Space News & Blog Articles

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The secrets of supernovas might be locked in moon dust

Supernovas spread the building blocks for new stars and planets throughout the cosmos, and evidence of these stellar explosions could be extracted from moon dust.

Why NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's icy moon is such a big deal

How deep are Europa's ice sheets? Could the moon sustain life? The Europa Clipper Mission, which is due to launch in October, will help scientists answer these intriguing questions.

Astronomers Discover New Earth-size World Only 40 Light-Years Away

This nearby terrestrial world might just reveal the secrets of atmospheric composition and habitability for planets like Earth and Venus.

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Swarm helps discover Steve's long-lost twin

Ever since aurora chasers discovered Steve, a mysterious ribbon of purple light in the night sky, scientists have wondered whether it might have a secret twin. Now, thanks to a photographer’s keen eye, and data from ESA’s Swarm satellites, we may have found it.

ESA to unveil Europe's future in space at ILA 2024

The 2024 edition of the Berlin International Airshow (ILA), Germany's largest aerospace trade show, returns to Berlin ExpoCenter Airport from 5 to 9 June. The European Space Agency is taking part to present Europe's future endeavours in space and the agency’s ambitions. On the first three days, an extensive programme of sessions awaits thousands of professional attendees, while the last two days will be open to the public, welcoming visitors of all ages and backgrounds. 

Chinese Probe Lands on Moon’s Far Side to Collect Samples for Return

After touching down on the moon’s far side, China’s Chang’e-6 lander is collecting samples to bring back to Earth — and sending back imagery documenting its mission.

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A New Way to Make Precise Maps of the Lunar Surface

There was a time when maps of the Moon were created from telescopic observations and drawings. Indeed Sir Patrick Moore created maps of the Moon that were used during the historic Apollo landings. Now researchers have enhanced a technique to create accurate maps from existing satellite images. Their approach uses a technique called ‘shape-from-shading’ and involves analyzing shadows to estimate the features and shape of the terrain. Future lunar missions will be able to use the maps to identify hazards on the surface making them far safer. 

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Japanese Billionaire Calls Off His Starship Trip Around the Moon

Six years after he announced a grand plan to fly around the moon with a crew of artists in SpaceX’s Starship rocket, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa said he was canceling the project due to delays in Starship’s development.

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NASA foregoes Sunday launch, delaying Starliner takeoff to at least Wednesday

The seemingly star-cross Boeing Starliner — within minutes of its long-delayed blastoff on the spacecraft’s first piloted test flight — was grounded again Saturday when one of three redundant computers managing the countdown from the base of the launch pad ran into a problem, triggering a last-minute scrub.

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June Podcast: Spotting the Serpent Charmer

Listen to this tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during June. Learn how to spot three planets before dawn, and to track down a snake-handler in the early summer sky. Grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

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Planetary Protection: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?

Universe Today has recently investigated a plethora of scientific disciplines, including impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, planetary geophysics, cosmochemistry, meteorites, radio astronomy, extremophiles, organic chemistry, black holes, and cryovolcanism, while conveying their importance of how each of them continues to teach researchers and the public about our place in the vast universe.

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New Telescope Images of Io are so Good, it Looks like a Spacecraft Took Them

The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), located on Mount Graham in Arizona and run by the University of Arizona, is part of the next generation of extremely large telescopes (ELTs). With two primary mirrors measuring 8.4 m (~27.5 ft), it has a collecting area slightly greater than that of a 30-meter (98.4 ft) telescope. With their resolution, adaptive optics, and sophisticated instruments, these telescopes are expected to probe deeper into the Universe and provide stunning images of everything from distant galaxies to objects in our Solar System.

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South Korea is Planning to Send a Mission to Mars by 2045

It is truly wonderful to see so many nations aspiring to space exploration and trips to the Moon. Earlier this week on the 27th May, South Korea innaugurated its new space agency, the Korea AeroSpace Administration otherwise known as KASA. The group is headed up by former professor of aerospace engineering Yoon Young-bin. Whilst the group has yet to announce detailed plans for their upcoming missions Young-bin has stated they hope to land on the Moon by 2032 and to get to Mars by 2045.

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News from the Press Site: Business of Starlink and Boeing’s Starliner prepares to launch – News from the Press Site

In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Mike Wall, Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com; and Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space.

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Peru and Slovakia sign the Artemis Accords for peaceful moon exploration

Peru and Slovakia both signed NASA's Artemis Accords on Thursday (May 30). It's an agreement that promises peaceful and transparent exploration of the moon and outer space.

Is 'Star Wars: The Acolyte' already canceled? Breaking down the rumors

There have been some rumblings of the next Star Wars series, The Acolyte, getting the axe before its first season even premieres, but all is not what it seems.

SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Florida tonight

SpaceX is set to launch another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites from Florida tonight (May 31), adding to a very busy stretch in spaceflight.

Lego wants you to vote on a new color for its astronaut minifigures

Lego is adding another color of spaceman minifigure to its roster, and you can vote for your favorite for a limited time.

Moon-mapping could level up for NASA's upcoming Artemis missions. Here's how

To create more high resolution maps of the moon, scientists are enlisting the help of algorithms.

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 14th Falcon 9 rocket of May using booster flying for 14th time

A Falcon 9 stands ready for a Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral’s pad 40. File photo: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.

Update 3:07 p.m. EDT: SpaceX pushed back the T-0 liftoff time of the Falcon 9 rocket.

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Voyager 1 (and Half Its Instruments) Are Back Online

Voyager 1 is once again returning data from two of four science instruments onboard.

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