The underground ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus may contain significant amounts of phosphorus, which is vital for life as we know it.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts arrive at launch site for Oct. 5 liftoff
The crewmembers of SpaceX's Crew-5 astronaut mission for NASA made it to Kennedy Space Center in Florida Saturday (Oct. 1), a few days later than originally planned due to Hurricane Ian.
Look up! See the Orionid meteor shower from Sunday (Oct. 2)
On its yearly journey around the sun Earth is about to pass through a field of debris left by Comet Halley. This will be visible as bright fireballs above Earth peaking in mid-October known as the Orionids.
Earthlike Worlds With Oceans and Continents Could be Orbiting red Dwarfs, Detectable by James Webb
“Go then, there are other worlds than these.” Or so Stephen King said in his famous Dark Tower series. As of yet, none of those worlds are known to be like Earth. But, according to some new simulations by researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), finding a genuinely Earth-like world might be in the cards by the decade’s end.
Construction Begins on the World’s Largest Steerable Radio Telescope
Radio astronomy has been in flux lately. With the permanent loss of the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, a new global power has taken center stage in humanity’s search for radio signals – China. Recently the Chinese announced the start of work on a new milestone telescope, which will eventually make it the biggest moveable one in the world.
How Does NASA Plan to Keep Samples From Mars Safe From Contamination (and Contaminating) Earth?
NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission is inching closer and closer. The overall mission architecture just hit a new milestone when Perseverance collected the first sample that will be sent back. But what happens once that sample actually gets here? NASA and its partner, ESA, are still working on that, but recently they released a fact sheet that covers what will happen during the first stage of that process – returning to the ground.
NASA's Dragonfly Helicopter Will be Exploring This Region of Titan
In June 2027, NASA will launch the long-awaited Dragonfly mission toward Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. By 2034, the 450 kg (990-lbs) nuclear-powered quadcopter will touch down at its target landing site (the Selk crater region) and begin searching Titan’s surface and atmosphere to learn more about this curious satellite. In particular, the mission will investigate the moon’s prebiotic chemistry, active methane cycle, and organic environment. These goals underpin Dragonfly’s main objective, which is to search for possible signs of life (aka. “biosignatures”) on Titan.
NASA rules out launch of Artemis 1 moon rocket before mid-November
NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket rolls into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 27 to take shelter from Hurricane Ian. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA said Friday that officials have ruled out launching the agency’s first giant Space Launch System moon rocket and Orion spacecraft before mid-November, following the rocket’s return to the hangar at Kennedy Space Center for safekeeping from Hurricane Ian.
Preps resume for SpaceX crew launch after Hurricane Ian
From left to right: Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, NASA astronaut Josh Cassada, NASA commander Nicole Mann, and Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina arrive at Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 1 to prepare for launch to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
The next multinational crew scheduled to ride a SpaceX rocket and capsule to the International Space Station next week arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Saturday as ground teams rolled their Falcon 9 booster and Dragon Endurance spacecraft to the launch pad, resuming work suspended earlier in the week as Hurricane Ian moved across Florida.
Firefly reaches orbit in successful demonstration launch from California
Four kerosene-fueled Reaver engines power Firefly’s Alpha rocket off the launch pad in California on Oct. 1. Credit: Brian Sandoval / Spaceflight Now
Firefly Aerospace said its privately-developed Alpha small satellite launcher achieved “100% mission success” on a test flight from California early Saturday, adding another provider to the growing roster of commercial companies that have successfully fired a rocket into orbit.
Live coverage: Crew-5 astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center for launch preps
Live coverage of preparations for the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission carrying NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina on a flight to the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.
SFN Live
NASA TV
'Andor' is intelligent, enthralling sci-fi that should make other studios take note
Fingers crossed that "Andor" on Disney Plus will make other major studios realize that clever is cool, be it "Star Wars" or not.
October full moon 2022 guide: The Hunters' Moon
October's full moon — the Hunter's Moon — becomes full on Oct. 9, the same day that Mercury reaches its highest altitude in the predawn sky.
SpaceX To Fix Hubble, DART Success, Exciting Enceladus Discoveries
Humanity moved an asteroid on purpose for the first time in history. Juno flies past Jupiter’s moon Europa. A possible mission to boost Hubble, and a mysterious blob is orbiting Milky Way’s supermassive black hole.
When is October's partial solar eclipse and who can see it?
At the end of October and before Halloween the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun creating a partial solar eclipse, making the sun appear like a massive bite has been taken from it.
Ancient solar eclipse records reveal how Earth's rotation has changed
Newly discovered records of solar eclipses seen in the Eastern Mediterranean reveal how Earth's motion has evolved.
Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope review
Legendary catadioptric telescope performance, view the stars and far-reaching deep sky objects. Universally loved by astronomers the NexStar 8SE has a strong heritage.
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket reaches orbit for 1st time
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket aced a test flight today (Oct. 1), successfully delivering satellites to Earth orbit for the first time.
October: Make Way for Jupiter
October is a great time of year to do some casual stargazing. The stars and planets are waiting for you — all you need is this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast. Just download or stream the audio file and take it with you outside.
Astronomers Simulate the Cat’s Eye Nebula in 3D
In a recent study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, an international team of researchers led by Stanford University have produced the first computer-generated 3D model of the Cat’s Eye Nebula, which unveiled a symmetric pair of rings that enclose the outer shell of the nebula. This study holds the potential for helping us better understanding the nebula’s makeup and how it formed, as the symmetric rings provides clues that they were formed from a precessing jet, which produces strong confirmation that a binary star exists at the nebula’s center.
Will Titan finally answer, ‘Are we alone?’
We recently examined how and why Jupiter’s moon, Europa, could answer the longstanding question: Are we alone? While this small icy world gives plenty of reasons to believe why we could—and should—find life within its watery depths, it turns out our solar system is home to a myriad of places where we might find life. Much like how the Voyager missions gave us the first hints of an interior ocean swirling beneath Europa’s outer icy shell, it was only fitting that Voyager 1 also gave us the first hints of the potential for life on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, as well.
