Comet ATLAS (C/2024 G3), discovered on April 5, 2024, is set to make a close approach to the Sun on January 13, coming within 8.3 million miles—over three times closer than Mercury’s orbit. It could shine as brightly as Venus or even become visible in daylight, though observing it will be challenging due to its proximity to the Sun. Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere … Continue reading Comet Set to Outshine Venus in the Night Sky

NASA is exploring two revised plans for its Mars Sample Return mission after an independent review projected costs could reach $11 billion with a delayed timeline stretching to 2040. Option 1 uses a smaller spacecraft, a proven “sky crane” landing system, and a European spacecraft to return samples to Earth, costing $6.6–$7.7 billion, with a return date between 2035 and 2039. Option 2 involves partnering with private … Continue reading NASA exploring 2 options to lower costs, speed up Mars Sample Return mission

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have closely studied asteroid 2060 Chiron, a centaur with both asteroid and comet-like characteristics. Discovered in 1977, Chiron orbits the sun every 50 years and has a solid icy exterior and a gas-producing coma, making it unique among objects near Neptune. Researchers at the University of Central Florida revealed that Chiron’s gas, including carbon dioxide and methane, may … Continue reading Asteroid-comet hybrid stuns scientists: ‘Like nothing we’ve seen before’

SpaceX launched its first batch of internet satellites for 2025 on January 6, sending 24 Starlink spacecraft into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket’s first stage successfully returned to Earth, landing on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the 17th launch and landing for this booster, Space.com has reported. The satellites … Continue reading SpaceX launches 1st Starlink satellites of 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has made a historic discovery by detecting 44 new stars in a galaxy 6.5 billion light-years away. Using gravitational lensing, where light from distant stars is magnified by a galaxy cluster, Webb captured an image revealing individual stars that were previously undetectable. The stars, many of which are red supergiants, were found in the “Dragon Arc” beyond the Abell 370 … Continue reading Astronomers used gravitational lensing to discover 44 new stars in distant galaxy

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe transmitted positive data on New Year’s Day, confirming its systems and instruments are operating normally after its historic flyby of the sun. On December 26, the probe successfully approached within 3.8 million miles of the sun, breaking records for both proximity and speed, reaching 430,000 mph. The spacecraft’s heat shield protected it from extreme temperatures, allowing it to collect valuable scientific … Continue reading NASA’s Parker Solar Probe beams home 1st detailed update

Astronomers at MIT have identified the source of a fast radio burst (FRB) 20221022A, a brief but powerful explosion of radio waves. Using a technique that analyzes the burst’s “scintillation,” the team determined that the FRB originated from the magnetosphere of a neutron star, located just 10,000 kilometers away. This discovery provides the first evidence that FRBs can be produced in the highly magnetic regions … Continue reading Astronomers Pinpoint Origins of Mysterious Signal That Traveled 200 Million Years

India’s space agency, ISRO, plans 10 orbital launches in 2025, including its first commercial launch. Highlights include four GSLV missions, a human-rated LVM-3 for the Gaganyaan spaceflight program, and a joint Earth science mission with NASA, NISAR, launching in March. The Gaganyaan program’s G1 mission is slated for March, with two additional test flights (G2 and G3) before the crewed mission in 2026. ISRO also … Continue reading India eyes record year for space with 10 planned launches

NASA’s Deputy Administrator, Pam Melroy, confirmed near unanimous support for the agency’s “continuous heartbeat” strategy, which aims to maintain a continuous human presence in low Earth orbit (LEO) during the transition from the International Space Station (ISS) to commercial space stations. The strategy, finalized in December, was favored by international partners and the industry, despite some concerns from commercial companies about NASA’s pace in transitioning … Continue reading NASA sees strong support for strategy to maintain continuous human presence in LEO

SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 rocket of 2025 on January 3, sending the Thuraya 4 satellite into geosynchronous orbit. The mission, launched from Cape Canaveral, marks the 20th flight and recovery of the Falcon 9 booster, which successfully landed on SpaceX’s droneship. The Thuraya 4 satellite, operated by Space42 and built by Airbus, will provide mobile communications across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, … Continue reading SpaceX launches 1st Falcon 9 rocket of 2025

