NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made history on Christmas Eve by coming within 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface, the closest any spacecraft has ever gotten. The probe reached speeds of 430,000 mph, setting a new record for the fastest human-made object. Launched in 2018, Parker’s mission aims to uncover the sun’s mysteries, such as the cause of its hot outer atmosphere and the origins … Continue reading Scientists await signal from spacecraft after historic close encounter with the sun

SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink satellites from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center early on Dec. 23, with 13 capable of direct-to-cellphone service. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 12:35 a.m. EDT and its first stage landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean eight minutes later, marking its 15th reuse. The upper stage continued deploying the satellites into low Earth orbit, Space.com has … Continue reading SpaceX launches 21 Starlink internet satellites from Florida, lands rocket at sea

A Chinese satellite, GaoJing 1-02, disintegrated in a fiery, uncontrolled reentry over the U.S. on Dec. 21, creating a dazzling fireball visible across multiple states. The satellite, inactive since January 2023, entered the atmosphere above New Orleans, traveling at 17,000 mph before breaking apart over Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell explained that the satellite naturally reentered due to atmospheric drag. Social media buzzed … Continue reading Chinese satellite burns up over US in spectacular ‘fireball’

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will make a record-breaking flyby of the Sun on Tuesday, coming within 3.8 million miles of its surface at an unprecedented speed of 430,000 mph, making it the fastest human-made object in history. Launched in 2018 and named after astrophysicist Dr. Eugene Parker, the probe became the first spacecraft to “touch the Sun” in 2021 by sampling particles and magnetic fields … Continue reading History-making probe is about to make the closest-ever approach to the sun

A new study suggests that Saturn’s rings may be nearly as old as the planet itself, around 4.5 billion years, rather than being only 100 to 400 million years old, as previously believed. While earlier research suggested the rings were young due to their clean appearance, new simulations of micrometeoroid impacts indicate minimal contamination of the rings, suggesting they are much older. The study’s authors … Continue reading Saturn’s rings could be much older than scientists first thought

SpaceX launched two communication satellites, O3b mPOWER 7 and 8, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on December 17, 2024, at 5:26 p.m. EDT. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage successfully landed on the droneship “Just Read the Instructions” 8.5 minutes after liftoff, marking the booster’s first launch and landing. The two satellites were deployed into medium Earth orbit, approximately 5,000 miles above Earth. The O3b … Continue reading SpaceX launches 2 mPOWER satellites from Florida

NASA announced that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived at the International Space Station in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner, will not return to Earth until at least March 2025. Their mission was initially supposed to last 8-10 days but was extended due to multiple issues with the Starliner. SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, planned to bring them back, launched in September 2023, but delays in … Continue reading Boeing Starliner crew’s return to Earth from International Space Station delayed yet again

China launched the first group of satellites for its Guowang megaconstellation on Dec. 16, marking the beginning of its efforts to provide global satellite internet coverage. The Long March 5B rocket, launched from Hainan, carried the satellites into low Earth orbit. The Guowang constellation, managed by China Satnet, aims to compete with systems like Starlink, with plans to deploy nearly 13,000 satellites by 2032. This … Continue reading China kicks off Guowang megaconstellation with Long March 5B launch

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Dec. 16 at 11:05 a.m. EST, completing the CRS-31 mission. The spacecraft will splash down off Florida’s coast on Dec. 17, returning thousands of pounds of equipment and experiment samples for NASA. Dragon is the only cargo vehicle capable of safely bringing items back to Earth; other cargo freighters, like Cygnus and Progress, … Continue reading SpaceX’s 31st Dragon cargo capsule departs ISS to head home to Earth

In a secretive mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the U.S. military’s GPS III SV-07 satellite on Dec. 16, demonstrating the ability to condense a typical two-year planning cycle to under six months. Originally slated for a late 2025 launch aboard ULA’s Vulcan rocket, SV-07 was reassigned due to Vulcan delays. The “Rapid Response Trailblazer-1” (RRT-1) mission aimed to prove the U.S. Space Force’s … Continue reading SpaceX launches U.S. Space Force ‘rapid response’ GPS mission

Astroscale, a Japanese space company, achieved the closest ever approach by a commercial operator to space junk, coming within 15 meters of a defunct rocket upper stage. This was part of the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) mission, selected by JAXA for its Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration. While this close approach was not required by JAXA, it aimed to demonstrate precise rendezvous and … Continue reading Astroscale orbital janitor gets within 15 meters of space junk

A new study published in Science examines the frequency of solar superflares by analyzing data from 56,450 sun-like stars observed by NASA’s Kepler space telescope. These superflares, which release immense energy, were detected as sharp brightness peaks. By studying these stars, researchers estimate that a sun-like star experiences a superflare approximately once every century, Phys.org has reported. The study, which accounts for errors and non-sun-like stars, offers … Continue reading Observations suggest sun-like stars emit superflares once per century

