NASA’s Roman Telescope Will Observe Thousands of Newfound Cosmic Voids

The observable universe contains up to two trillion galaxies, which are not randomly scattered but instead form giant cosmic “bubbles” separated by mostly empty regions called cosmic voids. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will map these voids with unprecedented precision, helping scientists study the universe’s expansion and the mysterious roles of dark matter and dark energy. By combining galaxy positions and spectroscopic redshifts, astronomers … Continue reading NASA’s Roman Telescope Will Observe Thousands of Newfound Cosmic Voids

James Webb Space Telescope finds 1st evidence of ‘dinosaur-like’ stars in the early universe

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope may have found the first evidence of “monster” stars that existed shortly after the Big Bang, with masses up to 10,000 times that of the sun. These prehistoric stars, now extinct, likely collapsed into massive black holes, leaving behind chemical “fossils” in the universe. The discovery came from studying the galaxy GS 3073, 12.7 billion light-years away, where … Continue reading James Webb Space Telescope finds 1st evidence of ‘dinosaur-like’ stars in the early universe

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites into orbit on 100th Falcon 9 flight

SpaceX successfully launched 29 Starlink satellites from Florida early Monday, marking the 100th Falcon 9 flight from the state in 2025. The rocket lifted off at 12:25 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 and reached space about 8 minutes and 40 seconds later. After a coast period and a second engine burn, the Falcon 9 upper stage deployed the satellites, completing the … Continue reading SpaceX launches Starlink satellites into orbit on 100th Falcon 9 flight

Atlas V rocket launch 27 of Amazon’s internet satellites to orbit

United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch 27 Amazon Leo satellites on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral on Monday, Dec. 15, at 3:49 a.m. EST. Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, aims to build a 3,200-satellite internet megaconstellation in low Earth orbit across more than 80 launches. This will be the fourth Atlas V mission for the project, which has already placed 153 satellites in … Continue reading Atlas V rocket launch 27 of Amazon’s internet satellites to orbit

‘Spaceship’ 3I/ATLAS dramatically changes colour as Earth approach just days away

A mysterious interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, is reportedly “changing colours” as it approaches its closest point to Earth, sparking speculation that it could be an alien spaceship. Theoretical physicist Avi Loeb, who has long suggested that some interstellar objects may be artificial, believes the object is not a natural comet but a potential craft from another galaxy. Recent satellite imagery shows its surrounding halo shifting from … Continue reading ‘Spaceship’ 3I/ATLAS dramatically changes colour as Earth approach just days away

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California on 160th Falcon 9 flight of the year

SpaceX launched a new batch of 27 Starlink satellites early Wednesday, marking the company’s 160th Falcon 9 flight of 2025. The launch took place at 6:40 a.m. EST from Vandenberg Space Force Base, with the satellites deployed into low Earth orbit just over an hour later. The Falcon 9 first stage completed its 18th flight, landing safely on the droneship Of Course I Still Love … Continue reading SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California on 160th Falcon 9 flight of the year

Chinese astronauts inspect damaged Shenzhou 20 spacecraft during 8-hour spacewalk

Chinese astronauts on the Shenzhou 21 mission conducted an eight-hour spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on December 9 to inspect and maintain equipment. During the EVA, they photographed cracks in the Shenzhou 20 capsule’s windows, installed a space debris protection system, and replaced the cover of a temperature control adapter. The damage to Shenzhou 20 was caused by a space junk strike, making it … Continue reading Chinese astronauts inspect damaged Shenzhou 20 spacecraft during 8-hour spacewalk

NASA loses contact with its Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade

NASA has lost contact with its Maven spacecraft, which has orbited Mars since 2014, after it failed to communicate following its passage behind the planet. Maven, launched in 2013, studies Mars’ upper atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind, helping explain how the planet lost much of its atmosphere over time. The spacecraft also serves as a communication relay for the Curiosity and Perseverance … Continue reading NASA loses contact with its Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade

