A new theory suggests the universe's most mysterious and dominant form of matter could exert a "dark force."
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Wild new NASA plasma tech reduces drag during hypersonic flight
NASA is licensing a radical new form of propulsion that uses electromagnets to control the flow of plasma over aircraft and spacecraft flying at hypersonic speeds.
All black holes feast chaotically, no matter how hungry they are
A fresh understanding of how black holes eat offers a new way to estimate their masses.
Did the Last Great Galactic Merger Create the Milky Way's Bar?
The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. More specifically, it is a barred spiral galaxy, meaning that within its central region, there is a bar shape off of which the spirals emanate. About two-thirds of spiral galaxies are barred spirals, and astronomers have thought this difference is just a variance in how density waves cluster stars in a galaxy. But a new study suggests that the bar of the Milky Way may have been caused by an ancient collision with another galaxy.
A Star Near the Center of the Milky Way is a Visitor from Beyond
There’s an alien red giant star orbiting in the center of our galaxy. It’s called S0-6 and has chemical fingerprints from its birthplace far outside the Milky Way. This ancient star is spiraling slowly in toward the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the heart of the Milky Way. Eventually, it could get drawn into the black hole and destroyed after traveling for tens of thousands of years to get there.
Halley's Comet begins its 38-year journey back toward Earth tonight
On Friday, Dec. 8, Halley's Comet reaches its farthest point from the sun and begins its journey back through the solar system.
Colliding space junk makes 'noise' that could be heard from Earth
Weird effects of space junk collisions could help researchers detect dangerous, hard-to-see orbital clutter.
DARPA moon tech study selects 14 companies to develop a lunar economy
We've seen the movies and read the books about what it would be like to have a lunar habitat — but to turn our Sci-Fi fantasy into a reality, scientists must develop a game plan.
'For All Mankind' season 4 episode 5 review: A new asteroid heading for Mars puts a rocket under the season
A new body in the Solar System starts a multi-trillion-dollar gold rush, while the shockwaves from a certain someone's departure continue to resonate on Mars.
Ex-NASA scientist dishes on space food in new memoir 'Space Bites'
Of all of the food items she helped send into space, Vickie Kloeris' favorite was the cherry-blueberry cobbler. A NASA food scientist for 34 years, Kloeris has published her memoir 'Space Bites.'
Everything we know about 'Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire'
What to expect from Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon," the sprawling new sci-fi saga premiering on Netflix on Dec. 22, 2023.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 8 – 17
The best meteor shower of the year peaks late Wednesday night. And if you're not positioned to see the tiny asteroid occult Betelgeuse Monday evening, watch by livestream!
Earth from Space: Hurricane Otis
Image: The powerful Hurricane Otis has been captured in this Copernicus Sentinel-3 image when it was approaching Mexico’s southern Pacific coast in October 2023.
The International Space Station Celebrates 25 Years in Space
NASA recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station (ISS) with a space-to-Earth call between the 7-person Expedition 70 crew and outgoing NASA Associate Administrator, Bob Cabana, and ISS Program Manager, Joel Montalbano. On December 6, 1998, the U.S.-built Unity module and the Russian-built Zarya module were mated in the Space Shuttle Endeavour cargo bay, as Endeavour was responsible for launching Unity into orbit that same day, with Zarya having waited in orbit after being launched on November 20 from Kazakhstan.
Falcon 9 flies from California with 22 Starlink satellites, SpaceX’s 100th launch in 365 days
A Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Dec. 8, 2023. Image: SpaceX.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted from the West Coast with another batch of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink network at 12:03 a.m. PST Friday (3:03 a.m. EST / 0803 UTC). Including Starship test flights this was SpaceX’s 100th launch in 365 days.
SpaceX launches 22 Starlink satellites from California
SpaceX launched 22 more Starlink internet satellites to orbit from California early on Friday morning (Dec. 8).
Crossed wires caused parachute problem during OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample delivery, NASA says
Crossed wires likely prevented OSIRIS-REx's return capsule from deploying its drogue parachute during its descent through Earth's atmosphere on Sept. 24, NASA officials say.
Fly Slowly Through Enceladus' Plumes to Detect Life
Enceladus is blasting water into space from the jets at its southern pole. This makes it the ideal place to send a dedicated mission, flying the spacecraft through the plumes with life-detection instruments s. A new study suggests that a spacecraft must proceed carefully through the plumes, keeping its speed below 4.2 km/second (2,236 miles per hour). Using a specialized, custom-built aerosol impact spectrometer at these speeds will allow fragile amino acids to be captured by the spacecraft’s sample collector. Any faster, they’ll shatter, providing inclusive results.
Chinese startup Galactic Energy bounces back with successful satellite launch
Chinese startup Galactic Energy is flying high again after a successful satellite launch on Monday (Dec. 4).
SpaceX, US Space Force set to launch secretive X-37B space plane on Dec. 10
Final preparations are underway for a Dec. 10 launch opportunity, which will mark the first time the X-37B has lifted off atop SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket.
