On January 21st, 2024, a meter-sized asteroid (2024 BX1) entered Earth’s atmosphere and exploded over Berlin at 12:33 am UTC (07:45 pm EST; 04:33 pm PST). Before it reached Earth, 2024 BX1 was a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) with an orbit that suggests it was part of the Apollo group. The fragments have since been located by a team of scientists from the Freie Universität Berlin, the Museum für Naturkunde (MfN), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Technische Universität Berlin, and the SETI Institute and identified as a rare type of asteroid known as “aubrites.”
Space News & Blog Articles
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Webb Telescope Unveils 19 Galaxies in a New Light
A James Webb Space Telescope survey known as PHANGS has revealed exquisite, just-published details in 19 nearby galaxies.
SpaceX launches billion-dollar environmental research satellite for NASA
A long exposure shows the Falcon 9 climbing to orbit and the first-stage entry and landing burns. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now.
SpaceX launched an environmental research satellite for NASA early Thursday, a nearly $1 billion spacecraft that survived multiple cancellation threats and is now poised to shed new light on climate change and the complex interplay of heat-trapping carbon, aerosols and sea life on global scales.
Does Saturn's "Death Star" Moon Harbor an Ocean?
New evidence, based off of NASA's Cassini measurements of Mimas's orbit, suggests the icy "Death Star" moon might have a subsurface ocean.
SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base supporting the Starlink 7-13 mission. Image: SpaceX
Update 8:00 p.m. EST: SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket and recovered the first stage booster on a droneship.
NASA's Juno Mission Makes Closest Flyby Past Io
Juno has revealed Jupiter's volcanic moon Io as never before.
Where Will You Be on Eclipse Day: April 8, 2024?
Does this question leave you feeling worried that you are too late to make plans? It shouldn’t!
SpaceX successfully launches NASA’s PACE mission on polar orbit flight
The Falcon 9 with NASA’s PACE mission atop stands ready for launch at pad 40. Image: SpaceX.
Update 2:30 a.m. EST: SpaceX and NASA confirm a successful launch.
My Stellar Love Affair with the Pleiades
When we observe the little wonders of the sky, we can form deep personal connections.
NASA’s PACE mission aims to vastly increase understanding of the oceans, atmosphere
NASA’s PACE spacecraft inside a clean room at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, FL. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
From the oceans to the atmosphere, there’s still quite a bit we don’t understand about our planet. NASA’s latest Earth-observing spacecraft hopes to greatly expand our knowledge of the globe in just a few years.
Hubble Reveals Possible Water-Vapor World
New Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal the warm sub-Neptune GJ 9827d might have a steamy atmosphere.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 2 – 11
Under Orion is the Hare, which you may know, and under the Hare is the Dove, which you may not. February the best month for both.
Sierra Space unveils fully integrated Dream Chaser spaceplane amid testing campaign
For the first time, Sierra Space mated its Dream Chaser spaceplane to the Shooting Star module amid shake table testing at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
An orbital-class spaceplane is one step closer to returning to the International Space Station. As part of an on-going test campaign, Sierra Space mated its Dream Chaser spaceplane to its Shooting Star module for the first time at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
Collins Aerospace completes key spacesuit testing milestone
Collins Aerospace tested its next generation spacesuit during a recent parabolic flight. This was part of its Crew Capability Assessment. Image: Collins Aerospace
Astronauts who work onboard the U.S. side of the International Space Station are one step closer to getting new spacesuits.
Rocket Lab launches first recovery Electron mission of 2024
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from New Zealand on the company’s first flight of 2024. Image: Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab was back in action on Wednesday, kicking off its launch year with a recovery Electron mission from New Zealand. This was its second return to flight mission following a mishap late last year.
Polaris Dawn astronauts discuss training for historic commercial spacewalk
Polaris Dawn Commander Jared Isaacman (left) and Pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet alongside a SpaceX render of the spacewalk that will be performed during their mission. Photoillustration: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
Amid a flurry of astronaut missions scheduled for 2024, a commercial flight is aiming to mark a historic first: a non-governmental spacewalk.
'Starfield' spacesuit contest: ESA and Xbox will build the winner their own custom design (video)
Design your own spacesuit and enter for a chance to win a real-life replica of it in this new fan contest from Microsoft and the European Space Agency.
Live coverage: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Cygnus cargo ship to space station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft for the first time on the NG-20 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now
SpaceX is gearing up for its second launch bound for the International Space Station this month. But unlike all previous missions targeting the orbiting outpost, this flight doesn’t feature a Dragon spacecraft.
The Seeming Impossibility of Life
The number of near misses, false starts, and legitimate disasters that have befallen our species since the day we took our first upright steps all those generations ago is too large to count and could honestly take up this entire book. I’ll give us humans this much, though: we’re survivors, through and through.
Water Vapor Found in the Atmosphere of a Small Exoplanet
A recent study published in The Astrophysucal Journal Letters discusses the detection of water within the atmosphere of GJ 9827 d, which is a Neptune-like exoplanet located approximately 97 light-years from Earth, using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and is the smallest exoplanet to date where water has been detected in its atmosphere. This study was conducted by an international team of researchers and holds the potential to identify exoplanets throughout the Milky Way Galaxy which possess water within their atmospheres, along with highlighting the most accurate methods to identify the water, as well.
NASA Ends Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Mission
NASA’s ground-breaking Ingenuity helicopter, part of the Perseverance mission, comes to a rest on the Red Planet.
