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Trump Asks SpaceX to Return NASA’s ‘Stranded’ Astronauts to Earth ASAP
Despite a recent request from Trump, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were already scheduled to return to Earth on a Crew Dragon capsule this spring
SpaceX Starship Explosion Likely Caused by Propellant Leak, Elon Musk Says
The seventh test flight of SpaceX’s Starship ended with a successful landing of the rocket’s first stage but also the loss of the Starship vehicle
Pluto May Have Won Its Moon Charon with a ‘Kiss’
Pluto and its largest moon Charon could have come together via a 10-hour “kiss-and-capture” encounter after a grazing collision
SpaceX’s Starship Soars in 6th Test Flight but Skips Booster Catch
The sixth test flight of SpaceX’s giant rocket ended with a fiery splashdown rather than a clean “chopstick” catch
SpaceX Catches a Falling Starship—A First in Spaceflight History
SpaceX’s fifth Starship flight test concluded with mechanical arms snatching the descending rocket booster out of the air
Europe’s Hera Mission Launches to Visit an Asteroid Smacked by NASA
Hera will arrive in 2026 at Dimorphos, an asteroid deliberately struck by NASA’s DART spacecraft
Polaris Dawn Astronauts Launch on Daring Private Mission
Polaris Dawn’s astronauts will travel farther from Earth than anyone since the early 1970s and will attempt the world's first private spacewalk
Europe's JUICE Jupiter Probe Zooms past the Moon in Historic Flyby
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft took a shortcut to the giant planet by way of the Earth and the moon
Watch the Blue Supermoon Rise Tonight
August’s supermoon will be the first of four supermoons in a row
SpaceX Set to Launch First-Ever Crew over Earth's Poles
Launching in late 2024, the Fram2 mission will be the first human spaceflight to explore the planet's polar regions
After Falcon 9 Rocket Anomaly, SpaceX Seeks Rapid Return to Flight
SpaceX has filed a request with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine whether the company can resume launches of its recently grounded workhorse rocket
Europe’s New Ariane 6 Rocket Launches at Last
Europe rejoins the new space race with the launch of its long-awaited Ariane 6 rocket
Will NASA Pay Damages for Space Junk that Crashed into Florida Home?
Florida family files claim against NASA to compensate them after space debris crashed through their home in March
SpaceX Starship Blasts through Plasma on Return from Ambitious Test Flight
Elon Musk’s SpaceX made a much-anticipated fourth test flight of the world’s most powerful rocket, Starship, a vehicle designed to power human flight to the moon and Mars
Boeing’s Starliner Launches Astronauts for First Time in Historic Liftoff
After multiple delays, the first crewed launch of Starliner marks a milestone for U.S. human spaceflight
China’s Chang’e 6 Probe Lands on Far Side of the Moon
The Chang’e 6 mission is China’s second to touch down on the lunar far side and will retrieve samples for analysis on Earth
Volcanoes on Venus Might Be Erupting Right Now
Scientists have found signs of fresh flowing lava on Venus in decades-old data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft
The Great Solar Storm of 2024 May Have Made the Strongest Auroras in Centuries
Northern and southern lights produced by a recent bout of severe space weather may rival the most intense auroras of the past 500 years
Ed Dwight, America’s First Black Astronaut Candidate, Flies to Space on Blue Origin Rocket
The 90-year-old finally realized his dreams of spaceflight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle, which also carried five other crew members on a short suborbital voyage
Boeing’s Starliner Is Set for Its First Crewed Spaceflight
Starliner’s first crewed launch will mark just the sixth time ever that NASA astronauts have flown in a brand-new spacecraft
Sorry, Little Green Men: Alien Life Might Actually Be Purple
Purple may be a likely color for extraterrestrial organisms, research suggests
Astronomers Discover Milky Way's 'Sleeping Giant' Black Hole Shockingly Close to Earth
A black hole weighing as much as 33 suns lurks a mere 2,000 light-years away from our solar system
Donate Your Eclipse Glasses to Help Others Safely Enjoy the Awe
The nonprofit Astronomers Without Borders is collecting gently used eclipse glasses through Warby Parker and other sites to enable people to see future eclipses
This Hellish Alien World’s Skies May Create an Eerie Rainbow ‘Glory’ Effect
The atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-76b may rain iron and form a strange, rainbow-like phenomenon called a “glory” never yet seen outside the solar system