On Jan. 8th, 2026, NASA announced its decision to return the SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the International Space Station earlier than originally planned. This unprecedented move came after one of the crew members reportedly experienced a health-related issue that required full medical services. While the crew member (who has not been identified for privacy reasons) was reported to be in stable condition, NASA will go ahead with the early return mission. According to the latest updates, the Crew-11 mission team will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Thursday, Jan.15th. at approximately 3:40 a.m. EST (Jan. 14th, 12:40 pm PST).
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Astronomers Spot a Barred Spiral Galaxy That Existed Just 2 Billion Years After the Big Bang
Scientists continue to push the boundaries of astronomy and cosmology, thanks to next-generation instruments that can see farther and clearer than ever before. Through these efforts, astronomers have observed some of the earliest galaxies in the Universe. In turn, this has led to refined theories and timelines of galactic formation and evolution. In a recent study, a team of astronomers led by the University of Pittsburgh (UPitt) uncovered what could be the earliest barred spiral galaxy ever observed. This finding helps constrain the timeframe in which bars first emerged in the Universe.
I visited the largest collection of public telescopes in the US in Oregon's high desert, and the dark skies blew me away
Located south of Bend’s outdoor playland, I visited this Pacific Northwest gem for an enchanted winter evening of astronomical wonders
ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: New commander to take charge soon
NASA is returning four astronauts to Earth early from the International Space Station due to a medical concern with one of the Crew-11 astronauts. Here's the latest news.
'A completely new manufacturing frontier': Space Forge fires up 1st commercial semiconductor factory in space
Such experiments have previously only been conducted aboard the International Space Station.
Pandora Mission Launches to Explore Atmospheres on Alien Worlds
NASA's new, small observatory — launched successfully on January 11th — has a big mission: to characterize exoplanet atmospheres.
'Black Mirror' season 8 announced for Netflix, with creator Charlie Brooker back at the helm
'Luckily it does have a future, so I can confirm that 'Black Mirror' will return, just in time for reality to catch up with it.'
Watch India launch advanced military satellite on rocket's 1st flight since May 2025 failure
You can watch India launch 16 payloads, including an advanced military satellite, to space tonight (Jan. 11). It will be the first liftoff of a PSLV rocket since a May 2025 failure.
Is the Universe Made of Math? Part 2: The Minimalist Universe
This is Part 2 in a series on the mathematical universe hypothesis. Check out Part 1.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 1st ‘Twilight’ rideshare mission
File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of the launch of the Starlink 9-10 mission on Nov. 8, 2024. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX will debut a new class of rideshare mission on Sunday with the launch of its first Twilight flight. The mission is described by the company as flying to a “dawn-dusk Sun-synchronous orbit” after departing from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
A New Study Finds a Subtle Dance Between Dark Matter and Neutrinos
Time again for a tale of things dark and mysterious. A tale of dark matter. It's a well-told tale, but this time it involves an interactive dance between dark matter and neutrinos.
Watch SpaceX launch NASA's Pandora exoplanet-studying satellite on Jan. 11
Liftoff is scheduled for 8:19 a.m. ET on Sunday (Jan. 11).
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 192 — Space, 2026!
On Episode 192 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik looks forward to 2026, which promises to be the most exciting year in the new space age yet!
Space.com headlines crossword quiz for week of Jan. 5, 2026: The moon met which bright star in the night sky this week?
Test your space smarts with our weekly crossword challenge, crafted from Space.com's biggest headlines.
Moon fever hits DC as Artemis 2 rocket 'candle' lights up Washington Monument just 1 month before launch (photos)
The Washington Monument lit up on New Year's Eve in celebration of the Artemis 2 moon mission as well as the 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence.
ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: SpaceX readies Dragon spacecraft for Crew-11 return to Earth
NASA is returning four astronauts to Earth early from the International Space Station due to a medical concern with one of the Crew-11 astronauts. Here's the latest news.
This System Reveals How Super-Earths Are Born
One of the best things about being able to see thousands of exoplanetary systems is that we’re able to track them in different stages of development. Scientists still have so many questions about how planets form, and comparing notes between systems of different ages is one way to answer them. A new paper recently published in Nature by John Livingston of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and his co-authors details one particularly interesting system, known as V1298, which is only around 30 million years old, and hosts an array of four “cotton candy” planets, which represent some of the earliest stages of planet formation yet seen.
Astronaut on ISS captures spectacular orbital video of zodiacal light, auroras and the Pleiades
Kimiya Yui released the timelapse footage to celebrate his 300th cumulative day spent orbiting Earth.
SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on its 3rd mission of 2026 (video)
SpaceX launched 29 Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast on Friday (Jan. 9), acing its third mission of 2026.
NASA will evacuate SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts from International Space Station on Jan. 14
The first medical evacuation in the history of the International Space Station will take place on Jan. 14, when the four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission head home.
