It has been an exciting week with the release of breathtaking photos of our universe by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Stunning new Mars photos explore the solar system's largest canyon
The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft captured impressive new views of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system in the solar system.
Jupiter's volcanic moon Io may spew sulfur to icy neighbor Europa's surface
Researchers mapped sulfur dioxide on the backside of Jupiter's moon Europa, revealing the likely origin of this material.
Hubble Sees a Mirror Image of the Same Galaxy Thanks to Gravitational Lensing
It’s been an amazing couple of weeks for fans of gravitational lensing. JWST grabbed the headlines with a spectacular infrared view of lensing in the SMACS 0723 image, and that had everybody talking. Yet, seeing gravitationally lensed objects is not new. Some can be seen from the ground, and of course, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has been cranking out views of gravitational lensing for years.
Wentian science module docks with China’s space station
This illustration shows the configuration of the Tiangong space station after docking of the Wentian module (left) to the Tianhe core module (right). A Shenzhou crew spacecraft and Tianzhou cargo ship are also docked at the station. Credit: China Manned Space Agency
China’s Tiangong space station received a new room Sunday with the docking of the Wentian laboratory module, a half-day after launching on a heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket. The three-person crew on the Chinese space station later opened hatches and floated inside the new science module for the first time.
The Deepest Known Canyon in the Solar System, Seen From Space
Solar system worlds beyond Earth have amazing surface features. Thanks to planetary science missions, we see images of canyons, craters, and cliffs across a variety of worlds. Someday, those places will give mountain climbers and hikers new challenges. In particular, Mars will be a favored destination. Future hikers and mountain climbers will be spoiled for choice, even if they must wear space suits to get their thrill on.
SpaceX launches sixth mission in 17 days
SpaceX’s 33rd mission of the year lifted off Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now / Coldlife Photography
Continuing a record-breaking launch cadence, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 rocket aloft Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 53 more satellites for the company’s Starlink internet network, the sixth Falcon 9 launch in 17 days and 33rd overall this year.
Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket set to launch SpaceX’s next Starlink mission
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Starlink 4-25 mission will launch SpaceX’s next batch of 53 Starlink broadband satellites. Follow us on Twitter.
Watch SpaceX launch 53 Starlink satellites from Florida on Sunday
SpaceX plans to launch a new set of Starlink satellites from Florida on July 24, and you can watch it live.
Wild 3D-printed space habitat prototype designed to fit inside SpaceX Starship lands in Switzerland
Swiss architects team up with students to design a space habitat that can fit inside SpaceX's Starship.
What human-made structures can be seen from space?
Can anything crafted by humans be viewed with the naked eye from space, or would astronauts need to use binoculars?
Will NASA rename the James Webb Space Telescope? A space expert explains the Lavender Scare controversy.
In the excitement of the observatory's first images, it's easy to forget that the James Webb Space Telescope has been the subject of controversy.
China launches 2nd space station module to support science experiments
China is set to add a new compartment to its space station following the launch of the Wentian module early on Sunday.
New science lab for China’s space station poised for launch Sunday
A Chinese Long March 5B rocket was being fueled late Saturday for liftoff with the Wentian space station module. Credit: CASC
China’s heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket was fueled for launch early Sunday with the second major element of the Chinese Tiangong space station, adding a new working compartment for the three astronauts living on the orbiting research lab.
Solar System Tours: Plumes of Enceladus
“We’re coming up on the plumes!” The co-pilot announced over the intercom.
A Mission to Reach the Solar Gravitational Lens in 30 Years
NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts is famous for supporting outlandish ideas in the astronomy and space exploration fields. Since being re-established in 2011, the institute has supported a wide variety of projects as part of its three-phase program. However, so far, only three projects have gone on to receive Phase III funding. And one of those just released a white paper describing a mission to get a telescope that could effectively see biosignatures on nearby exoplanets by utilizing the gravitational lens of our own Sun.
Researchers Create a Plasma Bubble With Lasers That Could Provide Propulsion or an Artificial Magnetosphere
Lasers are useful for a lot of things. They made CDs work (when they were still a thing). They also provide hours of entertainment for cats (and their humans). But they can also create magnetic conditions similar to the surface of the Sun in a lab, according to new research by scientists at Osaka University. And that might help a wide range of other scientific disciplines, ranging from solar astronomy to fusion.
An Astronaut Controlled a Rover as it Collected Samples on Mt Etna. In the Future, it’ll be on the Moon
Lunar exploration has been gaining more and more traction from various sources recently. Every step forward is another towards potentially having a permanent human presence on another solar system body. ESA took another step recently with the completion of its Analog-1 robotics test, which took place successfully on the slopes of Mt Etna earlier this month.
Nancy Grace Roman Will be Launching on a Falcon Heavy Rocket
In 2026, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST) – aka. the “Mother of Hubble” – will take to space and begin addressing some of the deepest mysteries of the Universe. This will include capturing the deepest field images of the cosmos, refining measurements of the Hubble Constant (aka. Hubble’s Law), and determining the role of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the evolution of the cosmos. Alongside its next-generation partner, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the RST will acquire infrared images with over 200 times the surveying power of its predecessor with the same rich level of detail.
Gamma-ray Bursts can Help Astronomers Measure Vast Distances Across the Universe
Now that the James Webb Space Telescope is operational, astronomers can study some of the most faint and distant galaxies ever seen. By some accounts, we may have already captured the image of a galaxy from when the universe was just 300 million years old. But we can’t be entirely sure of its distance, and that is a big problem for astronomers.
SLS Launch Date, Falcon Heavy Gets Flagship NASA Telescope, Dormant Black Hole
SLS finally gets a launch date for Artemis I, JWST keeps giving the goodness, Percy finds another weird thing on Mars, astronomers find a dormant black hole and NASA will launch a flagship telescope on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
