Astronauts just flew to Earth orbit space atop a rocket emblazoned with an energy-drink ad. The Soyuz MS-29 launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday (July 14), from the Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used a Soyuz rocket festooned with ads for Лимонад (“Lemonade”) LIT ENERGY. The ads are visible in shots of the […]
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NASA is picking up the pace on its Artemis III mission preparations, pressing forward on multiple fronts to assemble launch vehicle hardware and beginning routine simulations inside Artemis mission control. The agency is “full steam ahead,” according to a July 13 NASA update. Across Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, components of Artemis III’s Space […]
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Rocket Lab has completed a major qualification test for its formidable Archimedes engine, which will power the company’s next-gen Neutron launch vehicle. As Rocket Lab continues with regular launches of its workhorse small-lift Electron rocket, development of Neutron has carried on in the background, progressing toward a possible debut later this year. The company recently […]
Read MoreGerman company Isar Aerospace is expanding its operations overseas after signing an agreement with Canada’s Maritime Launch Services for use of its Spaceport Nova Scotia. The deal allows Isar to design and operate the pad infrastructure based on the company’s needs, in order to launch its Spectrum rocket. In return, Maritime Launch Services (MLS) will […]
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A “space jellyfish” cloud lit up the early morning sky following a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. (Image credit: SpaceX) Is it a space jellyfish? Is it an alien? No, it’s the aftermath of a SpaceX rocket launch! What is it? Have you ever looked up and thought, “Why is there a giant glowing jellyfish cloud […]
Read MoreWally Funk, who flew to space at 82 after a lifetime of flying and fighting for women in aviation and aerospace, has passed away at age 87. Born in Texas in 1939, Funk was determined to take to the skies, flying as a teenager and becoming a professional aviator at the tender age of 20. […]
Read MoreSpaceX is nothing if not ambitious. Elon Musk‘s company just filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate a 100,000-member constellation of “Gen3” satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). This will presumably be an updated version of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, according to astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who reported […]
Read MoreIs there life on Mars … in clay? Scientists think that the minerals in clay could be the key to finding signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The European Space Agency is still working toward launching its ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars to search for signs of life. And, according to a […]
Read Moreispace is expanding its already extensive moon plans to include SpaceX’s Starship megarocket. The Tokyo-based company announced today (July 8) that it has booked 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of cargo capacity on Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, for a moon mission that could launch as soon as 2030. The deal is […]
Read MoreNASA’s nuclear-powered mission to Mars is taking shape with the selection of Firefly Aerospace to design and manufacture the protective aeroshell that will shield the Skyfall spacecraft’s descent stage during its plummet through the Martian atmosphere. Skyfall, slated to be NASA’s first-ever nuclear powered interplanetary probe, is scheduled to launch in 2028 with three helicopters […]
Read MoreA constellation of cubesats fitted with special detectors could sniff out nuclear weapons hidden on satellites launched by adversary nations, according to a new study. In 2024, rumors began to swirl in military circles that Russia might be developing a space-borne nuclear weapon. At that time, two years into the war in Ukraine, Russia was […]
Read MoreThe American Earth-observation company Vantor maps Earth from space in 3D. The images are available in near-real time, revealing immediate effects of natural disasters and armed conflict. What is more, the images are also absolutely stunning. Vantor, which operates a fleet of 10 satellites that image the surface of the planet with a resolution of […]
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The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the clean room at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 26, 2026. (Image credit: NASA/Sydney Rohde (Rocz)) NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is hanging out in the clean room at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, preparing for its epic journey to space. What […]
Read MoreBOULDER, Colorado – Humans have been exploring outer space since April 1961 with the pioneering flight of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Today, several nations are making new plans to launch human beings back to the moon, then onward to Mars and perhaps beyond. But will that pursuit be short-circuited by the fast-paced merger of artificial […]
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A U.S. Space Force mission pitting two satellites against each other has been deemed a success, completing its first tactical intercept of an orbital target. The news comes less than two weeks after Rocket Lab broke a spaceflight readiness record, launching the company’s Pioneer-class Puma satellite aboard an Electron rocket on June 19, delivering the […]
