In February 2022, SpaceX and entrepreneur/philanthropist Jared Isaacman (commander of the Inspiration4 mission) announced they were launching a new program to “rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities” while supporting important charitable and humanitarian causes here on Earth. It’s called the Polaris Program. In a recent press release, SpaceX revealed the spacesuits its Polaris astronauts will be wearing (up top) and described the research crews will conduct during the program’s three human spaceflight missions – the first of which is scheduled to launch this summer!
Space News & Blog Articles
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Do Clashing Galaxies Create Odd Radio Circles?
Within the last five years, astronomers have discovered a new type of astronomical phenomenon that exists on vast scales – larger than whole galaxies. They’re called ORCs (odd radio circles), and they look like giant rings of radio waves expanding outwards like a shockwave. Until now, ORCs had never been observed in any wavelength other than radio, but according to a new paper released on April 30 2024, astronomers have captured X-rays associated with an ORC for the first time.
SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Florida tonight
SpaceX plans to launch 23 of its Starlink satellites from Florida tonight (May 12), adding to its huge and ever-growing broadband megaconstellation.
Scientists could make blazing-fast 6G using curving light rays
Researchers have discovered a way to curve data-carrying terahertz signals around obstacles, paving the way for ultrafast 6G.
'Extreme' solar storms cook up sweet Mother's Day auroras for Moms everywhere
Want to save all the calories from Mother's Day brunch? You can still "sweeten" her holiday with an opportunity to see the northern lights again tonight!
The stormy sun erupts with its biggest solar flare yet from a massive sunspot — and it's still crackling (video)
Just when we think we’ve seen the most powerful of flares from a colossal sunspot, the sun unleashed kicked off the strongest eruption of the weekend yet and is still crackling with solar storms.
Supermassive Black Holes Got Started From Massive Cosmic Seeds
Supermassive black holes are central to the dynamics and evolution of galaxies. They play a role in galactic formation, stellar production, and possibly even the clustering of dark matter. Almost every galaxy has a supermassive black hole, which can make up a small fraction of a galaxy’s mass in nearby galaxies. While we know a great deal about these gravitational monsters, one question that has lingered is just how supermassive black holes gained mass so quickly.
Houston, we have an encore: ISS virtual reality experience 'The Infinite' returns
What do you do for an encore after you have virtually transported thousands of Houstonians to the International Space Station? If you are Felix & Paul, you invite them back, to fly to the moon.
Total solar eclipse 2027: A complete guide to the 'eclipse of the century'
Discover the 'eclipse of the century' with this comprehensive total solar eclipse 2027 guide. Find out where to see it, the timings of totality and possible weather conditions for key locations.
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 110 —Voyager 1's Brush with Silence
On Episode 110 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq talk with Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist, about the recent rescue of Voyager 1 from beyond the solar system.
DARPA's autonomous 'Manta Ray' drone can glide through ocean depths undetected
Northrop Grumman Corporation has built its Manta Ray uncrewed underwater vehicle, which will operate long-duration missions and carry payloads into the ocean depths in partnership with DARPA.
'World's purest silicon' could lead to 1st million-qubit quantum computing chips
Scientists engineer the 'purest ever silicon' to build reliable qubits that can be manufactured to the size of a pinhead on a chip and power million-qubit quantum computers in the future.
Jaw-dropping northern lights from massive solar flares amaze skywatchers around the world. 'We have a very rare event on our hands.' (photos)
An aurora show like no other is playing out in the night sky this weekend, spawned by intense solar storms that are painting the sky spectacular hues of pinks, purples and greens.
NASA's Chandra spacecraft spots supermassive black hole erupting in the Milky Way's heart
NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope has spotted the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy erupting, proving even quiet black holes like Sagittarius A* need to vent sometimes.
If You’ve Never Seen An Aurora Before, This Might Be Your Chance!
Tonight and the rest of the weekend could be your best chance ever to see the aurora.
News from the Press Site: New SpaceX spacesuits and China’s Chang’e 6 reaches orbit around the Moon
In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Jeff Foust, senior writer at Space News, and Bill Harwood, space consultant for CBS News.
Watch monster flare-spewing sunspot grow to be 15 times wider than Earth (video)
A beastly sunspot that's 15 times the diameter of Earth remains highly active — and you might be able to spot it with your eclipse glasses!
Lighting Up the Moon’s Permanently Shadowed Craters
The Moon’s polar regions are home to permanently shadowed craters. In those craters is ancient ice, and establishing a presence on the Moon means those water ice deposits are a valuable resource. Astronauts will likely use solar energy to work in these craters and harvest water, but the Sun never shines there.
Cracking! Some binary black holes may roll around each other in egg-shaped orbits
Some black hole pairs roll around each other in wobbly, egg-shaped orbits that could hold clues about their origins, gravitational wave measurements suggest.
NASA's Roman Space Telescope will hunt for the universe's 1st stars — or their shredded corpses, anyway
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will hunt for the universe's first stars — or rather, what's left of them after they've been ripped apart by black holes.
How to watch new 'Doctor Who': Stream Ncuti Gatwa episodes from anywhere
How to watch new 'Doctor Who' on Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer, as 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatwa takes control of the TARDIS.