Ingenuity, NASA’s Mars helicopter, may have crashed during its 72nd flight on January 18, 2024, but it isn’t finished. Despite rotor damage, the helicopter’s avionics and sensors remain functional, allowing it to continue operating as a weather station, taking images and recording telemetry daily. NASA’s investigation into the crash revealed that the Martian surface’s bland texture caused the navigation system to lack critical information. While … Continue reading NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter could live on as a weather station for 20 years

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse crossed North America, and NASA supported various research projects to study the sun’s effect on Earth’s atmosphere. Citizen scientists played a key role in the Citizen CATE 2024 project, capturing over 47,000 images of the sun’s corona during totality. Despite some challenges, the data collected in polarized light will help scientists understand the corona’s behavior, Phys.org has … Continue reading NASA’s solar eclipse experiments yield intriguing early data

In 2017, the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua, with an elongated shape, was identified as a hybrid asteroid-comet, later termed a dark comet. New research has doubled the number of known dark comets, discovering seven more and revealing two distinct populations based on their size and orbit. These objects, with both asteroid and comet-like behaviors, might have played a key role in delivering the building blocks of … Continue reading ‘Dark Comets’ Come in Two Distinct Types, Study Finds

Astronomers using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered dozens of tiny asteroids, including the smallest ever observed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These asteroids, often just tens of meters wide, are more likely to migrate toward Earth and cause significant damage, such as the impact events in Chelyabinsk or Tunguska. The team, led by MIT’s Artem Burdanov, spotted … Continue reading James Webb Space Telescope finds smallest asteroids ever seen between Mars and Jupiter

China’s commercial launch firm Expace successfully launched its upgraded Kuaizhou-1A rocket on December 3, 2024, from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The rocket deployed the Haishao-1 satellite, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing satellite. The enhanced Kuaizhou-1A features a longer first and second stage, a larger payload fairing, and an increased payload capacity, able to carry up to 450 kg to low Earth orbit (LEO), … Continue reading China debuts modified solid rocket with remote sensing satellite launch

Scientists have debunked the theory that Venus ever hosted Earth-like life by analyzing the planet’s atmosphere. Research suggests Venus has always been dry, with volcanic eruptions emitting little water, indicating the planet never had oceans of liquid water. This challenges the idea that Venus was once habitable, as some previously thought. While Venus may still hold some potential for life in its acidic clouds, the … Continue reading Atmospheric analysis shows Venus never had Earth-like life, scientists say

SpaceX launched 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral early on December 8, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities. A Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered the satellites into low Earth orbit and landed its first stage on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic. This launch marked SpaceX’s 123rd Falcon 9 liftoff of the year, with nearly 70% dedicated to expanding the Starlink network, which … Continue reading SpaceX launches 23 Starlink internet satellites from Florida

Iran launched its heaviest-ever rocket, the Simorgh, on Friday, carrying a 660-pound payload. This launch has raised concerns among security experts that Iran’s rocket technology could be linked to its nuclear program. The rocket launch coincided with reports that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles are nearing weapons-grade purity. Iran’s space advancements are seen as a potential pathway to developing long-range missiles, which could pose a threat … Continue reading Iran launches rocket with heaviest-ever payload into space amid heightened concern over nuclear program

SpaceX has launched 20 satellites to complete its first Starlink direct-to-cell constellation, with 13 capable of communicating directly with cell phones without extra equipment. This follows a recent deal between SpaceX and T-Mobile, enabling phones to connect even in remote areas. The constellation acts like a space-based cellphone tower, improving coverage and eliminating dead zones. SpaceX announced the satellites will connect to the Starlink network … Continue reading SpaceX completes Starlink’s first direct-to-cell constellation

SiriusXM’s satellite radio service is getting a boost with the launch of the SXM-9 satellite, which took off on December 5 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. This marks the third SiriusXM satellite launched by SpaceX and the tenth overall for the company. The launch took place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the Falcon 9 booster successfully landing on the drone ship “Just … Continue reading SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Sirius XM radio satellite

Jupiter will be at its closest to Earth on December 7, 2024, creating a stunning celestial display known as Jupiter’s opposition, when Earth is positioned between the Sun and Jupiter. This will make the planet shine its brightest this year, visible all night. The best view will be after sunset, looking towards the southeastern horizon. Jupiter’s opposition occurs every 13 months, and this year’s “Christmas … Continue reading Jupiter is making its closest approach to Earth

Europe’s Vega-C rocket successfully returned to flight on December 5, 2024, after a two-year hiatus following a failure in 2022. The rocket launched the Copernicus Sentinel-1C satellite from French Guiana, which will join Sentinel-1A to complete a dual-satellite constellation for Earth observation. This mission was crucial for Europe’s space program, highlighting the capabilities of the Vega-C rocket, designed by the Italian aerospace company Avio. The … Continue reading Europe’s Vega-C rocket launches Earth-observation satellite

NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon, has faced further delays. A planned moon landing in 2026 will now occur no earlier than mid-2027, and a mission to fly astronauts around the moon, originally scheduled for 2025, is now set for April 2026. These delays are partly due to issues with the Orion crew capsule’s heat shield, which experienced unexpected damage … Continue reading NASA delays first crewed flight to the moon in over 50 years