Scientists have discovered 14 amino acids on the asteroid Bennu, millions of miles from Earth, as part of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. The mission successfully collected asteroid samples and brought them back to Earth in 2023 for analysis. While previous findings suggested Bennu contained water and carbon, the discovery of amino acids, ammonia, and nucleobases adds exciting new questions, Space.com has reported. These findings suggest that … Continue reading NASA finds key molecules for life in OSIRIS-REx asteroid samples

A massive coronal hole, nearly 500,000 miles wide, has opened in the sun’s atmosphere, releasing fast solar wind toward Earth. This solar wind, moving at speeds over 310 miles per second, is expected to reach Earth by January 31, potentially triggering a minor (G1) geomagnetic storm. While not severe, G1 storms can enhance aurora displays, especially in higher latitudes. The solar wind causes auroras when … Continue reading Gigantic 500,000-mile ‘hole’ in the sun’s atmosphere aims solar wind at Earth

During a flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io on December 27, 2024, NASA’s Juno spacecraft discovered a massive volcanic hotspot in Io’s southern hemisphere. This hotspot, larger than Earth’s Lake Superior, emits eruptions with six times the energy of all the world’s power plants. Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system, experiences intense activity due to Jupiter’s gravitational pull. Juno’s infrared instrument, JIRAM, captured … Continue reading Juno spots most extreme volcanic activity on Io to date

The U.S. Space Force plans 11 national security launches in 2025 using United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket, pending final certification. The schedule also includes seven missions aboard SpaceX’s Falcon rockets. This comes as the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program aims to recover after completing only five missions in 2024. Vulcan, part of the NSSL Phase 2 program, is under review following a successful … Continue reading Space Force projects ULA to outpace SpaceX in 2025 national security missions

UK researchers have confirmed the discovery of a “super-Earth” exoplanet, HD 20794 d, located 20 light-years away, which may offer clues about extraterrestrial life. The planet, six times the size of Earth, orbits a star similar to the Sun in a habitable zone that could support water. Although its eccentric orbit causes its distance from the star to fluctuate, potentially freezing or melting water, its … Continue reading Scientists discover nearby ‘super-Earth’ that could sustain life: ‘There is hope for the future’

SpaceX launched 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on January 27, including 13 with direct-to-cellphone capability. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage successfully returned to Earth, landing on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” after eight minutes. The upper stage continued to orbit with the satellites, which will be deployed about 65 minutes later, Space.com has reported. This marks SpaceX’s 12th Falcon 9 mission … Continue reading SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida

Blue Origin’s upcoming New Shepard flight, scheduled for January 28, will demonstrate the vehicle’s ability to generate lunar gravity, a first for the suborbital spacecraft. Unlike previous flights that experienced microgravity, the New Shepard crew capsule will be spun using thrusters to simulate lunar gravity. This will provide over two minutes of lunar gravity for 29 payloads, including 17 from NASA, in contrast to the … Continue reading New Shepard flight to demonstrate lunar gravity

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered evidence of ancient, hospitable environments on Mars, including dried-up lake beds and ripple formations on ancient shorelines. These ripples, formed around 3.7 billion years ago, were likely created by small waves on open-air lakes, suggesting Mars was once warm, wet, and capable of supporting life. The findings extend the timeline for potential microbial habitability, showing that shallow lakes existed in … Continue reading NASA rover spots proof that Mars hosted more than just lakes

SpaceX successfully launched its Starlink 11-6 mission from California on Friday morning. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:07 a.m. PST, carrying a batch of Starlink satellites. The launch used booster B1063, which made its 23rd flight, Spaceflight Now has reported. About eight minutes after liftoff, the booster landed on the droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ marking SpaceX’s 118th landing on that ship … Continue reading SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from California

Astronomers have detected fast-repeating radio bursts (FRBs) from a distant “dead” galaxy, which should not have the energy to produce these signals. Traditionally, FRBs are linked to young, magnetized neutron stars in active star-forming regions, but the galaxy in question contains only old stars. The bursts, named FRB 20240209A, were detected using the CHIME telescope and pinpointed using the Gemini North telescope. The source is … Continue reading Astronomers discover repeating radio bursts from distant ‘dead’ galaxy

Bill Nelson stepped down as NASA Administrator on January 20, 2025, marking the end of his 53-year public service career. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy also left the agency. Janet Petro, former director of Kennedy Space Center, has been appointed interim NASA chief by President Trump. Nelson, a former U.S. senator and astronaut, led NASA through key projects like the James Webb Space Telescope and … Continue reading Bill Nelson steps down as NASA chief as Trump begins 2nd term

Finland became the first country to sign the Artemis Accords in 2025, joining 52 others in committing to safe and sustainable space exploration. The Accords, signed during the Winter Satellite Workshop at Aalto University, were signed by Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Wille Rydman. While non-binding, Finland emphasized its commitment to international space law and the United Nations as the primary forum for developing space … Continue reading Finland signs Artemis Accords

