Astronomers have observed the earliest stages of rocky planet formation around a young sun-like star, HOPS-315, offering a rare glimpse into the dawn of planetary systems like our own. Using NASA’s Webb Telescope and the European Southern Observatory, they detected solid particles and minerals in the star’s gas disk, marking the first direct evidence of planets beginning to form. This discovery suggests that the processes … Continue reading Astronomers capture the birth of planets around a baby sun outside our solar system

SpaceX launched 26 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on Tuesday, July 15, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:05 p.m. PDT and successfully deployed the satellites into orbit. The rocket’s first stage landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean, Space.com has reported. This mission brings the total number of active … Continue reading SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California

At a Sotheby’s auction in New York, the largest Martian meteorite ever found on Earth sold for $5.3 million, setting a record as the most valuable meteorite ever auctioned. The 54-pound rock, discovered in Niger in 2023, traveled from Mars after an asteroid impact. However, a rare juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton stole the spotlight, selling for $30 million after a six-minute bidding war, far surpassing … Continue reading Largest piece of Mars on Earth fetches $5.3 million at auction

Scientists have discovered that Uranus emits about 12.5% more heat than it receives from the Sun, contradicting Voyager 2’s 1986 findings that suggested it had little internal heat. Using decades of spacecraft data and computer models, researchers found Uranus is still losing leftover heat from its formation, offering clues about its origins and evolution. This discovery could reshape theories about the planet’s structure and history, … Continue reading Scientists find Uranus is surprisingly warm

Astronomers have discovered a giant planet up to ten times the size of Jupiter hidden in the dense gas and dust around the young star MP Mus, about 280 light-years away. Using data from ALMA and the ESA’s Gaia mission, they detected the massive gas giant in the star’s protoplanetary disk—marking Gaia’s first such exoplanet discovery. This rare find, only the fourth strong detection of … Continue reading Astronomers discover monster exoplanet hiding in ‘stellar fog’

SpaceX successfully launched Israel’s Dror 1 communications satellite early Sunday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Dror 1 is the country’s most advanced communications satellite and will operate in geostationary orbit for up to 15 years. The mission, initially kept secret, was later confirmed by IAI. The Falcon 9 booster completed its 13th flight and landed on a droneship, Spaceflight … Continue reading SpaceX launches Israeli satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

At least 2,145 senior NASA employees (GS-13 to GS-15 ranks) are set to leave under early retirement and buyout offers, as part of broader efforts to reduce the federal workforce. These departures make up most of the 2,694 civil servants who have agreed to leave so far and will significantly impact NASA’s technical and managerial expertise, particularly in science and human spaceflight. The cuts come amid a proposed 25% White … Continue reading Over 2,000 senior staff set to leave NASA under agency push

On July 7, 2025, NASA released striking new images from the Hubble and Webb space telescopes showing two star clusters, NGC 460 and NGC 456, in the Small Magellanic Cloud—a nearby dwarf galaxy. By combining Hubble’s visible-light and Webb’s infrared views, scientists gained unprecedented insight into star birth and evolution in conditions resembling the early universe. The images reveal detailed gas, dust, and stellar structures, … Continue reading Hubble and Webb Teamed Up to Reveal the Hidden Faces of a Star-forming Region

Bavarian startup The Exploration Company (TEC) is investigating the loss of its “Nyx Mission Possible” space capsule, which carried the ashes of 166 people and was supposed to return them to Earth after orbiting twice. The capsule re-entered the atmosphere but lost communication just before parachute deployment, and recovery is unlikely. TEC apologized to clients and formed an independent investigation team. The capsule also carried … Continue reading German space capsule lost carrying ashes of 166 people

A Russian Progress 92 cargo spacecraft launched today (July 3) atop a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the International Space Station. The uncrewed freighter is set to dock with the ISS’s Poisk module on Saturday, replacing Progress 90, which recently departed. Progress is one of three cargo vehicles servicing the ISS, alongside Northrop … Continue reading Russia launches Progress 92 cargo ship toward the ISS

Astronomers have discovered an interstellar comet, officially named 3I/ATLAS, making it only the third known object from beyond our solar system to visit. First spotted by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, the comet is moving at nearly 37 miles per second—too fast to be bound by the Sun’s gravity. Analysis confirms it came from outside our solar system, likely traveling for millions of years, CNN … Continue reading Astronomers spot an interstellar object zipping through our solar system

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the advanced European weather satellite MTG-S1 on July 1 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The rocket’s first stage landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, marking its ninth flight. MTG-S1 will enter geostationary orbit to deliver frequent, detailed weather data over Europe and northern Africa, Space.com has reported. Operated by EUMETSAT, the satellite carries … Continue reading SpaceX launches advanced European weather satellite

Citizen scientists using NASA’s TESS mission have discovered TOI-4465 b, a rare, relatively cool gas giant about 400 light-years away. Roughly six times Jupiter’s mass and 1.25 times its width, it orbits its star every 102 days in an elliptical path, with temperatures between 200 and 400 °F. Unlike scorching “hot Jupiters” or frigid ice giants, TOI-4465 b occupies an underexplored middle ground, offering valuable clues … Continue reading NASA exoplanet-hunting spacecraft and citizen scientists discover a new alien world

