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Space News

A depiction of space junk in low-Earth orbit.

Satellite snaps remarkable image of a huge piece of space junk

Orbital debris removal company Astroscale has shared a remarkable image showing a large piece of space junk up close.
Boeing's Starliner capsule docked at the ISS.

Watch the Starliner spacecraft star in its own aurora video

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station has captured a video showing the recently docked Starliner spacecraft with a dramatic aurora backdrop.
An artist’s concept of the Voyager spacecraft.

Voyager 1 probe has nine lives, is operating its four instruments once again

Having suffered through a tricky glitch, the incredible Voyager 1 spacecraft is now back to operations, with data coming in from all four of its instruments.
30 stunning spacewalk images to celebrate nasas 300th outing  26

Unusual issue forces NASA to call off ISS spacewalk

NASA’s first spacewalk of 2024 was called off about an hour before it was expected to begin at the International Space Station on Thursday morning.
This artist’s concept shows two young stars nearing the end of their formation. Encircling the stars are disks of leftover gas and dust from which planets may form. Jets of gas shoot away from the stars’ north and south poles.

Well-known star turns out to be not one star, but twins

Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope revealed that a particular star turned out not to be a single star at all, but actually a pair.
An animation showing a preview of NASA's first spacewalk of 2024.

This is how a NASA astronaut will swab the ISS exterior for microbes

NASA has shared an animation showing how one of its astronauts will swab the exterior of the space station in the hope of finding some hardy microorganisms.
A red giant star and white dwarf orbit each other in this animation of a nova similar to T Coronae Borealis. The red giant is a large sphere in shades of red, orange, and white, with the side facing the white dwarf the lightest shades. The white dwarf is hidden in a bright glow of white and yellows, which represent an accretion disk around the star. A stream of material, shown as a diffuse cloud of red, flows from the red giant to the white dwarf. When the red giant moves behind the white dwarf, a nova explosion on the white dwarf ignites, creating a ball of ejected nova material shown in pale orange. After the fog of material clears, a small white spot remains, indicating that the white dwarf has survived the explosion.

A cosmic explosion will create a bright new star in the sky

A cosmic explosion expected this summer will be visible from Earth even with the naked eye and will result in a new star.
The specks in this scene were caused by charged particles from a solar storm hitting a camera aboard NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. Curiosity uses its navigation cameras to try and capture images of dust devils and wind gusts, like the one seen here.

Auroras and radiation from solar storms spotted on Mars

If we ever want to send people to visit the red planet, we're going to need to learn more about radiation and how it's affected by events like solar storms.
A NASA spacewalk.

How to watch NASA’s first spacewalk of 2024

NASA is making final preparations for its first spacewalk of 2024, and you can watch the event live when it takes place on Thursday, June 13.
SpaceX's Inspiration4 crew in orbit.

Data from Inspiration4 astronauts suggests short space trips aren’t harmful to health

New research that was conducted on the four civilian astronauts of the Inspiration4 mission shows the effects of short-duration spaceflight on the human body.
An astronaut during a spacewalk.

NASA’s next ISS spacewalk has an unusual objective

Most NASA spacewalks at the International Space Station are for upgrade or maintenance work, but the next one is a little unusual.
Boeing's Starliner capsule docked at the ISS.

Starliner astronauts give first tour of the docked spacecraft

Two NASA astronauts have given space fans a tour of the Boeing Starliner capsule that is currently docked at the International Space Station.
SpaceX's Super Heavy on the launchpad ahead of a test.

Elon Musk reveals grand plan for Starship megarocket’s next test flight

SpaceX boss Elon Musk has revealed plans for the next Starship test flight as it seeks to develop the vehicle into a fully reusable transportation system.
SpaceX's Starship launching on its fourth test flight.

Watch this stunning slow-motion footage of mighty Starship launch

SpaceX has shared incredible slow-motion footage showing the world's most powerful rocket at the start of its fourth test flight.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard, approaches the International Space Station for an autonomous docking as it orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.

Boeing Starliner arrives safely at the ISS, but it sprung more leaks along the way

Boeing's Starliner made it safely to the International Space Station carrying two NASA astronauts, but had some problems on its journey.
starship fourth test flight screenshot 2024 06 145159

SpaceX Starship rocket survives reentry mostly intact in fourth test flight

The mighty Starship rocket that SpaceX intends to use to transport astronauts to the moon and beyond has made another largely successful test flight.
A ULA Atlas V rocket transporting the Starliner spacecraft to orbit.

