DARPA has launched the Lunar Assay via Small Satellite Orbiter (LASSO) program, seeking proposals for a lunar orbiter to test navigation and propulsion technologies in very low orbits (as low as 10 km). The mission aims to map the lunar surface for water ice, focusing on regions with at least 5% subsurface concentrations. This effort could improve space situational awareness (SSA) in cislunar space and … Continue reading DARPA requests proposals for water-prospecting lunar orbiter

NASA’s Dragonfly mission, aimed at investigating Saturn’s moon Titan for signs of life, has passed its Critical Design Review, ensuring it remains on track for a 2028 launch. The car-sized, nuclear-powered rotorcraft will study Titan’s surface, searching for prebiotic chemistry and potential life. With a budget of $3.35 billion, the mission is set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, embarking on a nearly … Continue reading NASA’s Dragonfly nuclear-powered helicopter clears key hurdle ahead of 2028 launch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral on Sunday night, carrying 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 for direct-to-cell service. The launch occurred at 10:09 p.m. EDT, marking SpaceX’s 48th Falcon 9 launch of 2025. The booster used, B1077, completed its 20th flight, landing on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after liftoff. The 23 satellites were … Continue reading SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has captured the first-ever image of the Curiosity rover mid-drive across Mars. Taken on Feb. 28 by the HiRISE camera, the photo shows Curiosity making tracks through Gale Crater. These tracks, spanning about 1,050 feet, mark 11 recent drives as the rover moves toward a region with possible ancient groundwater formations, Space.com has reported. Curiosity has been exploring Mars since … Continue reading Mars orbiter snaps 1st image of Curiosity rover driving on the Red Planet

Early Friday morning, a planetary alignment featuring Mercury, Venus, and Saturn will be visible alongside a crescent moon, about 45 minutes before sunrise in the eastern sky, according to NASA. Venus and Saturn will be easiest to spot, with Mercury appearing low on the horizon. This “planet parade” is one of several in 2025, with another set to occur in August, NPR has reported. Stargazers … Continue reading Mercury, Venus and Saturn to delight stargazers in a parade across the sky

NASA’s oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, returned to Earth from the International Space Station on his 70th birthday, April 20. He and his Soyuz MS-26 crewmates, Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, landed in Kazakhstan after 220 days in space. Pettit, who now has a career total of 590 days in orbit, conducted science experiments, photographed Earth, and helped manage crew and cargo missions … Continue reading NASA’s oldest active astronaut lands with space station crewmates on his 70th birthday

On Easter Sunday, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft had a scheduled flyby of asteroid Donaldjohanson, part of a test ahead of its main mission to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on a 12-year mission to uncover clues about the early solar system and the origins of life. This flyby, just 620 miles from the asteroid, allowed scientists to rehearse using Lucy’s instruments. The … Continue reading NASA’s Lucy probe flies by the asteroid Donaldjohanson on Easter Sunday

A bright object that lit up the skies over Mexico City early Wednesday, initially thought to be a meteorite, was identified by scientists as a bolide, or a fireball. The object, about 1.5 meters long, disintegrated in the atmosphere and posed no threat to the public. It sparked awe and quickly became a viral sensation on social media, with memes and jokes circulating, the Associated … Continue reading A ‘fireball’ lights up Mexico City skies

Scientists are developing a quantum sensor for low Earth orbit that can detect tiny changes in Earth’s gravity, caused by factors like moving water or tectonic shifts. This device could help map underground features such as aquifers and mineral deposits, crucial for navigation, resource management, and national security. The sensor, based on atom interferometry, uses cooled atoms and lasers to measure gravity changes with extreme … Continue reading NASA developing 1st-ever space-based quantum sensor for gravity measurements

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected potential signs of life on the exoplanet K2-18b, located 124 light-years away. The team found two chemicals, dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide, which are typically produced by life on Earth. While the findings suggest the possibility of biological activity, researchers caution that more observations are needed to confirm these results. K2-18b, an ocean world in … Continue reading Astronomers say they’ve found strongest ever ‘hints’ of life beyond our solar system

On April 10, 2025, China launched its third satellite in the classified TJS series using a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The payload, named TJS-17, is a communication technology experiment satellite designed for high-speed satellite communication verification. The TJS series operates mainly in geostationary orbit and is believed to support classified missions for China’s military, including signals intelligence and satellite … Continue reading China launches TJS-17, expanding classified geostationary satellite series

On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin launched its NS-31 mission, sending pop star Katy Perry and five other women into suborbital space, marking the first all-female crewed spaceflight since 1963. The crew included TV host Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics researcher Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, and journalist Lauren Sánchez, who organized the flight. The mission, aboard the New Shepard rocket, … Continue reading Katy Perry and Gayle King launch to space with 4 others on historic all-female Blue Origin rocket flight

SpaceX set a new reflight record with its Falcon 9 rocket, launching for the 27th time on April 14, 2025, from Cape Canaveral. This mission, carrying 27 Starlink satellites, marked the 27th successful launch for the rocket’s first stage, which safely landed on the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” after launch. This was SpaceX’s 43rd Falcon 9 launch of the year, with 29 dedicated … Continue reading SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 27 Starlink satellites to orbit on record-breaking 27th flight

