Scientists are studying a newly discovered space object, comet 3I/ATLAS, but Harvard’s Professor Avi Loeb suggests it might be of alien origin. While most see it as a comet, Loeb points to its unusual path near Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, and believes it could be intelligently controlled. He urges caution and proposes assessing its risk on a scale from natural comet (0) to a technologically … Continue reading Harvard scientist believes interstellar comet could be alien craft

Australia achieved a major milestone with its first homegrown orbital rocket launch attempt on July 29, as Gilmour Space launched its Eris-1 rocket from Queensland’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport. The rocket lifted off but veered sideways and crashed just 14 seconds later. Despite the failure, Gilmour Space called it a significant step, collecting valuable data to improve future missions. This marked the first orbital launch attempt … Continue reading Australia’s 1st orbital rocket, Gilmour Space’s Eris, fails on historic debut launch

Firefly Aerospace secured a $176.7 million NASA contract to deliver five payloads to the Moon’s South Pole in 2029 via its Elytra Dark orbital vehicle and Blue Ghost lunar lander. The mission, Blue Ghost 4, will deploy two rovers and three instruments to study lunar resources, radiation, and thermal conditions, supporting future human exploration. This marks NASA’s continued shift toward partnering with private companies to … Continue reading Firefly Aerospace wins fourth lunar lander award

Asteroid 2024 YR4, about the size of a 15-story building, has a small chance of hitting the Moon in 2032. If it does, it could create the largest lunar crater in 5,000 years and eject debris into space, threatening satellites in low-Earth orbit and possibly causing a meteor shower on Earth. The debris could damage hundreds or thousands of satellites and pose serious risks to … Continue reading Massive asteroid on potential impact path with the Moon may trigger meteor shower on earth

The Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment (LuSEE-Night) is set to become the first radio telescope on the Moon’s far side, aiming to detect low-frequency signals free from Earth’s radio interference. A collaboration between NASA, the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven Lab, and other institutions, the mission will target the elusive 21-cm hydrogen line to study the Cosmic Dark Ages—an early period before stars and galaxies formed. Equipped … Continue reading First Lunar Radio Telescope on the Moon’s Far Side Will Revolutionize Space Science

The U.S. Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane is set to launch its eighth mission no earlier than August 21 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center. Built by Boeing, the uncrewed, shuttle-shaped spacecraft has completed increasingly long missions since its 2010 debut. One of the two active X-37Bs recently returned from a 434-day flight, while the other spent a record 908 days … Continue reading A secretive space plane is set to launch and test quantum navigation technology

Nearly 4,000 NASA employees—over 20% of its workforce—have applied to leave the agency through a Trump-era deferred resignation program aimed at cutting federal staff. If all are approved, NASA’s civil servant workforce would shrink from 18,000 to around 14,000. The downsizing comes amid proposed budget cuts of 25% for 2026 and ongoing leadership turmoil, including the withdrawn nomination of billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman as NASA … Continue reading More than 20% of NASA’s workforce requests to leave agency

SpaceX launched twin NASA satellites called TRACERS on Wednesday to study how the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field, causing “space weather” that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communications. The TRACERS satellites, built by Boeing, will fly in tandem to better understand how solar energy affects Earth’s magnetosphere, which protects the planet from harmful space radiation. Alongside TRACERS, five other small satellites were … Continue reading Falcon 9 launches NASA TRACERS space science mission

NASA says the upcoming flyby of asteroid 2025 OW—about 210 feet wide and passing Earth on July 28 at 393,000 miles—is routine and not a threat. Traveling at nearly 47,000 mph, it’s being closely tracked, but scientists stress there’s no cause for concern. NASA monitors multiple such asteroids weekly and emphasizes that near-Earth flybys are common, ABC News has reported. While 2025 OW won’t be … Continue reading NASA says a plane-sized asteroid will pass Earth next week

Japan’s National Astronomical Observatory discovered a small distant object named 2023 KQ14, or “Ammonite,” orbiting beyond Pluto. Classified as a “Sednoid” due to its elongated orbit far from the Sun, its unique path challenges the existing “Planet 9” theory, which suggests a hidden massive planet influences such distant bodies. Scientists now consider that Planet 9 might have existed but was later ejected, causing these unusual … Continue reading Japan discovers object out beyond Pluto that rewrites the Planet 9 theory

Earth is spinning faster this summer, causing days to be slightly shorter by about 1.3 milliseconds. July 10 marked the shortest day so far, with even shorter days expected on July 22 and August 5. While these tiny changes don’t impact daily life, they can affect technology like satellites and computers, so scientists track them using highly precise atomic clocks. Since 1972, Earth’s rotation has … Continue reading Earth is spinning faster

A new study suggests that Moon soil could help sustain life by supporting the extraction of water and the production of oxygen and fuel. Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong developed a method that uses solar heat to convert lunar soil and CO₂ into usable resources. Published in Joule, the study highlights potential cost savings for future space missions, noting that sending just one … Continue reading Lunar soil could help humans live on the Moon, study finds

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