China is set to launch new rockets in 2025, including the Long March 8A, Long March 12A, Zhuque-3, and others, boosting its space capabilities. These rockets, some reusable and others designed for regular flights, will compete for contracts related to satellite launches, cargo missions, and more. Notable launches include Long March 8A’s increased payload capacity, the reusable Long March 12A, and commercial vehicles like Zhuque-3, … Continue reading China to debut new Long March and commercial rockets in 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered that supermassive black holes slow down star formation in galaxies. Analyzing 19 galaxies in the Spiderweb protocluster, located 11 billion light-years away, the team found that galaxies with active supermassive black holes produce stars at a much slower rate compared to those without. The findings suggest that black holes, as they grow larger, may strip galaxies of gas, … Continue reading Black holes can squash star formation, James Webb Space Telescope finds

NASA has revealed the successor to its Ingenuity helicopter, the “Mars Chopper,” a larger drone designed for advanced exploration on Mars. The new model features six rotors with smaller blades for increased lift and can carry up to five kilograms of scientific instruments over a distance of up to three kilometers. With a greater payload capacity, the Mars Chopper will enable detailed terrain studies in … Continue reading NASA Unveils New Mars Drone Design: A Larger, Enhanced Version Of Ingenuity Helicopter

Kenyan officials are investigating fragments of metal believed to be from a rocket that crashed into Mukuku village in southern Kenya on December 30. The object, a metallic ring about 8 feet in diameter and weighing 1,100 pounds, was retrieved by the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) for further analysis. Preliminary assessments suggest it is a separation ring from a launch vehicle, which is typically designed … Continue reading Space debris weighing over 1,000 pounds crashes into Kenya village

On December 29, 2024, the sun erupted with a powerful class X1.1 solar flare, one of the strongest types of solar explosions. The flare, which occurred at 2:18 a.m. EST, caused a significant radio blackout in some regions of Earth. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is analyzing whether it was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME), which could potentially enhance aurora displays and affect … Continue reading Sun unleashes massive X1.1 solar flare to close out 2024

India successfully launched the SpaDeX mission on December 30, 2024, using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The mission aims to test crucial docking technologies for India’s future space endeavors, such as lunar sample return missions and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). The spacecraft involved include two 220-kilogram units, SDX01 (chaser) and SDX02 (target), which will demonstrate on-orbit docking … Continue reading India launches space docking experiment with PSLV rocket

SpaceX completed its final mission of 2024 with the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability. The launch took place on December 31 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking SpaceX’s 134th Falcon flight of the year. This surpasses the previous year’s launch count by 38. The rocket’s first stage landed successfully on the droneship “Just … Continue reading SpaceX’s last launch of 2024 puts Starlink satellites into orbit

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered an exoplanet, K2-18 b, located 124 light years away, that is 2.6 times the radius and 8.6 times the mass of Earth. The planet orbits a red dwarf star in a “habitable zone” and has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere with possible signs of life. Key findings include the presence of methane, carbon dioxide, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a molecule … Continue reading NASA discovered planet bigger than Earth with a gas that is ‘only produced by life’

Spacecoin has successfully established communication with its debut connectivity satellite, CTC-0, launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 mission on Dec. 21. The satellite aims to test technology for a decentralized space-based network that enables secure, censorship-resistant communication through the Creditcoin blockchain. Initially, the network will facilitate space-enabled text messaging to specialized antennas, with plans to extend the service to standard smartphones, Space News has reported. Investors … Continue reading Spacecoin deploys first satellite for decentralized space connectivity 

Axiom Space has accelerated its plans for its commercial space station, aiming to start operations as early as 2028, two years ahead of the original 2030 target. The company revised its launch sequence, now planning to send the Payload, Power, and Thermal module to the ISS first, which will later detach to become a free-flying platform. This new timeline allows Axiom Space to begin independent … Continue reading Axiom’s private space station is coming sooner than we thought

On Christmas Day, the sun unleashed four solar flares within three hours, with the strongest reaching M7.3 intensity. These flares originated from sunspot regions AR3938, AR3933, and AR3936, creating a rare phenomenon known as sympathetic solar flares, where explosions from different sunspots occur almost simultaneously due to interconnected magnetic loops. While a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the M7.3 flare is expected to miss Earth, … Continue reading Christmas solar flares erupt from the sun

The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2024, introduced in the Senate on December 18, aims to accelerate NASA’s work on commercial space stations and address cost overruns in science programs. The bill authorizes $25.478 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2025, slightly above previous proposals. It emphasizes a smooth transition from the International Space Station (ISS) to commercial stations by the end of the decade, … Continue reading Senate NASA bill focuses on commercial space stations, science mission overruns

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’