The Sun recently released an unusually large burst of helium-3 (³He), a rare isotope typically found in very low amounts. Detected by NASA and ESA’s Solar Orbiter, the event showed a 200,000-fold spike in ³He particles, likely accelerated by a small solar jet from a quiet region of the Sun. This supports theories that ³He enrichment occurs in less active solar areas, Space.com has reported. … Continue reading The sun just leaked a huge amount of helium-3 

NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered safe mode twice during its April 4 flyby of Jupiter, suspending science operations after detecting anomalies. The spacecraft, which is solar-powered, rebooted and maintained communication as designed. Initial signs suggest intense radiation near Jupiter triggered the events. Juno has now entered safe mode four times since 2016 but has recovered fully each time, Phys.org has reported. The mission team is analyzing … Continue reading NASA’s Juno back to normal operations after entering safe mode

A once-dormant supermassive black hole in galaxy SDSS1335+0728, about 300 million light-years away, has erupted with the most powerful and longest-lasting X-ray flares ever seen. Nicknamed “Ansky,” the black hole began showing quasiperiodic eruptions (QPEs) in late 2019, with bursts now occurring every 4.5 days—ten times longer and more energetic than typical QPEs. The cause of these eruptions remains unclear, challenging current theories. Scientists believe … Continue reading NASA spacecraft spots monster black hole bursting with X-rays

NASA’s images of Mars have sparked debates about the possibility of ancient alien life on the planet. A notable image from 2011 shows what appears to be an “exclamation mark” on Mars, captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in the Libya Montes region. Some, like George J. Haas from The Cydonia Institute, argue this could be evidence of a lost alien civilization, citing its unusual … Continue reading Mysterious landmarks on Mars have been discovered by NASA

Recent weirdness in satellite imagery is due to a transition between old and new satellites. GOES-19, the latest in NOAA and NASA’s GOES-R series, is replacing GOES-16 as the main satellite for the eastern U.S. This upgrade improves image quality and storm tracking with faster scans and higher resolution. The temporary glitches were caused during the repositioning phase, CBS News has reported. GOES-19 officially takes … Continue reading NOAA’s most advanced weather monitoring system will be operational soon

NASA has opened a new call for proposals for private astronaut missions (PAMs) to the International Space Station, allowing missions to be commanded by non-NASA astronauts. The latest solicitation, announced on April 2, 2024, is for the fifth and sixth PAMs, part of NASA’s plan to commercialize low Earth orbit. While the previous rules required the commander to be a former NASA astronaut with ISS … Continue reading NASA seeks proposals for two private astronaut missions to ISS

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams revealed that the Boeing Starliner came close to failing its docking attempt with the International Space Station on June 5, 2024. During the approach, the spacecraft lost multiple thrusters, including a crucial fourth thruster, which affected its maneuverability. Despite the risk of aborting the mission, NASA waived flight rules to continue. The astronauts, worried about losing communication with … Continue reading NASA astronaut reveals they nearly failed to dock Boeing Starliner to International Space Station

Four space tourists returned to Earth on Friday after completing a privately funded polar tour in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The crew, led by Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, orbited both the North and South Poles during their 3.5-day mission. Wang, along with Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips, experienced space motion sickness but recovered quickly. They … Continue reading Four space tourists return to Earth after a private flight over the poles

After a weather delay, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, March 31, carrying 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites—the largest batch of this type to date. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:52 p.m. EDT, with booster B1080 completing its 17th flight and landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. These upgraded satellites feature enhanced antennas, avionics, and propulsion, optimizing them … Continue reading SpaceX launches 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter has captured an unprecedented video of a massive, spiraling solar wind jet stretching over 1.2 million miles from the Sun’s surface. Observed by the Metis coronagraph during the spacecraft’s perihelion passage, the footage provides the clearest view yet of Alfvénic waves launching solar wind into space. This discovery could help scientists better understand how solar wind forms and impacts Earth’s space … Continue reading A Million-Mile-Long Plasma Twist Just Launched From the Sun

SpaceX is preparing for its unique Fram2 mission, set to launch on March 31, 2025, sending four private astronauts into a polar orbit to observe Earth’s remote regions. The crew will fly at an altitude of 265 to 280 miles above Earth, becoming the first to orbit the planet’s poles. The mission, funded by Chun Wang, includes crew members Jannicke Mikkelsen, Eric Philips, and Rabea … Continue reading Upcoming Private SpaceX Mission Will Boldly Go Where No Human Has Orbited Before

NASA is closely monitoring the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), a large region of weakened magnetic intensity above Earth, stretching between South America and southwest Africa. This anomaly, which doesn’t impact life on Earth but poses a risk to satellites and spacecraft, can cause malfunctions due to exposure to charged particles from the Sun. The SAA, likened to a “pothole in space,” weakens the magnetic field, … Continue reading NASA Is Watching a Huge, Growing Anomaly in Earth’s Magnetic Field