NASA’s Perseverance rover is embarking on a challenging new mission to ascend the steep western rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater. After spending two and a half years exploring the crater floor and river delta, Perseverance, which has already collected 22 rock cores and traveled over 18 miles, will begin its ascent the week of August 19. The rover’s climb, which will see it gain about … Continue reading NASA’s Mars rover to begin ‘most challenging’ journey up crater rim

Astronauts are preparing for lunar construction in anticipation of NASA’s Artemis missions, which aim to land astronauts on the moon by 2026 and eventually establish a permanent base. To support this goal, an experiment on the International Space Station is testing cement-mixing techniques using simulated lunar soil. NASA is exploring ways to construct habitats on the moon more economically by using local materials, potentially reducing … Continue reading Astronauts on ISS practice moon base cement-mixing tech in microgravity

On August 15, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched two Maxar Intelligence imaging satellites, known as Maxar-2, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This launch, SpaceX’s 79th of 2024, is the second of three missions to deploy Maxar’s WorldView Legion constellation of six high-resolution imaging satellites. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster successfully returned to Cape Canaveral, and both satellites were confirmed to be deployed about … Continue reading SpaceX launches second pair of Maxar WorldView Legion imaging satellites

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded on the International Space Station (ISS due to delays with the Boeing Starliner, have adapted to their extended stay. Initially planned for a short mission, the astronauts have now been aboard for over two months, with their return possibly delayed until February 2025. Due to limited sleeping quarters, Wilmore has been “roughing it” by sleeping in a … Continue reading Astronaut stuck on the ISS is roughing it in a sleeping bag over in the Japanese space module

Russia launched its 89th cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 14, sending the uncrewed Progress MS-28 spacecraft into orbit atop a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The craft, carrying nearly three tons of supplies, is set to dock with the ISS on August 17. This mission follows the departure of the Progress MS-26 vehicle, which recently burned up … Continue reading Russia launches 89th Progress cargo spacecraft to ISS

Cryptocurrency speculator Chun Wang has purchased a SpaceX multi-day flight, marking the first crewed space mission in polar orbit, set to launch later this year. Named “Fram2” after a historic polar expedition ship, the mission will use SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. Wang, who paid for the mission, has invited three Arctic specialists to join him: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, Australian explorer Eric … Continue reading Crypto magnate buys SpaceX mission for private polar spaceflight expedition

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected a component of water in the form of rust on the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. This discovery offers new insights into the asteroid’s composition and formation. Psyche, a large and unusually shiny asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, was once thought to be entirely metallic and potentially the core of a planetesimal. However, … Continue reading James Webb telescope detects signs of rust on priceless, metal-rich asteroid Psyche

SpaceX successfully launched 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit on Monday morning from Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 6:37 a.m., marking the 17th flight for the first-stage booster used in this mission. The booster, which has supported various missions including SES-22, HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, and 11 previous Starlink launches, successfully landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic … Continue reading SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket, Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center

Mars and Jupiter are set for their closest alignment of the decade on Wednesday, appearing so close in the night sky that only a sliver of the moon could fit between them from our perspective. Despite this close visual proximity, the two planets are actually more than 575 million kilometers apart. This planetary conjunction, a rare event that occurs every three years, won’t happen this … Continue reading Mars and Jupiter get close in conjunction this week

New research using data from NASA’s retired InSight mission has uncovered evidence of a vast underground reservoir of water deep beneath Mars’ surface. Scientists estimate that this water, trapped in cracks and pores within the Martian crust, could fill oceans and cover the planet’s surface to a depth of 1 mile. The water is located 7 to 12 miles beneath the surface, making it difficult … Continue reading Underground reservoir on Mars could fill oceans on the planet’s surface

Rocket Lab successfully launched its 10th mission of the year on August 11, deploying an Earth-observing radar satellite for Capella Space. The Electron rocket lifted off from New Zealand, placing the Acadia-3 satellite into orbit about 57 minutes after launch. Acadia-3 is a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite that provides high-resolution images of Earth in all weather conditions, day or night. This mission, dubbed “A … Continue reading Rocket Lab launches sharp-eyed private radar satellite to orbit

The U.S. Space Force has launched the next phase of its missile defense satellite program, inviting proposals for the design of satellites under the Missile Track Custody Epoch 2 initiative. This marks the second phase of developing a missile-tracking network in medium Earth orbit (MEO). Building on the initial Epoch 1 program, which faced delays and contract issues, the Space Force aims to test new … Continue reading Space Force to expand missile-defense satellite network in medium Earth orbit

NASA reports that asteroid 2024 OR1, an airplane-sized object with a diameter of about 110 feet, will safely pass by Earth on August 6, 2024, at a speed of 30,381 km/h. Despite being an Apollo asteroid, which typically crosses Earth’s orbit, it poses no threat due to its smaller size and distance of about 3.4 million kilometers from Earth. This event offers a valuable opportunity … Continue reading Airplane-Sized Asteroid Racing Toward Earth 