The James Webb Space Telescope just found the oldest supernova ever seen

Astronomers have observed the most distant supernova ever seen, dating back 13 billion years, just 730 million years after the Big Bang, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The explosion, accompanied by a gamma-ray burst (GRB 250314A), marks the death of a massive star and possibly the birth of a stellar-mass black hole. Initial detection came from the SVOM satellite and NASA’s Swift Observatory, … Continue reading The James Webb Space Telescope just found the oldest supernova ever seen

Black hole spotted blasting winds at 130 million mph

Astronomers have observed ultra-fast winds from a black hole in the spiral galaxy NGC 3783, traveling at 60,000 km/s, or about 20% the speed of light. The black hole, with a mass of 30 million suns, powers an active galactic nucleus that emits intense radiation and drives these powerful winds. Researchers found that bursts of X-ray light from the black hole trigger the winds within … Continue reading Black hole spotted blasting winds at 130 million mph

SpaceX launches mysterious NROL-77 mission for the US military

SpaceX successfully launched a classified U.S. military payload, NROL-77, from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 9 at 2:16 p.m. EDT. The mission, for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), carries a national security satellite, though specific details about the payload remain secret. The mission patch features a flying squirrel and the motto “Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow and Beyond,” symbolizing endurance and knowledge-gathering in space. This … Continue reading SpaceX launches mysterious NROL-77 mission for the US military

Sun unleashes intense X-class solar flare, triggering radio blackouts across Australia

Early on Dec. 8, the Sun unleashed a powerful X1.1-class solar flare from sunspot region AR4298, temporarily disrupting radio communications across Australia and parts of Southeast Asia. The flare, which peaked at 12:01 a.m. EST, also ejected a coronal mass ejection (CME), though initial analyses indicate it is not Earth-directed. The eruption adds to an active week of solar activity, with several earlier CMEs expected … Continue reading Sun unleashes intense X-class solar flare, triggering radio blackouts across Australia

NASA astronaut, two Russian cosmonauts return to Earth from space station

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky safely returned to Earth Tuesday after an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station, landing on the Kazakh steppe. The Soyuz MS-27/73S undocked Monday evening, endured re-entry temperatures of 2,500°F, and parachuted to a precise landing at 12:03 a.m. EST. Russian recovery crews quickly extracted the crew, conducted medical checks, and prepared them for … Continue reading NASA astronaut, two Russian cosmonauts return to Earth from space station

SpaceX gets approval to build Starship launch complex at Cape Canaveral

The Department of the Air Force has approved SpaceX’s plan to convert the former Delta 4 launch site, SLC-37 at Cape Canaveral, into a Starship launch complex. The approval followed completion of an environmental impact statement, which found no major environmental concerns aside from significant noise and overpressure during launches and landings. An early plan to build an additional Starship site, SLC-50, was dropped due … Continue reading SpaceX gets approval to build Starship launch complex at Cape Canaveral

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites from Vandenberg in California

SpaceX launched 29 new Starlink satellites on Dec. 7 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 12:58 a.m. EST and reached low Earth orbit about nine minutes later, with the satellites deployed roughly an hour after launch. The rocket’s first stage, B1088, completed its 12th flight and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in … Continue reading SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites from Vandenberg in California

ESA images show 3I/ATLAS getting active ahead of its close encounter with Earth

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known object from outside our solar system, is departing the inner solar system after months of high-speed travel at roughly 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h). Discovered in June and confirmed in July, it made close approaches to Mars and the Sun in October and will pass about 170 million miles from Earth on December 19. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and … Continue reading ESA images show 3I/ATLAS getting active ahead of its close encounter with Earth

For the 1st time ever, 8 spacecraft are docked to the International Space Station

For the first time in its history, all eight docking ports on the International Space Station (ISS) are fully occupied, NASA announced. The crowded station required NASA’s robotic Canadarm2 to temporarily move the Northrop Grumman Cygnus-23 cargo spacecraft to make room for the Thanksgiving Day arrival of the Soyuz MS-28 crew carrying Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergei Mikaev for an eight-month mission. Other spacecraft … Continue reading For the 1st time ever, 8 spacecraft are docked to the International Space Station