Scientists have released an updated model tracking the magnetic north pole’s movement, revealing it is now closer to Siberia and continuing to drift toward Russia. The magnetic north pole shifts due to Earth’s constantly changing magnetic field, and its movement has sped up and slowed unpredictably in recent years. The update to the World Magnetic Model, which helps GPS systems track magnetic north, comes every … Continue reading Earth’s magnetic north pole is on the move

SpaceX believes a fire caused its Starship to break apart during liftoff, sending flaming debris over the Caribbean. Elon Musk indicated that leaking fuel created pressure, triggering a fire above the engine firewall. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered an investigation, though no injuries were reported. The 400-foot rocket launched from Texas on a test flight, but communication was lost 8.5 minutes into the flight, … Continue reading SpaceX launch accident likely caused by fire that sent trails of flaming debris near the Caribbean

A new study suggests that a planet-sized object may have passed through our solar system around 4 billion years ago, altering the orbits of the four outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. This flyby could explain why their orbits are slightly tilted and elliptical. Using computer simulations, researchers found that objects ranging from two to 50 times the mass of Jupiter could have caused these … Continue reading An interstellar visitor may have changed the course of 4 solar system planets, study suggests

On 28 February, a rare alignment of seven planets will be visible from Earth, including Mercury joining six others already visible in the night sky: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. While such alignments are spectacular for stargazers, they also have scientific significance. Planetary alignments can provide insights into our Solar System, such as the potential influence on solar activity. Historically, alignments have aided … Continue reading Seven planets are lining up in the sky next month

NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar is tracking asteroid 2024 PT5 as it makes its closest approach to Earth in January 2025. First discovered in August 2024, the 33-foot-wide asteroid orbits the Sun in a path similar to Earth’s, making it a temporary companion to our planet. It remains at a safe distance, five times farther than the Moon, and poses no threat. While its orbit … Continue reading NASA Tracks Asteroid 2024 PT5 During Close Earth Flyby

On January 16, China successfully launched the first satellite of a remote sensing constellation for Pakistan aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The PRSC-EO1 satellite is the first of three optical satellites to support Pakistan’s space capabilities, aiding in land mapping, agriculture, disaster monitoring, and more. The mission also carried two Chinese satellites: DAO-1 and Blue Carbon-1. This launch … Continue reading China launches Earth observation satellite for Pakistan

Astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams successfully completed a spacewalk on January 16 to repair the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) and inspect the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on the International Space Station. Hague fixed a light leak in NICER, allowing it to resume X-ray observations, while Williams replaced a docking reflector. They also performed preparatory work on the AMS, which studies cosmic rays … Continue reading Astronauts repair black hole observatory, inspect cosmic ray detector on ISS spacewalk

Astronomers have filled a critical gap in understanding the flares from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, by observing them across multiple wavelengths. Previous studies focused on near-infrared, sub-millimeter, and radio waves, but lacked data in the mid-infrared (MIR) and X-rays. Recent observations with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) revealed synchrotron radiation, … Continue reading First Infrared Flare-Up Detected From The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole

The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft, which has been mapping the Milky Way for 12 years, shut down its science operations on January 15 due to running low on propellant. Despite ceasing data collection, Gaia’s legacy continues, with valuable data still to be released. Gaia has studied nearly 2 billion stars, contributing to the most detailed 3D map of our local universe. The upcoming Gaia … Continue reading ESA spacecraft shuts down after 12 years of Milky Way mapping

Two private lunar landers, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost and Japan’s ispace’s Resilience, launched on January 15 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Blue Ghost, part of NASA’s CLPS program, is carrying 10 research payloads and will spend 25 days in Earth orbit before heading to the moon for a touchdown in Mare Crisium. Resilience, with a microrover named Tenacious, is … Continue reading SpaceX launches 2 private lunar landers to the moon

The asteroid (887) Alinda, measuring 2.6 miles wide, recently passed within 7.6 million miles of Earth on January 8 and will peak in brightness on January 12, visible through binoculars or a good telescope. This rare event occurs once a decade, with Alinda being one of the five largest asteroids to pass close to Earth in the next 175 years. While it poses no threat, … Continue reading Enormous, mountain-size asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend in rare ‘once in a decade’ event

SpaceX launched 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, from Cape Canaveral on January 13. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first-stage booster successfully landed in the Atlantic Ocean after eight minutes, marking its 15th launch and landing. The upper stage deployed the satellites into low Earth orbit about 65 minutes after liftoff, Space.com has reported. This launch was SpaceX’s sixth of 2025, following a busy … Continue reading SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from Florida, lands booster for 15th time

A supermassive black hole in the galaxy 1ES 1927+654, located 275 million light-years from the Milky Way, has baffled astronomers with its unusual behavior. Recent observations suggest the black hole’s fluctuations are caused by a white dwarf star orbiting dangerously close to its event horizon. The star’s orbit is shrinking, causing rapid changes in the black hole’s X-ray emissions. The dense white dwarf, which is … Continue reading Strange Flashes Could Be Signs of Closest Object Seen Near a Black Hole