A Chinese Long March 6A rocket’s upper stage has fragmented into over 700 pieces of space debris, raising concerns about orbital safety. The rocket, launched on August 6 carrying 18 satellites, experienced a breakup event confirmed by U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) on August 8. Initially, 50 pieces of debris were detected, but further analysis by LeoLabs suggests there are at least 700, potentially more than … Continue reading Chinese rocket stage breaks up into cloud of more than 700 pieces of space debris

Three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are currently heading toward Earth, potentially increasing the chances of seeing auroras across the northern U.S. and Europe this weekend. These CMEs, which are massive bursts of magnetic field and plasma from solar flares, could trigger geomagnetic storms that create the vibrant auroras. The CMEs, originating from solar flares on August 7 and 8, coincide with the peak of the … Continue reading Sun unleashes X-class solar flare, blasts 3rd coronal mass ejection toward Earth in a week

NASA’s asteroid-hunting mission NEOWISE has officially ended after nearly 15 years in orbit. Engineers sent a final command to shut down the spacecraft on August 8. Originally launched in 2009 as WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) to scan the infrared sky, the mission was later extended and renamed NEOWISE to focus on tracking near-Earth objects. Over its extended mission, NEOWISE discovered over 3,000 near-Earth objects … Continue reading NASA shuts down NEOWISE asteroid hunter after almost 15 years in space

Impulse Space announced it will offer rideshare services for spacecraft to geostationary orbit (GEO) using its Helios and upgraded Mira vehicles. Partnering with Exolaunch, the GEO Rideshare Program’s first mission is set for 2027. Helios, a high-energy kick stage powered by liquid oxygen and methane, can transport satellites up to 5,000 kilograms from low Earth orbit (LEO) to GEO within a day. Initially targeting larger … Continue reading Impulse Space announces GEO rideshare program

Scientists have proposed using tiny metal nanorods to thicken Mars’ atmosphere and trap heat, potentially aiding future colonization. According to a Science Advances paper, these nanorods could be made from Mars’ natural iron and aluminum and sprayed into the atmosphere to warm the planet. This process could melt frozen water, increasing Mars’ habitability, though not enough for human life alone. The researchers modeled that releasing 30 liters … Continue reading Mars Terraforming Could Start By Warming Planet With Tiny Rods

NASA is considering having astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the International Space Station on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon due to safety concerns with Starliner. During an August 7 briefing, NASA officials indicated a decision will be made by mid-August. If deemed too risky for the astronauts to return on Starliner, they would stay on the ISS … Continue reading NASA considering returning Starliner astronauts on Crew Dragon

China launched its first batch of internet satellites on Tuesday, aiming to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. The constellation, called “Thousand Sails,” will consist of over 15,000 low-Earth orbit satellites to provide global internet coverage. A Long March 6A rocket from Taiyuan launch center delivered the initial 18 satellites, marking a successful mission according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. By 2025, China plans to deploy … Continue reading China launches its rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet satellites

New research suggests that red dwarf stars, the most common stars in the Milky Way, may be even less hospitable to life than previously thought. These stars may emit intense ultraviolet (UV) light radiation flares that significantly reduce the habitability of their planets. Scientists reached this conclusion by analyzing data from NASA’s now-decommissioned Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission, which scanned the universe for UV flares … Continue reading Planets of Milky Way’s most common stars are less habitable than thought

NASA announced a delay in the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which aims to transport four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and could potentially serve as a backup for Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft. The postponement allows more time to finalize return plans for the Starliner and its crew. NASA will provide more details in a news conference on Wednesday. The delay comes amid … Continue reading NASA delays SpaceX astronaut mission as rumors swirl about Boeing Starliner’s safety

This morning, August 5, the sun emitted two powerful X-class solar flares. The first flare, an X1.7, originated from sunspot AR3767 and peaked at 9:40 a.m. EDT (1340 GMT). Less than two hours later, sunspot AR3780 released an X1.1 flare, peaking at 11:27 a.m. EDT (1527 GMT). X-class flares are the strongest type of solar flares and are often accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), … Continue reading The sun fires off 2 powerful X flares in less than 2 hours

The U.S. Space Force is focusing on ‘small GEO’ satellites, weighing 300 to 500 kilograms, to enhance military communications more cost-effectively and efficiently. These satellites offer geostationary capabilities at reduced costs and quicker development times compared to traditional multi-ton GEO satellites. Cordell DeLaPena, a key Space Force official, emphasized their need for agile and resilient communication systems. Clare Hopper, head of the Space Force’s Commercial … Continue reading Space Force explores ‘small GEO’ options for resilient communications

A satellite watcher has captured new images of China’s mysterious space plane during its third flight. Launched on December 14, 2023, by a Long March 2F rocket, the robotic vehicle was photographed by Felix Schöfbänker in Upper Austria. The images reveal two features at the end of the plane, which Schöfbänker speculates could be solar panels or antennas, not depicted in available computer renderings. He … Continue reading China’s secretive space plane caught on camera in orbit