Space News & Blog Articles
Webb Telescope Officially Cleared for Launch on December 24
NASA and ESA announced today that the James Webb Space Telescope has cleared one of the final hurdles before launch. The telescope passed the final launch readiness review, meaning that all the hardware and software for the spacecraft and the Ariane 5 rocket are ready for flight. This officially greenlights the liftoff, planned for December 24.
SpaceX headquarters reports 132 COVID-19 cases
The omicron variant has apparently made some inroads at SpaceX's Southern California headquarters, as it has in much of the rest of the country.
'Outbursts' from Comet Leonard spotted by NASA satellite (video)
NASA's STEREO-A satellite caught this view of Comet Leonard as it continued to streak into the inner solar system in December.
Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' could meet its doom within 3 years
Thwaites Glacier is roughly the size of Florida, and holds enough ice to raise sea levels over two feet. New research shows that the collapse of its ice shelf may be just a few years away.
Houston, you are go for a spacewalk: 'The Infinite' launches VR space station tours
There is a moment in The Infinite where you can find yourself in front of NASA astronaut Drew Morgan as he tries to describe what it's like to enter the International Space Station for the first time.
Now We Know Why Pluto has These Strange Features on its Surface
After New Horizons made its close flyby of Pluto in July of 2015, scientists were astounded at the incredible closeup views of Pluto’s surface. One of the most intriguing and mysterious features was a bright plain inside the prominent heart-shaped feature on Pluto, called “Tombaugh Regio” (Tombaugh Region) named after Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930.
SpaceX flight sets record for most orbital launches from Space Coast in a year
A Falcon 9 rocket climbs off pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early Tuesday to begin SpaceX’s CRS-24 resupply mission to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX
The liftoff of a SpaceX cargo ship on the way to the International Space Station early Tuesday was the 31st and final orbital launch from Florida’s Space Coast in 2021, setting a new record for the most space missions to depart from the spaceport in a calendar year.
Japan will launch a huge communications satellite on Wednesday. Here's how to watch it live.
The Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite is scheduled to launch Wednesday (Dec. 22) from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, during a two-hour window that opens at 9:33 a.m. EST (1433 GMT). Watch it live!
How to watch NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launch online in several languages on Christmas Eve
NASA is counting down towards a Christmas Eve launch for its biggest space telescope ever and you can watch it all live online.
A Christmas comet for Solar Orbiter
Comet Leonard, a mass of space dust, rock and ice about a kilometre across is heading for a close pass of the Sun on 3 January, and the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has been watching its evolution over the last days.
Winter solstice 2021 brings the year's longest night to Northern Hemisphere
Winter solstice arrives today, bringing the longest night to the Northern Hemisphere. But don't despair, it will start getting better from today on.
Webb flies Ariane 5: watch the launch live
ESA and NASA will be broadcasting live as the James Webb Space Telescope is launched to space on ESA’s Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 12:20 GMT / 13:20 CET on Friday 24 December.
The Ursid meteor shower peaks tonight. Don't expect to see many 'shooting stars.'
The Ursid meteor shower of 2021 will peak overnight on Dec. 21 but don't expect a great meteor display.
SpaceX aces 100th rocket landing after Dragon cargo ship launch to space station
SpaceX launched a Dragon cargo ship for NASA early Tuesday (Dec. 21) and nailed its 100th rocket landing.
James Webb Space Telescope: The engineering behind a 'first light machine' that is not allowed to fail
The James Webb Space Telescope, the most complex and expensive space observatory ever built, has pushed engineers and technologies to their limits. And the thrill will continue even after launch.
Live coverage: SpaceX hoping weather cooperates for predawn launch in Florida
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with SpaceX’s 24th operational Dragon resupply flight to the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
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'Cowboy Bebop' showrunner André Nemec on adapting the cult '90s anime for Netflix: Q&A
The veteran Hollywood screenwriter tells why this live-action version really jams
Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina will fly on SpaceX's Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station
NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos are finalizing an agreement to launch the first cosmonaut on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, agency officials confirmed on Monday (Dec. 20).
SpaceX’s final launch of the year set for early Tuesday, weather permitting
A Falcon 9 rocket emerges from SpaceX’s hangar at Kenned Space Center for the quarter-mile trip up the ramp to launch pad 39A. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX’s 31st and final Falcon 9 launch of the year is scheduled to take off early Tuesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, weather permitting, with a Dragon cargo ship carrying more than 6,500 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station.
Floating “Aerobats” Could be the Best way to Explore the Cloud Tops of Venus
According to multiple lines of evidence, Venus was once a much different planet than it is today. But roughly 500 million years ago, a massive resurfacing event triggered a runaway greenhouse effect that led to the hot, poisonous, and hellish environment we see there today. Therefore, the study of Venus presents an opportunity to model the evolution of planetary environments, which can serve as a reference for what could happen in the future.