Russia replaces cosmonaut after alleged security breach at SpaceX facility

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev has been removed from the upcoming Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station after allegedly photographing restricted SpaceX materials at the company’s Hawthorne training facility. Artemyev reportedly used his phone to take images of sensitive engines and documents and attempted to remove them from the site, prompting an interagency investigation, according to Russian media. Roscosmos announced that 43-year-old Andrey Fedyaev, who … Continue reading Russia replaces cosmonaut after alleged security breach at SpaceX facility

China’s 1st reusable rocket explodes in dramatic fireball during landing after reaching orbit

Chinese company Landspace’s first test flight of its Zhuque-3 rocket successfully reached orbit but ended with the first stage exploding during reentry. Launched on December 2 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the 66-meter reusable rocket placed its expendable second stage into orbit before its first-stage booster lost an engine during landing, caught fire, and crashed. Despite the fiery failure, Landspace called the flight a … Continue reading China’s 1st reusable rocket explodes in dramatic fireball during landing after reaching orbit

“Space gum” and sugars discovered in asteroid Bennu samples, NASA reveals

Samples from asteroid Bennu are providing new insights into the origins of the solar system and the beginnings of life. Since NASA’s Osiris-REx spacecraft returned the material to Earth in 2020, scientists have identified sugars and a previously unseen “gum-like” substance in the asteroid samples. Three new studies, published in Nature Geosciences and Nature Astronomy, detail these findings: one highlights sugars as essential building blocks … Continue reading “Space gum” and sugars discovered in asteroid Bennu samples, NASA reveals

3I/ATLAS to make its closest approach to Earth in December

December marks the closest approach of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to Earth, giving astronomers a rare opportunity to observe it. The comet, composed of planetary material from another star, has captured both scientific and popular attention. While some conspiracy theories speculate it could be alien technology, astronomers and space agencies confirm it is not a spaceship. This event represents a rare chance to study an … Continue reading 3I/ATLAS to make its closest approach to Earth in December

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 29 Starlink satellites

Twenty-nine new Starlink satellites were successfully deployed into low Earth orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on December 2 from Cape Canaveral. The launch occurred at 5:18 p.m. EST, and the satellites were released 1 hour and 5 minutes later. The Falcon 9’s first stage, Booster 1077, completed its 25th flight and landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. … Continue reading SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 29 Starlink satellites

Geomagnetic storm watch issued after powerful solar flare is seen erupting from sun

A powerful X1.9-class solar flare erupted from a newly emerged sunspot (AR4299) on Sunday, November 30, prompting a geomagnetic storm watch. The flare briefly disrupted radio communications in Australia and parts of Southeast Asia. A coronal mass ejection (CME) accompanied the flare, which could affect power grids, navigation systems, and spacecraft, though major impacts on Earth are not expected. The CME may cause minor technological … Continue reading Geomagnetic storm watch issued after powerful solar flare is seen erupting from sun

Russian cosmodrome damaged after Soyuz launch to ISS

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut successfully docked with the International Space Station despite damage to the launch pad in Kazakhstan. Roscosmos reported that several elements of the Baikonur Cosmodrome pad were damaged during liftoff but said repairs would be made quickly. The crew—cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, and NASA astronaut Chris Williams—will spend eight months aboard the ISS. … Continue reading Russian cosmodrome damaged after Soyuz launch to ISS

Lightning detected on Mars for the first time, scientists say

Scientists may have recorded electrical activity—nicknamed “mini lightning”—in Mars’ atmosphere for the first time, using audio and electromagnetic data from NASA’s Perseverance rover. The discharges were linked to dust devils and dust storm fronts in the Jezero Crater region, suggesting Mars can generate atmospheric electricity. The findings, analyzed over 28 hours of recordings spanning two Martian years, have implications for Martian chemistry, climate, habitability, and … Continue reading Lightning detected on Mars for the first time, scientists say