NASA and SpaceX are targeting September 26 for the launch of the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will lift off aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral. Crew-9, the ninth crew rotation mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, will focus on scientific research to support future human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, … Continue reading NASA, SpaceX plan to launch new crewed mission next week

NASA has developed a new method for studying the lunar surface by shooting miniaturized spectrometers into the moon’s soil. These tiny sensors, embedded in bullet-like casings, analyze the composition of the lunar regolith quickly and efficiently. Using Fresnel diffraction, the compact spectrometers work at shorter distances, allowing for high-quality data collection, the Daily Galaxy has reported. This innovation could enhance lunar exploration by enabling widespread … Continue reading NASA’s Plan to Study Lunar Craters by “Shooting the Moon” with Mini-Spectrometers

Gen. Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, praised the TacSRT program, which uses commercial satellite imagery and data analytics to enhance military operations, citing its success during the U.S. troop withdrawal from Niger. Speaking at the Air Space & Cyber Conference on Sept. 17, Saltzman highlighted TacSRT’s efficiency, with data delivery times improving from three and a half hours to as little as … Continue reading U.S. Space Force chief endorses commercial satellite data program

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole in the early universe, located in “Pablo’s Galaxy,” causing the galaxy’s rapid star death by expelling gas at speeds up to 2.2 million miles per hour. This intense outflow of gas, which is cooler and denser than previously detected, is quenching star formation by stripping the galaxy of the materials needed … Continue reading James Webb Space Telescope witnesses a black hole ‘killing’ its galaxy

Researchers at the Europlanet Science Congress have identified massive, dense structures beneath the remains of an ancient Martian ocean, possibly formed by volcanic activity or space rock impacts. Detected through Mars’ gravity data from NASA’s Insight mission and other satellites, these structures, including one shaped like a dog, are located in the northern polar plains. They are about 300-400 kg/m³ denser than surrounding rock and … Continue reading Mars: Mysterious ‘Dense Structures’ Detected Below Planet’s Surface

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew has successfully returned to Earth after a historic five-day mission, which included the world’s first commercial spacewalk. The Crew Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Dry Tortugas, Florida, at 3:37 a.m. ET on Sunday. During the mission, the crew reached the highest altitude achieved by humans in five decades. Safely returning involved performing a … Continue reading SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew returns home after history-making mission

Earth is expected to gain a new temporary moon by the end of September, as a small asteroid named 2024 PT5 becomes temporarily captured by our planet’s gravity. Discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on August 7, this mini-moon, measuring about 33 feet (10 meters) wide, will orbit Earth once between September 29 and November 25 before escaping its gravitational pull. Although … Continue reading Earth’s new ‘mini-moon’ will orbit our planet for the next 2 months

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has recently alerted the public about five approaching asteroids, including one termed ‘stadium-size’ asteroid named 2024ON, which is about 950 feet in diameter. This asteroid is set to pass Earth on Tuesday at a distance of approximately 621,000 miles—nearly three times farther than the average distance to the moon. Other monitored asteroids range in size from ‘airplane-size’ to ‘house-size,’ with … Continue reading NASA issues alert for stadium sized asteroid passing earth

NASA is working with U.S. and international partners to establish a Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) following a White House directive. The time standard, based on a weighted average of atomic clocks on the Moon, aims to support a future lunar ecosystem and can be adapted for other celestial bodies. Initial research shows that atomic clocks on the Moon may tick slightly faster than on Earth … Continue reading NASA to develop lunar time standard for exploration initiatives

Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object now in interstellar space, recently used a clever thruster technique to maintain communication with Earth. Facing issues with its thrusters and limited power, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) engineers managed to switch to a backup thruster system. Despite the spacecraft’s advanced age and declining power, the team successfully reoriented Voyager 1 towards Earth by warming a dormant thruster … Continue reading NASA’s Voyager 1 probe swaps thrusters in tricky fix as it flies through interstellar space

Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman completed the first private spacewalk on Thursday, emerging from a SpaceX capsule 460 miles above Earth. This marks a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight, previously limited to professional astronauts. Isaacman, testing SpaceX’s new spacesuits, performed the spacewalk briefly, lasting less than two hours. SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis also conducted a brief spacewalk. The mission, part of Isaacman’s Polaris program, was designed … Continue reading Tech billionaire pulls off first private spacewalk high above Earth

NASA has approved the launch of the Europa Clipper spacecraft, scheduled for October 10 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. After addressing concerns about the spacecraft’s transistors and their ability to handle Europa’s intense radiation, NASA confirmed that the spacecraft is ready for its $5 billion mission. The Europa Clipper will spend six years traveling to Jupiter, conducting close flybys of Europa to investigate its … Continue reading NASA spacecraft to study Jupiter moon’s underground ocean cleared for October launch

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, a groundbreaking journey into Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts with a four-person civilian crew aiming to conduct the first commercial spacewalk, successfully launched at 5:23 a.m. ET. SpaceX livestreamed the event, with ground controllers offering encouragement to the crew, including the first SpaceX employees to go to space. The mission, delayed by weather, requires careful timing for the crew’s five-day return, … Continue reading SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn crew

