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

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission on December 4th, using the PSLV-XL rocket. Proba-3 will deploy two spacecraft, the Occulter and Coronagraph, which will fly in close formation to create artificial solar eclipses, enabling detailed study of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. This mission will offer scientists an unprecedented view of the corona, … Continue reading European twin satellites to create perfect artificial solar eclipse

China’s new Long March 12 rocket successfully completed its inaugural flight on Saturday, placing two experimental satellites into orbit and testing upgraded engines for future lunar missions. The rocket, launched from the Wenchang spaceport, is designed to be a more affordable option for deploying small satellites and competing with SpaceX’s Starlink. It uses four upgraded YF-100K engines, which will also be used on the upcoming … Continue reading China debuted a new rocket on the nation’s path to the Moon

A small asteroid, C0WEPC5, was visible in northern Siberia on Tuesday as it approached Earth. The European Space Agency alerted that the 27-inch asteroid would create a visible fireball upon entry, though the impact was deemed harmless. It entered Earth’s atmosphere over Yakutia in northeastern Siberia, producing a bright fireball witnessed by locals. This marked the fourth detected asteroid strike of the year, ABC News … Continue reading Asteroid nearly hits Earth in Siberia, with a 2nd massive asteroid passing this week

The sun has entered a more active phase, known as solar maximum, with increasing solar storms, flares, and plasma eruptions. These events have triggered geomagnetic storms on Earth, creating vivid auroras visible farther south than usual. The heightened activity is expected to continue for the next year. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, set to make its closest-ever approach to the sun on Dec. 24, will study … Continue reading The sun is at its solar maximum

SpaceX successfully launched the NROL-126 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday. This mission, the fifth in the NRO’s proliferated architecture program, carried government satellites and 20 Starlink satellites to orbit. It marked SpaceX’s 100th successful launch from the base. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first-stage booster also successfully landed on a drone ship in the Pacific … Continue reading SpaceX launches fifth mission bolstering US government reconnaissance satellite architecture

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission launched on October 14, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, beginning its journey to Jupiter. As of now, the spacecraft is about 20 million km from Earth. The spacecraft has deployed its solar arrays and magnetometer boom, with instruments being gradually activated. Europa Clipper will travel over 2.9 billion km, including two flybys of Mars and Earth, before reaching Jupiter. … Continue reading Over a month into mission, Europa Clipper continues deploying instruments

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has resumed regular operations after a month-long communication pause. In late October, it unexpectedly switched off its primary X-band radio transmitter, forcing the team to use a backup, weaker transmitter. However, the team successfully reactivated the X-band transmitter earlier this month and resumed data collection. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is now 15 billion miles from Earth, facing challenges due to … Continue reading NASA’s Voyager 1 Finally Phones Home After Worrying Communications Glitch

An asteroid, 2006 WB, about the size of a football field, will pass by Earth tomorrow at a distance of 554,000 miles (891,577 km), roughly twice the distance to the Moon. Measuring approximately 310 feet (94.49 meters) across, it is considered a near-Earth object (NEO), though it poses no threat. The asteroid will travel at a speed of 9,400 mph (15,128 km/h), much faster than … Continue reading NASA Confirms Asteroid Larger Than the Statue of Liberty Is Approaching Earth

Firefly Aerospace has announced a January launch for its first lunar lander mission, Blue Ghost 1, after delays pushed back the original fourth-quarter 2024 schedule. The lander, carrying 10 NASA payloads, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and land near Mons Latreille on the Moon. The mission, named “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” will last about 60 days, including a 45-day transit. Firefly’s … Continue reading Firefly sets January launch date for first lunar lander mission

A Russian spacecraft, Progress 90, leaked a strange odor and droplets upon docking with the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, alarming astronauts. The odor was described as “toxic,” prompting the crew to seal off the hatch and activate air scrubbers while monitoring air quality. After confirming the air was safe, the hatch was reopened, and the spacecraft, carrying supplies for the ISS, remained docked … Continue reading Russian spacecraft brings ‘toxic’ odor, unknown droplets to International Space Station

