New images from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal that Jupiter’s auroras are hundreds of times brighter than Earth’s, powered by solar storms and particles from its volcanic moon Io. Captured in detail using Webb’s near-infrared camera, the fast-changing auroras were observed by a team led by Jonathan Nichols from the University of Leicester. The study, conducted on December 25, 2023, was published in Nature Communications, … Continue reading NASA’s Webb Space Telescope captures bright auroras on Jupiter

After 53 years orbiting Earth, the failed Soviet Venus mission Kosmos 482 reentered the atmosphere on May 10, likely splashing down in the Indian Ocean. Built to endure Venus’ harsh conditions, the spacecraft may have partially survived reentry, but no debris has been found. Launched in 1972, Kosmos 482 failed to reach Venus due to a malfunction and remained in orbit until atmospheric drag caused … Continue reading Uncontrolled Soviet Probe Crashes to Earth, Hitting Unknown Location

SpaceX launched its Starlink 6-93 mission on May 6 from Cape Canaveral, deploying 28 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket’s booster, B1085, successfully landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions after its seventh flight. This marks SpaceX’s 53rd Falcon 9 launch of 2025 and the 36th Starlink mission this year, adding to a constellation now exceeding 7,200 satellites providing global internet … Continue reading SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida

Despite uncertainty in NASA’s proposed budget—potentially canceling key Artemis programs like Gateway, Orion, and the SLS after Artemis 3—international partners say they remain committed to their contributions. At the GLEX 2025 conference in New Delhi, agencies from Germany, the UAE, Europe, and Canada expressed concern but emphasized flexibility and continued support. While monitoring developments, they pledged to honor current commitments, adapt to any changes, and … Continue reading Space agencies grapple with potential changes to Artemis

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a rare “rogue” supermassive black hole—nicknamed “Space Jaws”—600 million light-years away, devouring a star in a dramatic tidal disruption event (TDE). Unlike typical TDEs, this black hole, with a mass equal to 1 million suns, is not at the center of its galaxy, suggesting a population of wandering black holes. Researchers believe it may have been displaced by a … Continue reading NASA Reveals Roaming Monster Black Hole That’s Eating Stars

As his role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ends, Elon Musk is refocusing on his long-term goal of colonizing Mars, which he calls “life insurance” for humanity. In a Fox News interview, Musk emphasized the need for a self-sustaining Mars settlement to ensure survival beyond Earth’s eventual destruction by the sun. He aims to launch a SpaceX Starship to Mars by late 2026, … Continue reading Elon Musk shares vision of Mars as ‘life insurance’ for humanity

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected water vapor in the atmosphere of TOI-421 b, a scorching sub-Neptune planet about 244 light-years away. This marks a breakthrough in studying these mysterious planets, which have no equivalent in our solar system. Unlike previous sub-Neptunes that showed featureless spectra likely due to haze, TOI-421 b’s hot, clear atmosphere revealed water, possible carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, and … Continue reading Webb Space Telescope finds water in the air of exotic ‘sub-Neptune’ exoplanet

The White House has nominated Matthew Anderson, a retired Air Force colonel and Space Force advocate, as NASA’s deputy administrator. Anderson, who has limited direct experience with NASA, previously served as a pilot and liaison officer and now works with the Space Force Association and defense contractor CACI. His nomination, alongside Jared Isaacman’s for NASA administrator, has surprised some in the space industry, but NASA’s … Continue reading Retired Air Force officer nominated to be NASA deputy administrator

On May 1, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers completed the fifth all-female spacewalk in history, working for 5 hours and 44 minutes to move an antenna and prepare the International Space Station for new solar arrays. They began by assembling attachment hardware for the upcoming Rollout Solar Arrays, which will increase the station’s power capacity by up to 30%. The astronauts also relocated … Continue reading NASA astronauts prep ISS for new solar arrays on spacewalk

A failed Soviet spacecraft, Kosmos 482, is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere around May 10 after more than 50 years in orbit. Originally launched in 1972 for a Venus mission, it never left Earth orbit due to a rocket malfunction. The half-ton capsule may survive reentry, though the risk to people is low, similar to that of being hit by a meteorite, the Associated Press … Continue reading Soviet-era craft will plunge to Earth half-century after failed launch to Venus

An American military satellite, USA 324, was recently observed making close passes near two Chinese satellites, TJS-16 and TJS-17, as tensions rise in a new space race. The U.S. Space Force’s satellite performed proximity maneuvers—just 7 to 10 miles away—to inspect the Chinese satellites, which are believed to have military surveillance roles despite being labeled as communications experiments. While the U.S. conducts such operations to … Continue reading USA Buzzes China’s Military Satellites in Unfolding Space Rivalry

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, the world’s largest solar telescope, has been upgraded with a powerful new instrument called the Visible Tunable Filtergraph (VTF), enhancing its ability to study the sun in unprecedented detail. Developed over 15 years by German scientists, the VTF analyzes sunlight with extreme precision, helping researchers examine the sun’s surface and atmosphere to better understand solar eruptions and … Continue reading World’s largest solar telescope gains powerful new ‘eye’ to study the sun’s secrets

Astronomers analyzing decades-old infrared sky surveys may have found a possible candidate for the elusive Planet Nine — a hypothetical massive planet far beyond Neptune. By comparing data from the IRAS and AKARI missions 23 years apart, the team identified one slow-moving object that fits Planet Nine’s expected behavior. While promising, the finding is not conclusive, and more observations are needed to confirm if it … Continue reading Astronomers Find Potential Candidate For Planet Nine In 40-Year-Old Data

A Vega C rocket successfully launched ESA’s Biomass satellite on April 29, marking a key step in Europe’s space sovereignty efforts. The 1,250-kg satellite, built by Airbus, will map global forest biomass using a powerful P-band radar to monitor carbon storage and environmental changes over a 5.5-year mission. The launch, from French Guiana, was Vega C’s second since a 2022 failure and part of ESA’s … Continue reading Vega launches Biomass satellite

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