Read MoreThe United States has taken some significant steps into the final frontier during its first 250 years. The nation has put people on the moon, helped build and operate a long-running space station in low Earth orbit (LEO) and sent fleets of robotic explorers to many corners of the solar system — and even beyond […]
Read MoreSpaceX grew its Starlink network by 24 more satellites on Wednesday evening (July 1) with a launch from California. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the two dozen new relay spacecraft (Group 17-46) lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:58 p.m. EDT (0258 GMT on July 2 or […]
Read MoreLess than a week after its last test, SpaceX’s latest Starship spacecraft went back to the stand for engine checkouts ahead of a coming test flight. The upper stage for SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket, referred to simply as “Ship” — Ship 40, in this case — underwent a static-fire test of all six of its […]
Read MoreIt’s unclear when Boeing will be able to send more astronauts to the International Space Station, a new NASA audit warns. Technical issues with Boeing Starliner’s spacecraft, across two uncrewed flights and a two-astronaut test mission known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), come under scrutiny in a new report about NASA‘s Commercial Crew Program from […]
Read MoreBlue Origin has started rebuilding the launch pad damaged by an explosive accident last month, but the company is working from a very different blueprint this time around. The company’s huge New Glenn rocket exploded on May 28 during a routine engine test at Launch Complex 36A (LC-36A) at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. […]
Read MoreTwo NASA astronauts gave a robotic arm a hand up — or rather, a replacement wrist joint — during a successful spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday (June 30). Chris Williams and Jessica Meir, both flight engineers on the station’s Expedition 74 crew, spent seven hours and 20 minutes repairing the Canadarm2 remote […]
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Land surface temperature data captured by Europe’s Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission on Wednesday, June 23, 2026. The data were captured in the late morning, local time. (Image credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2026), processed by ESA) Over 1,300 deaths have been attributed to a heat wave that swept across Europe and broke temperature records earlier […]
Read MoreCalifornia-based launch company Rocket Lab has inked a landmark $8 billion deal to acquire long-time satellite communications giant Iridium. Rocket Lab has brought a variety of companies into its space systems architecture in recent years, but none of those previous purchases were as notable as the acquisition announced today (June 29). Rocket Lab and Iridium […]
Read MoreTwo NASA astronauts will fix the International Space Station’s big robotic arm during a spacewalk on Tuesday (June 30), and you can watch the action live. Chris Williams and Jessica Meir will perform a roughly 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) today, starting at about 8:35 a.m. EDT (1235 GMT). You can watch […]
Read MoreAn air-launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled to fly for the very last time early Tuesday morning (June 30), sending a private spacecraft on a rescue mission to save one of NASA’s most iconic space telescopes from falling back to Earth. The Swift Boost mission will send the LINK satellite, built by Arizona-based […]
Read MoreBlue Origin is hard at work at its Cape Canaveral launch pad, collecting debris and repairing the damage after an explosive accident last month. The company’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a fueling test last month at Launch Complex-36 (LC-36). The resulting fireball laid waste to the surrounding facility, and erupted in a burst with […]
Read MoreAbout a month has passed since the first launch of SpaceX’s “Version 3” Starship rocket, and the spaceflight company has already begun testing on its next such vehicle. SpaceX recently transported Ship 40, the upper stage in line to launch Starship’s upcoming Flight 13 demonstration mission, to the Massey test site at its facilities in […]
Read MoreChina is set to expand its space station from three to six modules in the coming years and add a co-orbiting Hubble-class space observatory, even as the International Space Station approaches the end of its lifetime. The three-module, T-shaped Tiangong space station was assembled in orbit across 2021 and 2022 and has hosted numerous three-astronaut […]
Read MoreLOS ANGELES — The space shuttle Endeavour is absolutely breathtaking in its 20-story new home at the California Science Center’s brand-new Air & Space Center, which is set to open on Nov. 13, the museum announced on Wednesday (June 24). After over three decades of ideation, development and construction, the California Science Center has officially […]
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Over the past 80 years, America’s bold, sustained investment in scientific research, and the discoveries, ideas and innovations that flowed from it made America a world leader. The nation’s scientific leadership has been essential to our shared prosperity and national security, and delivered real benefits for all Americans. On June 16, Scientific American released a special […]
Read MoreNASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon and bolster a rapidly growing commercial space industry is facing an infrastructure obstacle. A new report from NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) warns that launch facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia are approaching capacity as demand accelerates […]
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