Curiosity rover discovered pure elemental sulfur on Mars in May when it accidentally cracked open a rock, revealing yellow sulfur crystals. While sulfates are common on Mars, this is the first time sulfur has been found in its pure form. The discovery was made in the Gediz Vallis Channel, where similar rocks suggest that elemental sulfur could be abundant in certain areas, Science Alert has … Continue reading NASA’s Curiosity Rover Uncovers Mars’ Mysterious Spiderweb Rocks and Hidden Crystals

SpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites early Sunday morning (Nov. 24) from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 rocket carried 13 satellites capable of providing internet service to smartphones. The rocket’s first stage successfully returned to Earth, landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean, Space.com has reported. This launch marked the 115th Falcon 9 flight of the … Continue reading SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites from California

Earth will soon part ways with a “mini moon,” asteroid 2024 PT5, which has been tagging along for the past two months. On Monday, the asteroid will be pulled away by the sun’s gravity, but it will return for a brief visit in January. NASA plans to observe the 33-foot asteroid with radar to learn more about it, as it may be a chunk of … Continue reading Earth’s ‘mini moon’ may have been a chunk of our actual moon

NASA and the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft has captured the highest resolution images of the Sun’s surface ever taken. On March 22, 2023, when the spacecraft was 45 million miles from the Sun, it used its PHI and EUI instruments to capture detailed images of the photosphere, magnetic field, and corona. The images reveal granular patterns on the Sun’s surface, sunspots, and the … Continue reading Solar Orbiter Snaps Sharpest Ever Images of the Sun

On Tuesday, NASA conducted an orbital shift of the International Space Station (ISS) to avoid a piece of space debris. The maneuver, which lasted 5 minutes and 31 seconds, raised the ISS’s orbit to create more distance from debris from a defunct satellite that broke up in 2015. The debris would have come within 2.5 miles of the station. This was the first debris-avoidance maneuver … Continue reading The International Space Station adjusts its orbit to avoid space debris

SpaceX launched 24 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on November 21, marking the company’s seventh launch in a week. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11:07 a.m. EST, with its first stage successfully landing on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic. This marked the 20th launch and landing for the booster, with 16 of those being Starlink missions. The upper … Continue reading SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from Florida

Astronomers have gathered tentative evidence of a sulphur-rich atmosphere on L 98-59 d, a super-Earth exoplanet 35 light years away, which could be the smallest exoplanet known to have an atmosphere. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists detected potential signs of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) in the planet’s atmosphere, suggesting a molten or volcanic surface. L 98-59 d, discovered by … Continue reading A distant planet seems to have a sulphur-rich atmosphere, hinting at alien volcanoes

The European Space Agency (ESA) is providing a combined 44.22 million euros ($46.7 million) to four launch vehicle startups—HyImpulse, Isar Aerospace, Orbex, and Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA)—to assist with testing their vehicles. This funding, through ESA’s “Boost!” program, supports integrated testing as the companies work towards their first launches. Isar Aerospace received 15 million euros for testing its Spectrum small launch vehicle, while Orbex received … Continue reading ESA awards funding to four European launch startups

SpaceX began serious development of Starship in 2019, debuting the “Starhopper,” a steel test vehicle designed to test landing maneuvers. After several test flights, including four that ended in explosions, SpaceX succeeded in achieving a soft landing in May 2021 after a 10-kilometer test. Since then, the company has focused on launching the Starship spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster, although no Starship has reached … Continue reading SpaceX launches Starship on its sixth test flight

The Exploration Company has secured $160 million in Series B funding to advance its Nyx cargo spacecraft, designed for missions to low Earth orbit (LEO) and later to cislunar space. Led by Balderton Capital and Plural, with support from European sovereign funds, the round is Europe’s largest Series B for a space company. Nyx Earth, the LEO version, will carry up to four tons of … Continue reading The Exploration Company raises $160 million for Nyx cargo vehicle

SpaceX launched a secret mission on Sunday evening from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, using a Falcon 9 rocket. While the mission was named “TD7,” regulatory filings referred to the payload as “Optus-X,” a communications satellite. The rocket’s first-stage booster successfully landed on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” about nine minutes after liftoff, marking SpaceX’s 85th landing on that ship. The payload is headed to … Continue reading SpaceX launches secret ‘Optus-X’ payload atop Falcon 9 rocket