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

China is advancing its plan to build the first lunar base by launching an experiment to test if Moon soil can be used to make bricks for construction. The test bricks, created from materials like basalt that mimic lunar soil, will be sent aboard a cargo rocket to China’s Tiangong space station. The experiment will expose the bricks to space conditions, including extreme temperatures, cosmic … Continue reading China tests building Moon base with lunar soil bricks

NASA and Roscosmos remain at odds over the cause and severity of an air leak in the Russian segment of the International Space Station, specifically in the Zvezda service module’s PrK vestibule. The leak, ongoing for years, is being investigated by both agencies, but they disagree on its root cause and potential risks. Russian engineers attribute it to “high cyclic fatigue” from micro-vibrations, while NASA … Continue reading NASA and Roscosmos disagree on cause and severity of ISS air leak

US and Chinese researchers have discovered evidence of volcanic activity on the far side of the Moon, with volcanic rock fragments dating back over 4.2 billion years. Samples collected by China’s Chang’e-6 mission, the first from this side of the Moon, revealed a “surprisingly young” eruption around 2.83 billion years ago. This discovery sheds new light on the Moon’s geology, as the far side remains … Continue reading Volcanoes once erupted on the far side of the moon

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered three massive “red monster” galaxies, each 100 billion times the mass of the Sun, that formed just 12.8 billion years ago, challenging current models of galaxy formation. These galaxies, which are almost as massive as the Milky Way, formed stars at an unexpectedly fast rate, converting up to 80% of their gas into stars, far more efficient … Continue reading James Webb Space Telescope discovers mysterious ‘red monster’ galaxies

On November 13, a bright fireball streaked across the U.S. Midwest and parts of Canada, visible from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and North Dakota. The meteor, which burned up in Earth’s atmosphere around 6:31 a.m. MST, was captured by various cameras, including doorbell and dash cams. Witnesses described a green streak followed by a flash, and some noted the brightness of the event. … Continue reading Fireball explodes over North America as satellites capture flash from space

SpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on November 14. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully returned its first stage to Earth, landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” after eight minutes. This marked the eighth launch for the booster, which has previously supported multiple Starlink missions, Space.com has reported. The launch adds … Continue reading SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites from California

China has revealed the Haolong, a new reusable space shuttle designed to transport cargo to and from its Tiangong space station. Developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, the Haolong shuttle is part of a push for low-cost, reusable spacecraft that can return cargo to Earth, unlike the current Tianzhou spacecraft. The 32.8-foot shuttle will be launched by a rocket, land on a … Continue reading China reveals reusable cargo shuttle design for Tiangong space station

A new study suggests that the sun may have polar vortices similar to Earth’s tornadoes, but powered by magnetic fields instead of temperature differences. Using computer models, researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation simulated these solar vortices, which form at 55 degrees latitude and move toward the poles. During solar maximum, when the vortices reach the poles, the sun’s magnetic field flips polarity. These … Continue reading The sun’s poles may have powerful magnetic tornadoes

A new study suggests that a rare solar wind event during NASA’s 1986 Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus may have skewed our understanding of the planet. Researchers found that the intense solar wind compressed Uranus’ magnetosphere, temporarily altering its shape and plasma levels. This anomaly, which occurs less than 5% of the time, could mean that Voyager 2’s data doesn’t represent typical conditions on the … Continue reading Wind Blowing Out of Uranus Makes It Hard to Probe, NASA Complains

SpaceX is proposing a Marslink satellite constellation to NASA, aiming to provide communication for future missions to Mars. The plan is based on SpaceX’s successful Starlink design, with multiple satellites in Mars’ orbit to support both ground and orbital assets. This follows SpaceX’s recent launch of its 7,000th Starlink satellite, part of a larger plan for a 42,000-satellite network. Other companies, including Blue Origin and … Continue reading SpaceX Wants to Develop a Version of Starlink Around the Red Planet

Firefly Aerospace raised $175 million in an oversubscribed Series D round led by RPM Ventures, bringing its valuation to over $2 billion. The funds will support increased production of its Alpha launch vehicle and Elytra spacecraft, and accelerate the development of new vehicles. Firefly, a leader in responsive space capabilities, gained attention with its rapid-launch demonstration of the Space Force’s Victus Nox mission in 2023. … Continue reading Firefly Aerospace raises $175 million

