We’re about to learn a lot more about exoplanets. The ESA has just approved the construction of its Ariel mission, which will give us our first large survey of exoplanet atmospheres. The space telescope will help us answer fundamental questions about how planets form and evolve.
Space News & Blog Articles
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NASA marks 25th anniversary of ISS with call to crew on space station
Twenty-five years ago, Bob Cabana was at space shuttle Endeavour's controls when he fired thrusters to dock a U.S.-built node with a Russian module, giving birth to the International Space Station.
Satellites watch as Japan's new volcanic island continues to grow (image)
The ESA satellite Copernicus Sentinel-2 caught an image of the new volcanic island "Niijima" on Nov. 27, showing the island off the coast of Japan forged in fire in Oct. is still rising from the sea.
SpaceX's next Starship launch could feature key refueling test
The third flight of SpaceX's giant Starship vehicle could involve a propellant-transfer demonstration, according to NASA officials.
Our universe's most extreme stars sometimes 'glitch' — we may now know why
A unified approach of quantum physics and astrophysics may have brought scientists closer to understanding the "glitches" experienced by ultradense dead stars called neutron stars.
Communicating With a Relativistic Spacecraft Gets Pretty Weird
Someday, in the not-too-distant future, humans may send robotic probes to explore nearby star systems. These robot explorers will likely take the form of lightsails and wafercraft (a la Breakthrough Starshot) that will rely on directed energy (lasers) to accelerate to relativistic speeds – aka. a fraction of the speed of light. With that kind of velocity, lightsails and wafercraft could make the journey across interstellar space in a matter of decades instead of centuries (or longer!) Given time, these missions could serve as pathfinders for more ambitious exploration programs involving astronauts.
ISS astronauts find tomato that was lost in space for 8 months (video)
During NASA astronaut Frank Rubio's year in space, a dwarf tomato he harvested floated away from him. International Space Station astronauts retrieved the tomato's remains 8 months later.
SpaceX set to launch its 90th orbital mission of the year tonight
SpaceX aims to launch 23 Starlink internet satellites tonight (Dec. 6) on the company's 90th orbital mission of 2023.
99% of Space Junk is Undetectable. That Could Change Soon
Private and military organizations are tracking some of the 170 million pieces of space junk orbiting the planet, but they’re limited to how small an object they can detect. Only chunks larger than a softball can be tracked with radar or optical systems, and that only accounts for less than 1% of the junk out there.
Live coverage: SpaceX to send 23 Starlink satellites to orbit on 90th Falcon launch of 2023
File photo a a Falcon 9 prior to a Starlink satellite delivery mission. Image: SpaceX.
SpaceX is preparing to hit another milestone with its late Wednesday night Starlink mission launch. The flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will mark the company’s 90th orbital launch in 2023 and its 280th Falcon 9 launch to date.
Australia votes to name its 1st moon rover 'Roo-ver'
The Australian Space Agency has named its first lunar rover Roo-ver, which will launch to the moon as early as 2026 in partnership with NASA's Artemis program.
Astronomers Calculate Which Exoplanets Are Most Likely to Have Water
Astronomers know of about 60 rocky exoplanets orbiting in the habitable zones of their stars. When they try to determine how habitable these planets might be, detecting water in their atmospheres plays a huge role. But what if there was another way of measuring the water content in these worlds?
James Webb Space Telescope bites cosmic burger to create 1st ice map of planet-forming disk
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken a bite out of a cosmic burger to create a 2D inventory of different forms of ice surrounding a planet-birthing disk.
The Comet-Asteroid Chiron Has Rings — And They're Changing
A series of stellar occultations has provided evidence that the ring system around this strange object is evolving drastically.
Iran launches 'bio-space capsule' protoype, aims to fly astronauts by 2030
Iran test launched what it describes as a "bio-capsule" as part of its plan to put its own astronauts into space by the end of the decade.
OSIRIS-APEX prepares for 1st close solar encounter on way to asteroid Apophis
NASA's revitalized OSIRIS-REx probe has begun tucking in one of its solar panels to protect itself from the sun.
Over 100 galaxies seen spewing powerful winds that can halt star formation
The winds extend tens of thousands of light years above and below galaxies.
A Great Year for the Geminids
It’s December and that means one of the best celestial events will grace the skies. The Geminid meteor shower should peak in a moonless sky between Wednesday and Thursday, December 13–14.
Solid rocket boosters for shuttle Endeavour exhibit capped with nose cones
The work to stand up two rockets for the launchpad-like exhibit of NASA's retired space shuttle Endeavour has been capped, literally and figuratively, with the addition of two nose cones.
Famed Halley’s Comet Passes Aphelion This Weekend
Famous Halley’s Comet reaches a distant milestone this coming weekend.
Could a 'supervoid' solve an unrelenting debate over the universe's expansion rate?
Measurements of how fast the universe is expanding differ depending on how you measure the rate. Could a huge under-density of galaxies, including the Milky Way, be to blame?
