Space News & Blog Articles

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Meet Rollin' Justin, the human-like robot that astronauts control from space

Robot Rollin' Justin is a pioneer in testing how astronauts can control a machine on another world. He just finished a test on the simulated sands of a Mars-like world.

We can measure dark energy across the universe in our own cosmic backyard

Researchers have found a new way to measure dark energy — the mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the entire universe to accelerate — using data from our own cosmic backyard.

Webb and Gaia welcome Euclid to L2

Video: 00:01:47

In the month after its launch on 1 JulyEuclid has travelled 1.5 million kilometres from Earth towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, meaning it has ‘arrived’ at its destination orbit.

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European satellite will fall to Earth today in landmark 'assisted reentry'

Europe's Aeolus satellite will crash back to Earth today (July 28) in an unprecedented 'assisted reentry' that could provide a template for other missions.

Giant Mars mountain Olympus Mons may once have been a volcanic island

Mars' mighty Olympus Mons may have once been a volcanic island surrounded by an ocean nearly 4 miles deep, according to geological evidence found in towering cliffs that ring the extinct volcano.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 28 – August 6

Venus turns super-interesting and then disappears. Mercury lingers behind it in twilight. So does little Mars in third place. On the other side of the sky, the Moon passes Saturn.

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Earth from Space: Río de la Plata

Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission takes us over the Río de la Plata estuary between Argentina and Uruguay.

Have We Seen the First Glimpse of Supermassive Dark Stars?

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) examines what are known as dark stars, which are estimated to be much larger than our Sun, are hypothesized to have existed in the early universe, and are allegedly powered by the demolition of dark matter particles. This study was conducted using spectroscopic analysis from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and more specifically, the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), and holds the potential to help astronomers better understand dark stars and the purpose of dark matter, the latter of which continues to be an enigma for the scientific community, as well as how it could have contributed to the early universe.

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Live coverage: SpaceX to launch another 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral

File photo of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites inside a payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral. Image: SpaceX

Update 10:28 p.m. EDT:

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NASA and DARPA Award Contract for a Nuclear Engine to Lockheed Martin

NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars in the coming decade. This presents many challenges, not the least of which is the distance involved and the resulting health risks. To this end, they are investigating and investing in many technologies, ranging from life support and radiation protection to nuclear power and propulsion elements. A particularly promising technology is Nuclear-Thermal Propulsion (NTP), which has the potential to reduce transit times to Mars significantly. Instead of the usual one-way transit period of six to nine months, a working NTP system could reduce the travel time to between 100 and 45 days!

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Life on 'Mars:' Commander of NASA's 1st yearlong analog comments on 1st month, food and stars

It's been a full month since Kelly Haston moved to 'Mars.' As commander of NASA's CHAPEA mission, Haston and her three crewmates volunteered to live for more than a year inside 'Mars Dune Alpha.'

Event Horizon

The event horizon is a critical concept in astrophysics, particularly in the study of black holes. It refers to the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape its gravitational pull. Once an object or light crosses the event horizon, it is said to be inside the black hole and can never return to the outside universe.

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SpaceX to try again for a record-breaking double-launch

Falcon Heavy (left) and Falcon 9 missions could launch within 44 minutes of each other. Images: SpaceX/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX could break the record for the shortest time between Cape Canaveral launches Thursday night if it can launch a Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy in quick succession. But achieving that assumes the weather cooperates and any technical issues with the Falcon Heavy can be resolved.

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SpaceX Falcon Heavy seen from space waiting on launch pad (photos)

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy was photographed from space by Maxar Technologies before the rocket launches their largest satellite ever.

China begins trial operations with world’s largest solar telescope array

The world’s largest array of sun-monitoring radio telescopes has begun trial operations in southwest China.

SpaceX aiming for record-breaking launch doubleheader tonight

SpaceX could launch two rockets just 44 minutes apart tonight (July 27), if all goes according to plan.

Saturn may have 'failed' as a gas giant

One astrophysicist is suggesting we remove Saturn's status as a gas giant, saying the planet tried but didn't quite make the cut.

Senseless Vandalism Damages Canadian Observatory

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s observatory in Hamilton, Ontario was vandalized earlier this month, with at least $100,000 in damage to equipment and facilities.

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NASA eyeing SpaceX's Starship as possible space station

SpaceX and NASA are working to include Starship in an architecture of low Earth orbit opportunities by considering the massive spacecraft for use as a space station.

Watch Ben Kingsley befriend an alien who crashed to Earth in new UFO comedy 'Jules' (exclusive)

Check out this exclusive clip of Ben Kingsley in "Jules," a new sci-fi comedy about an elderly man befriending an extraterrestrial who crashed to Earth.

Denmark's Crew-7 astronaut plans to snap aurora photos on the ISS

Denmark's Andreas Mogensen will fly to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Crew-7 mission while the sun is active, and hopes to catch auroras on camera.


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