The lunar calendar year ends with November’s “Beaver Moon,” marking the last supermoon of 2024, following a series that began in August. Supermoons appear larger and brighter due to the moon being closer to Earth. November’s full moon, named for beavers preparing for winter, follows other monthly names linked to nature, like the “Wolf Moon” in January and the “Snow Moon” in February. This month … Continue reading November’s ‘beaver moon’ marks the year’s final supermoon

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has successfully integrated the Roman Coronagraph Instrument into the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a key milestone for the upcoming observatory set to launch in 2027. The coronagraph is designed to block starlight, enabling the detection of faint exoplanet light. This technology demonstration will pave the way for future missions like the Habitable Worlds Observatory, aimed at searching for signs of … Continue reading NASA’s Roman space telescope gets ready to stare at distant suns to find alien planets

A brilliant fireball seen across Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma on November 9, 2024, was likely the result of a SpaceX Starlink satellite, Starlink-4682, burning up during reentry. The fireball, observed by dozens of eyewitnesses, was part of a batch of 54 Starlink satellites launched in 2022. The spacecraft’s reentry was tracked over several states, with witnesses describing it as a fragmented fireball, Space.com has … Continue reading Starlink satellite falls to Earth, burns up as stunning fireball over US

SpaceX successfully launched 24 Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on November 11, 2024. The Falcon 9 rocket, initially delayed due to weather, lifted off at 4:28 p.m. EST. About 8 minutes later, the rocket’s first stage landed on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic, marking its 12th launch and landing. The 24 satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit … Continue reading SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from Florida, lands rocket at sea

Astronomers have discovered an “interstellar tunnel” in our solar neighborhood, part of the Local Hot Bubble (LHB), an enormous structure of hot gas surrounding our solar system. A new study, using data from the eROSITA x-ray telescope, revealed the tunnel, which could connect to a nearby larger bubble. The LHB, first proposed over 50 years ago, was thought to be created by supernovas that blew … Continue reading Astronomers discover ‘interstellar tunnel’ in our galaxy

Astronomers have discovered an extremely fast-spinning neutron star, 26,000 light-years away, that releases bursts of energy as powerful as atomic bombs. Using NASA’s NICER telescope, they observed the neutron star, which completes 716 rotations per second, pulling material from its companion white dwarf star. This interaction causes powerful thermonuclear bursts, making the neutron star up to 100,000 times brighter than the Sun. The star system, … Continue reading Astronomers Discover Zombie Star Spinning at 716 Times a Second

NASA has extended its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) 2 contracts with Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, and SpaceX through 2030, ensuring continued cargo transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) until its planned retirement. These contracts, originally awarded in 2016, were set to expire in 2026. NASA’s decision to extend them comes after evaluating other companies but finding no viable alternatives, Space News has reported. The … Continue reading NASA extends ISS cargo contracts through 2030

The U.S. military’s secretive X-37B space plane has begun advanced aerobraking maneuvers to adjust its orbit, using atmospheric drag instead of fuel to gradually lower its altitude. Launched on its seventh mission in December 2023, the X-37B has been orbiting Earth in a highly elliptical path. This maneuver saves propellant and extends mission durations. The space plane, developed by Boeing for the U.S. Department of … Continue reading Mysterious US Military Space Plane Begins Advanced Maneuvers in Orbit

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft provided a boost to the International Space Station (ISS) on Nov. 8, performing an orbit-raising maneuver for the first time to stabilize the ISS’s trajectory. This maneuver is necessary to prevent orbital decay and has traditionally been done by Russian spacecraft. The successful reboost marks a milestone as SpaceX is now contributing to the ISS’s orbital maintenance. This demonstration also supports the … Continue reading SpaceX Dragon fires thrusters to boost ISS orbit for the 1st time

China’s Zhurong rover has uncovered evidence of a shoreline from a short-lived ancient ocean on Mars, supporting the theory that the planet was once a water world. The rover, which landed in Mars’ Utopia Planitia in 2021, found features like mud volcano remnants, polygonal troughs, and etched flows, suggesting past water presence. Researchers identified sedimentary deposits and subsurface layers using data from the rover and … Continue reading China’s rover uncovers compelling evidence of 3.5 billion-year-old Mars ocean

NASA’s NEOWISE planetary defense telescope has completed its mission after 10 years of monitoring potential threats to Earth. Originally launched in 2009 as WISE, the telescope surveyed the sky in infrared before transitioning in 2013 to focus on asteroids and comets. NEOWISE made over 1.45 million measurements of more than 44,000 objects, discovering 215 new near-Earth objects. Its mission ended after increased solar activity pushed … Continue reading NASA’s Planetary Defense Telescope NEOWISE Burns Up In Atmosphere