Astronomers from University College London and Cardiff University have discovered a mysterious bar-shaped cloud of iron inside the Ring Nebula. The cloud, roughly 500 times the length of Pluto’s orbit and with a mass comparable to Mars, fits within the nebula’s inner layer. Observations were made using the Large Integral Field Unit (LIFU) mode of the WEAVE instrument on the William Herschel Telescope. The Ring … Continue reading Mysterious iron ‘bar’ discovered in famous nebula

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy renewed their partnership to develop a fission surface power system for the Moon and future Mars missions under the Artemis program. A new memorandum of understanding formalizes the collaboration, aiming to deploy a lunar surface nuclear reactor by 2030. The system is designed to provide safe, efficient, and continuous electrical power for sustained lunar operations, independent of sunlight … Continue reading NASA, Department of Energy to Develop Lunar Surface Reactor by 2030

NASA may have lost contact permanently with its long-running Mars orbiter, MAVEN, which has been silent since December 6 while passing behind Mars. Analysis suggests the spacecraft is tumbling and has left its planned orbit, making recovery unlikely. MAVEN exceeded its original two-year mission, studying Mars’ upper atmosphere, the solar wind, and helping relay communications for rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance. Multiple attempts to locate … Continue reading NASA Fears Mars Imager Probe MAVEN May Be Lost

NASA’s ISS Crew-11 safely returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific off San Diego early Thursday morning. The mission was cut short due to a medical issue affecting one astronaut, though the individual remained stable and no emergency evacuation was needed. Crew-11 undocked from the ISS Wednesday evening after preparing cargo and reviewing return procedures. The team included two Americans, a Japanese astronaut, and … Continue reading Sick astronaut, rest of crew splash down in Pacific after undocking from ISS

An Indian PSLV rocket carrying 16 payloads, including an Earth observation satellite, went off course shortly after liftoff on Monday. The mission, PSLV-C62, lifted off from Sriharikota but experienced an anomaly during the end of its PS3 stage. ISRO said the rocket had flown normally for most of the mission before the unexpected deviation, and a detailed investigation has been launched. This marks the second … Continue reading Indian rocket launch loses control after liftoff in fresh blow to ISRO

Astronomers have discovered a glowing bow shock around the white dwarf RXJ0528+2838, located 731 light-years away, in a phenomenon that defies current understanding. Unlike typical white dwarfs, which produce outflows through a surrounding disk, RXJ0528+2838 has no disk, yet it has generated a multi-colored nebula for roughly 1,000 years. Researchers suggest the star’s strong magnetic field may channel material from its companion directly onto the … Continue reading Rainbow Discovered Around a Nearby Dead Star Puzzles Scientists

SpaceX has secured $739 million in new contracts from the U.S. Space Force for multiple military satellite launches. The contracts, issued under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1, include task orders for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), supporting missile warning and tracking capabilities. Planned launches include SDA-2 missions in late FY2026, SDA-3 missions in mid-FY2027, and … Continue reading Space Force awards $739 million in launch orders to SpaceX

NASA’s Pandora exoplanet satellite successfully launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday as part of SpaceX’s “Twilight” mission. Pandora, weighing 716 pounds, will spend a year observing at least 20 known exoplanets as they transit their stars, helping astronomers study planetary atmospheres and disentangle stellar effects from planetary signals. The mission also carried around 40 other satellites, including Kepler … Continue reading SpaceX launches NASA’s Pandora exoplanet mission, 3 dozen other satellites

Astronaut Mike Fincke and his Crew 11 colleagues are returning early from the International Space Station due to a medical issue affecting an unidentified crew member, though all are reported as stable and well cared for. The crew, including Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov, will undock Wednesday and splash down in the Pacific Thursday morning, followed by medical evaluations onshore. This marks the … Continue reading Astronaut says crew in good shape after medical issue, but calls early return to Earth “bittersweet”

The FCC has approved SpaceX’s expansion of its Starlink constellation to up to 15,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, shortly after the company launched 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites from Cape Canaveral. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the authorization will enhance broadband services, competition, and connectivity for underserved communities. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster B1069 successfully landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, … Continue reading FCC gives SpaceX “green light” to expand Starlink constellation to 15,000 satellites

NASA will bring Crew-11 astronauts back to Earth on Saturday, weeks ahead of schedule, due to a medical issue with an unnamed crew member. A planned spacewalk by Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Zena Cardman was postponed, as it involved non-essential work on a new solar array. NASA confirmed the affected astronaut is stable, and the situation did not stem from an operational injury. … Continue reading Medical emergency on space station forces NASA to evacuate astronaut

L3Harris Technologies announced it will sell a roughly 60% stake in its space propulsion and power systems business to private equity firm AE Industrial Partners for $845 million, including debt. The move aligns with L3Harris’ strategy to focus more on defense capabilities amid global geopolitical uncertainty. The company is also reorganizing into three business segments: space and mission systems, communications and spectrum dominance, and missile … Continue reading L3Harris to sell majority stake in space propulsion unit to AE Industrial