Watch this highlight reel chronicling Starliner’s launch day

Boeing Space has shared a 90-second highlight reel detailing the first crewed launch of its Starliner spacecraft, which lifted off on Wednesday.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a Boeing Starliner spacecraft launches NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

Boeing Starliner successfully launches carrying two NASA astronauts

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft has finally launched, taking off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Boeing Space's Starliner spacecraft.

How to watch the first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft

NASA has just released the latest flight schedule for the first crewed test mission involving Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.
The Starliner on the launchpad atop an Atlas V rocket.

Will the Starliner finally get to launch on Wednesday?

The Starliner has suffered multiple setbacks and delays, the most recent of which took place last week when a launch was called off with just minutes to go.
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft separating from the first-stage Super Heavy rocket in the vehicle's second integrated test flight in November 2023.

How to watch SpaceX launch Starship megarocket on fourth test flight

SpaceX has received a launch permit from the FAA and is targeting Thursday, June 4, for the fourth test flight of its Starship megarocket.
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft stacked atop the Super Heavy booster ahead of its third test flight.

SpaceX given clearance to launch Starship megarocket this week

After a long wait, SpaceX has finally received a launch license from the FAA and is preparing the fourth test flight of its Starship megarocket.
This image shows China's Chang'e 6 lander on the surface of the moon.

China’s Chang’e 6 mission blasts off from lunar surface carrying moon rocks

China's Chang'e 6 mission has scooped up samples from the moon and has now taken off from the lunar surface, headed back to Earth.
An STS-125 crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured this image of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on May 19, 2009.

Hubble will switch to a new mode to preserve its troublesome gyros

The beloved Hubble Space Telescope will soon be changing the way it operates to deal with a dodgy gyroscope.
China's Chang'e-6 probe heading toward the lunar surface in June 2024.

Watch this Chinese spacecraft land on the far side of the moon

China has released some remarkable footage showing its Chang’e 6 spacecraft making a touchdown on the far side of the moon.
SpaceX's Starship rocket on the launchpad at Boca Chica, Texas, in June 2024.

Elon Musk says Starship is ready to fly, but one thing stands in the way

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on Monday that the mighty Starship rocket is ready for its fourth test flight, but there's one obstacle that still needs clearing.
Yusaku Maezawa announcing his plan to fly around the moon.

Billionaire calls off moon flyby adventure

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has canceled his plan to fly around the moon because testing of the Starship rocket is taking longer than expected.
The Starliner atop an Atlas V rocket.

NASA sets new target launch date for Starliner spacecraft

Following the dramatic halt to proceedings just minutes before liftoff on Saturday, NASA has now shared a new target launch date for the Starliner spacecraft.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is seen on the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, June 1, 2024

First crewed flight of the Boeing Starliner scrubbed once again

The planned crewed launch of the Boeing Starliner was scrubbed at 3 minutes and 50 seconds before liftoff due to a problem with the ground system.
Fly across Nili Fossae with Mars Express.

Fly over the trenches of Mars in stunning video of Nili Fossae

A new video from the European Space Agency (ESA) was constructed using data from the Mars Express mission and shows a flyover of Mars's Nili Fossae trenches.
Boeing Space's Starliner spacecraft heading back to the launchpad.

Watch Starliner heading back to the launchpad at Kennedy

Boeing has shared a short video showing its Starliner spacecraft heading back to the launchpad ahead of the spacecraft's first crewed flight on Saturday.
The first of two CubeSats for the PREFIRE mission sits on a launch pad in Māhia, New Zealand, shortly before launching on May 25, 2024 at 7:41 p.m. NZST (3:41 a.m. EDT).

Two tiny NASA satellites are launching to study Earth’s poles

NASA has launched the first part of a two-satellite mission called PREFIRE to study Earth's poles, with the second satellite set to launch this Saturday.
JADES (NIRCam Image with Pullout). The NIRCam data was used to determine which galaxies to study further with spectroscopic observations. One such galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0 (shown in the pullout), was determined to be at a redshift of 14.32 (+0.08/-0.20), making it the current record-holder for the most distant known galaxy. This corresponds to a time less than 300 million years after the big bang.

James Webb discovers the most distant galaxy ever observed

Researchers using James Webb have discovered the most distant known galaxy to date. It existed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrive back at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 28, ahead of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.

NASA confirms readiness for highly anticipated crewed mission

NASA and Boeing Space have confirmed their readiness to proceed with Saturday’s first crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft to the ISS.