NASA is exploring the possibility of using commercial services for Mars exploration due to the high costs and challenges of sending missions to the Red Planet. The agency is considering buying services like imagery, transportation, and communications from private companies to reduce costs and enhance scientific research. This approach could enable more frequent and cost-effective missions. NASA’s Mars Exploration Program is currently conducting feasibility studies … Continue reading NASA charts path toward commercial services for Mars

On September 8, the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully deorbited the first Cluster satellite, “Salsa,” performing a controlled reentry over the South Pacific to minimize debris risks. This “targeted reentry” was a first, allowing ESA to precisely control the satellite’s reentry time and location, thanks to its highly elliptical orbit. The operation is part of ESA’s Zero Debris approach, aiming to eliminate space debris by … Continue reading ESA performs targeted reentry of Cluster satellite

A team led by Chris Martin at Caltech has used the Keck Cosmic Web Imager to capture the first detailed image of the gas halo surrounding a galaxy. This “shroud” extends 100,000 light years into space and contains up to 90% of the universe’s normal matter, primarily hydrogen and helium. The breakthrough was achieved using an ultra-faint spectrograph to observe a seemingly empty region of … Continue reading New measurements reveal the enormous halos that shroud all galaxies in the universe

China’s space plane has successfully completed its third mission, returning to Earth after spending over eight months in orbit. The spacecraft landed at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 6, 2024, after launching on December 14, 2023. While details about the space plane’s capabilities remain unclear, it is expected to advance future space travel. The mission included deploying a small object, potentially a subsatellite, … Continue reading China’s mysterious space plane returns to Earth after 268 days in orbit

A decade of observations with the Subaru Telescope has revealed a new cluster of objects beyond the Kuiper Belt, potentially indicating a previously unknown structure in our Solar System. This discovery, set to be detailed in the Planetary Science Journal, suggests that the Kuiper Belt may extend much farther than previously thought. The cluster, consisting of 11 objects orbiting between 70 and 90 astronomical units … Continue reading SCIENTISTS INTRIGUED BY SIGNS OF HIDDEN RING OF OBJECTS AT EDGE OF SOLAR SYSTEM

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico after a challenging test flight, which saw its crew of astronauts remain safely on the International Space Station due to concerns over thruster performance. NASA opted for an uncrewed return to avoid risks, following past issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters. Despite the smooth landing, which NASA described as a “bullseye,” the decision to leave astronauts Butch Wilmore … Continue reading With no crew aboard, spacecraft Starliner lands without a hitch

A newly discovered asteroid, named 2024 RW1, met a dramatic end above the Philippines, exploding into a bright green fireball visible up to 250 miles away. Discovered on September 4 by the Catalina Sky Survey, this 3-foot-wide space rock broke apart in Earth’s atmosphere on September 5, likely due to its high magnesium content. The event was captured in stunning photos and videos, as advance … Continue reading Asteroid slams into Earth triggering stunning green ‘fireball’ above the Philippines

China plans to launch its Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission in 2028, according to mission lead Liu Jizhong. The mission will involve two Long March 5 rockets: one to carry a lander and ascent vehicle, and another for an orbiter and return module. It will build on technology from the Tianwen-1 mission and may include a helicopter and a six-legged robot for sample collection. Although … Continue reading China sets historic Mars mission for 2028

The BepiColombo Mercury probe, a joint mission by ESA and JAXA, made its fourth flyby of Mercury on September 4, 2024, capturing detailed images of the planet’s cratered surface. Passing just 103 miles above Mercury, the spacecraft provided some of its best images yet, including notable craters Vivaldi and Stoddart. This gravity assist maneuver, part of BepiColombo’s eight-year journey to Mercury, helps slow the spacecraft … Continue reading BepiColombo probe captures stunning Mercury images in closest flyby yet

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the U.S. Space Force are working to enhance their collaboration in collecting and distributing space-based intelligence to global military users. With a push for faster access to commercial satellite images in rapidly changing scenarios, Space Force operators are now stationed at NGA’s Springfield, Virginia campus to address issues such as satellite tasking and tracking moving targets. The National Reconnaissance … Continue reading Space Force and intelligence agencies seek to streamline satellite imagery delivery

NASA is preparing to clear the Europa Clipper spacecraft for launch next month after successful testing of its transistors, which confirmed they can handle the mission’s conditions. In July, concerns were raised about the transistors’ performance in Jupiter’s high-radiation environment. However, recent results suggest they will support the mission. The spacecraft is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy during a window starting October … Continue reading NASA moving ahead with Europa Clipper launch in October

On August 31, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore reported a strange pulsing noise from the speakers of the Starliner spacecraft, currently docked at the ISS. Mission Control described the sound as similar to a sonar ping and noted it was due to an audio configuration issue between the spacecraft and the station. NASA assured that the noise had no impact on the crew, the Starliner, or … Continue reading ‘Strange noise’ coming from Boeing Starliner made astronaut contact mission control