The European Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis III mission to the Moon is soon on its way to the United States.
Space News & Blog Articles
Debris from DART could Hit Earth and Mars Within a Decade
On Sept. 26th, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroids Redirect Test (DART) collided with Dimorphos, the small moonlet orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos. In so doing, the mission successfully demonstrated a proposed strategy for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) – the kinetic impact method. By October 2026, the ESA’s Hera mission will rendezvous with the double-asteroid system and perform a detailed post-impact survey of Dimorphos to ensure that this method of planetary defense can be repeated in the future.
There Might Be Water on the Surface of the Metal Asteroid Psyche
While a NASA probe heads for an asteroid known as Psyche, telescopes have been probing it to prepare for the arrival. Data from the James Webb Space Telescope has found something quite unexpected on the surface – hydrated molecules and maybe even water! The origin of the water is cause for much speculation, maybe it came from under the surface or from chemical interactions with the solar wind!
SpaceX shows off Dragon capsules for Polaris Dawn, Crew-9 astronaut missions (photos)
SpaceX just gave us a look at the Crew Dragon capsules that will fly on the Polaris Dawn and Crew-9 astronaut missions, which are set to launch on Aug. 27 and Sept. 24, respectively.
What happens if you throw a star at a black hole? Things get messy (video)
Supermassive black holes that shred and devour stars throw them up like a "bad curry" and cover themselves in the wreckage, sick new simulations reveal.
Scientists collect high-resolution images of the North Star's surface for 1st time
Scientists used the CHARA Array atop Mount Wilson in California to resolve previously unknown features of the North Star.
'Apollo 13: Survival' documentary has 'go' for Sep. 5 launch on Netflix
Netflix has begun the countdown to a "re-launch" of one of NASA's most well-known missions in spaceflight history. The streaming service has set Sep. 5 for the premiere of "Apollo 13: Survival."
The NASA Break the Ice Challenge Awards $1.5M to Two Start-Ups
We might be a little late on reporting for this one – the space exploration community is large, and sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of everything happening. But whenever there is a success, it’s worth pointing out. Back in June, two teams successfully completed the latest stage of the Break the Ice Challenge to mine water from the Moon.
Jupiter-bound JUICE probe slingshots by Earth on way to Venus (photos)
JUICE flew by Earth on Tuesday (Aug. 20), just a day after it zoomed past the moon. The spacecraft took also snapped some images of home before heading off to Venus.
Take a mind-bending trip to Titan in exclusive 'Slingshot' featurette (video)
Watch exclusive featurette for Bleecker Street's new sci-fi thriller, "Slingshot," which premieres in theaters on Aug. 30.
Polaris Dawn mission: Meet the crew taking 1st commercial spacewalk
Veteran astronaut Jared Isaacman, a billionaire, is funding and flying on SpaceX Polaris Dawn with three other astronauts. Here who is going to space.
Could We Ever Harness Quantum Vacuum Energy?
The fabric of spacetime is roiling with vibrating quantum fields, known as the vacuum energy. It’s right there, everywhere we look. Could we ever get anything out of it?
Space mining startup AstroForge aims to launch historic asteroid-landing mission in 2025
Asteroid-mining startup AstroForge plans to launch its third mission, which will land on a metallic space rock, in 2025.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Set to Perform This Fall
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be one to watch for at dawn late next month.
Earth's days once got 2 hours longer — and that may have triggered one of the biggest evolutionary explosions in history, study suggests
The moon once drifted thousands of miles farther away, and Earth's days got 2.2 hours longer, a new study finds.
Astrophotographer captures Saturn vanishing behind the moon in mesmerizing photo
Check out this mesmerizing photo showing Saturn disappearing and then reappearing from behind the moon during the lunar occultation on Aug. 21.
Giant exoplanet the size of 2 Jupiters has a hidden companion disturbing its orbit
Using the NASA exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS, astronomers have discovered a hot Jupiter dancing with a hidden super-Earth companion.
EarthCARE profiles atmospheric particles in detail
Launched in May, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has been making waves, with the first images from three of its scientific instruments already delivered. Now, the spotlight is firmly on the atmospheric lidar, the most advanced of the satellite’s four instruments.
A Baby Planet Reveals Its Hiding Place
New analysis reveals evidence of a super-Earth-mass exoplanet forming in the disk surrounding the star TW Hydrae.
Juice rerouted to Venus in world’s first lunar-Earth flyby
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) has successfully completed a world-first lunar-Earth flyby, using the gravity of Earth to send it Venus-bound, on a shortcut to Jupiter through the inner Solar System.
The Wow! Signal Deciphered. It Was Hydrogen All Along.
In 1977, astronomers received a powerful, peculiar radio signal from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. Its frequency was the same as neutral hydrogen, and astronomers had speculated that any ETIs attempting to communicate would naturally use this frequency. Now the signal, named the Wow! Signal has become lore in the SETI world.