at these wavelengths.

James Webb image shows two galaxies in the process of colliding

A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope captures one of the universe's most dramatic events: the colliding of two galaxies.
Earth in a time-lapse captured from the ISS.

Time-lapse from ISS shows lightning and mysterious red light

In his final weeks aboard the ISS, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has shared a gorgeous time-lapse of Earth.
Crew Dragon Endeavour shortly before splashdown.

Polaris Dawn crew member describes the dramatic ride home

A member of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has described what it was like aboard the Crew Dragon as it entered Earth’s atmosphere at high speed last weekend.
Seville from Copernicus Sentinel-2C

See the first images from Europe’s Sentinel-2C satellite looking down on Earth

Earlier this month, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its newest Earth-observation satellite, known as Copernicus Sentinel-2C.