SpaceX launched the first Starlink satellites of 2026 on a new Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 4 from Cape Canaveral, carrying 29 broadband relay units into low Earth orbit. The satellites, part of Starlink Group 6-88, were successfully deployed about an hour after liftoff. The Falcon 9’s first stage (Booster 1101) returned to Earth, landing on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the … Continue reading SpaceX launches 1st Starlink satellites of 2026 on new Falcon 9 rocket

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed the first-ever starless, gas-rich, dark-matter-dominated cloud, nicknamed “Cloud-9,” near the galaxy Messier 94. This object, a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud (RELHIC), contains neutral hydrogen and about five billion solar masses of dark matter but has not formed stars, representing a “failed galaxy” and a relic of early galaxy formation. Cloud-9 was initially discovered three years ago via radio … Continue reading NASA’s Hubble Examines Cloud-9, First of New Type of Object

SpaceX kicked off the new year with a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying Italy’s 1,700-kg Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 (CSG-FM3) Earth observation satellite. The satellite, with both civilian and military applications, is the third of four in its series and will operate in a 620 km Sun-synchronous orbit using X-band synthetic aperture radar. The launch, originally delayed twice due … Continue reading SpaceX opens 2026 with launch of Cosmo-SkyMed Earth observation satellite

A Chinese space experiment has shown that female mammals can successfully reproduce after spaceflight, with one mouse giving birth to nine healthy pups following a two-week stay aboard the Tiangong space station. The female returned to Earth on November 14, and the birth on December 10 marks the first known case of a female mammal exposed to microgravity later delivering offspring. During the mission, mice … Continue reading China’s ‘Space Mouse’ Gives Birth After Orbit

The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed a security breach affecting unclassified science servers after reports of a leak on social media. A threat actor claimed to have stolen about 200 GB of data, including source code, access tokens, configuration files, and hardcoded credentials. Screenshots suggest the compromised material may involve subsystem requirements for the Ariel exoplanet mission and some Airbus spacecraft documents marked “confidential.” ESA … Continue reading ESA confirms data breach

Astronomers have measured the mass and distance of a rogue planet, finding it has a mass similar to Saturn and was ejected after a planetary breakup. This was achieved by observing the planet simultaneously from Earth and space, a rare method that allows precise measurements. The discovery helps explain how planets can be expelled from their systems and drift through interstellar space. Although only a … Continue reading A Saturn-Sized Planet Is Drifting Through Space Alone

Starlink will lower the orbit of its satellites in 2026 from about 342 miles (550 km) to 298 miles to improve safety in crowded low Earth orbit. Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s VP of Starlink engineering, said the reconfiguration will affect all satellites at the higher altitude and take place throughout the year. The move aims to reduce collision risks and long-term space debris as thousands of … Continue reading SpaceX will lower Starlink satellites to reduce collision risk

NASA’s SPHEREx observatory has completed its first full-sky map, collecting near-infrared data at 102 wavelengths since its launch in March 2025. The map allows scientists to study the early universe’s inflation and the distribution of organic molecules across space, providing unique information for each of the 102 wavelengths. SPHEREx operates from a polar Sun-synchronous orbit, imaging the sky along strips daily and stitching the data … Continue reading SPHEREx produces first all-sky map, highlights entire universe in infrared light

Russia launched three Iranian communications satellites into orbit on Sunday, marking the second such joint launch since July, according to Iranian state media. The satellites—Paya, Kowsar, and Zafar-2—were placed in a 500-kilometer orbit from Russia’s Vostochny launchpad, with Paya being Iran’s heaviest satellite to date at 150 kilograms. The satellites, with up to 3-meter resolution imaging, will support water management, agriculture, and environmental monitoring, and … Continue reading Russia sends 3 Iranian satellites into orbit

Japan’s seventh H3 rocket mission failed when the second stage engine shut down prematurely, preventing the Michibiki 5 (QZS-5) navigation satellite from reaching its planned orbit. The launch took place from Tanegashima Space Center on Dec. 21, carrying the 4,800-kilogram satellite intended for Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), which complements GPS and serves the Asia-Oceania region. The H3 rocket, developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy … Continue reading Japanese H3 rocket fails during launch of navigation satellite

Russian state-owned Energia has patented a spacecraft design intended to generate artificial gravity, potentially benefiting long-duration crewed missions. The design features a rotating system capable of producing 0.5g, using radially attached habitable modules that spin around a central axis at five revolutions per minute. Each module would have a radius of 131 feet (40 meters) and require multiple launches for orbital assembly, though docking and … Continue reading Russia patents space station designed to generate artificial gravity

Four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—conducted a dress rehearsal countdown inside their Orion spacecraft atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at Kennedy Space Center, preparing for the Artemis 2 lunar mission. The complex test experienced some stops and starts, but Wiseman called it “extremely successful,” confirming the crew and vehicle are ready for launch procedures. Artemis 2 is tentatively scheduled … Continue reading Astronauts complete practice countdown for upcoming trip around the moon

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched new AI-driven weather forecasting models designed to deliver faster and more accurate predictions while using far less computing power. The AI models—AIGFS, AIGEFS, and Hybrid-GEFS—leverage decades of historical data and traditional equation-based models like the Global Forecast System to improve forecasts without replacing existing systems. AIGFS can generate a 16-day forecast using just 0.3% of the … Continue reading NOAA says its new AI-driven weather models improve forecast speed and accuracy