SpaceX launched two Starlink missions on Saturday, June 28, sending a total of 53 broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. The first Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 12:26 a.m. EDT, carrying 27 satellites, while the second launched from Vandenberg, California, at 1:13 p.m. EDT with 26 satellites. Both rocket boosters successfully landed on droneships after their flights, marking the fifth flight for … Continue reading SpaceX sends two batches of Starlink satellites on Saturday

A bright flash and loud boom startled parts of the southeastern U.S. on Wednesday afternoon as a suspected fireball streaked across the sky around 12:30 p.m. The rare daytime event was seen on cameras in Atlanta and reported from Tennessee to South Carolina, shaking homes and prompting 911 calls. Experts believe it was likely a large meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere, possibly dropping meteorites, NBC 9 News … Continue reading Fireball streaks across Atlanta sky, rattles homes

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 23, carrying 70 payloads on its Transporter 14 rideshare mission. The payloads include microsats, cubesats, reentry capsules, and a memorial mission carrying cremated remains and DNA aboard The Exploration Company’s Nyx reusable spacecraft. The Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You,” marking … Continue reading SpaceX launches human remains, reentry capsules and more on Transporter 14

A laser navigation issue caused Japanese company ispace’s lunar lander, Resilience, to crash into the moon earlier this month, marking their second failed landing attempt in two years. The lander was descending rapidly when its laser range finder failed to properly measure distance, leading to the crash near the moon’s Mare Frigoris. Despite past setbacks, including a 2023 crash due to bad software, ispace plans … Continue reading Japanese company blames laser tool for its 2nd crash landing on the moon

Scientists detected a mysterious, powerful radio pulse from Relay 2, a NASA satellite that has been inactive since the 1960s. The brief flash, lasting less than 30 nanoseconds, was so intense it outshone all other sky objects momentarily. Using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, researchers pinpointed the signal to within 20,000 km of Earth, matching Relay 2’s location. Since the satellite has been dead … Continue reading Mysterious “Dead” Satellite Sends Powerful Signal to Earth After Decades

A new study suggests there’s a small but notable chance a passing star could disrupt our solar system’s stability over the next few billion years. Thousands of simulations show that such stars may cause significant changes in the orbits of planets like Mercury and Pluto, increasing the risk of collisions or ejections. While Earth’s chance of being involved in a planetary collision or ejection is … Continue reading Passing Star could throw Earth out of orbit or into the Sun

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has completed its latest observations of asteroid 2024 YR4, a building-sized space rock that poses no threat to Earth but may strike the moon. New data from JWST has refined the asteroid’s trajectory, raising the chance of a lunar impact on December 22, 2032, to 4.3%. Originally discovered in December 2024, the asteroid once had a small chance of … Continue reading Webb telescope ups the odds that ‘city-killer’ asteroid will hit the moon in 2032

Two Chinese satellites, Shijian-21 and Shijian-25, appear to be maneuvering for a potential rendezvous and docking in geostationary orbit (GEO), possibly for an on-orbit refueling test. Shijian-25, launched in January for servicing missions, is approaching Shijian-21, which has previously towed a defunct satellite to graveyard orbit. Both are now in closely matched orbits, minimizing fuel use for docking. The proximity operations, expected around June 11, … Continue reading Chinese spacecraft prepare for orbital refueling test as US surveillance sats lurk nearby

A SpaceX Starship prototype, Starship 36, exploded during a routine static fire test at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas late Wednesday. The rocket experienced a “catastrophic failure” while secured to a test stand, though no injuries or hazards to nearby communities were reported. The incident marks the latest setback for Elon Musk’s goal of developing a reusable rocket for Mars colonization. Standing 123 meters … Continue reading SpaceX rocket explodes in new setback

In a surprising move, Honda successfully launched and landed a prototype reusable rocket on June 17, aiming for suborbital spaceflight by 2029. The 20.6-foot rocket reached 889 feet during testing in northern Japan, demonstrating key reusability technologies. While still in early research phases, Honda has expanded its space efforts through U.S.-based initiatives and partnerships, including ISS tech trials and satellite refueling systems, Gizmodo has reported. … Continue reading Honda Unexpectedly Enters the Space Race With First Successful Rocket Launch

A sunspot facing Earth has rapidly become highly active, producing multiple strong M-class solar flares in under 24 hours, including a powerful M8.46 flare on June 15—just below the strongest X-class level. This flare also triggered a coronal mass ejection (CME), part of which may reach Earth around June 18. If it does, it could cause minor geomagnetic storms and possibly visible auroras in northern … Continue reading Powerful solar flare erupts from sun triggering radio blackouts across North America

Astronomers have used fast radio bursts (FRBs)—brief, powerful flashes of radio waves—to detect previously unseen ordinary matter in the universe, helping solve the long-standing “missing baryon problem.” While dark matter and dark energy dominate the cosmos, only about 10% of ordinary matter had been directly observed. The rest, believed to be spread across the intergalactic medium, was too diffuse to detect—until now, CNN has reported. … Continue reading Mysterious fast radio bursts help astronomers pinpoint cosmic ‘missing’ matter