Space News & Blog Articles

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Korean orbiter returning spectacular views of lunar landscapes

South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft captured this view of Tsiolkovskiy crater March 22 on the far side of the moon. Credit: Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Nearly halfway through its primary mission, South Korea’s first spacecraft to explore the moon has been collecting data and snapping pictures of lunar landscapes and craters since maneuvering into orbit late last year.

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Juice is Fully Deployed. It’s Now in its Final Form, Ready to Meet Jupiter’s Moons in 2031

Launched on April 14, 2023, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice; formerly known as JUICE) spacecraft has finally completed the unfurling of its solar panel arrays and plethora of booms, probes, and antennae while en route to the solar system’s largest planet.

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Antarctic currents supplying 40% of world's deep ocean with nutrients and oxygen slowing dramatically

Deep ocean currents around Antarctica that are vital to marine life have slowed by 30% since the 1990s and could soon grind to a complete halt, a new study finds.

Saudi Arabia has ambitious plans for space. Its astronauts on SpaceX's private Ax-2 mission are just the start, official says

Mishaal Ashemimry, special adviser to the CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, discusses the significance of the Ax-2 mission and the nation's ambitious space plans.

China's mysterious space plane released an unidentified 'object' in orbit, US intelligence reveals

Here's what we know (and don't know) about China's mysterious space plane, which just landed after nine months in orbit on a secret mission.

Watch the half moon of May shine by Leo the Lion in the night sky tonight

Skywatchers can see the lunar face half illuminated by the sun at the weekend when the moon enters the first quarter phase of its 29.5-day cycle on Saturday, May 27.

China’s Rover Found Evidence of an Ancient Ocean on Mars

In a recent study published in National Science Review, a team of researchers led by the China University of Geosciences discuss direct evidence of an ancient ocean and its shoreline that existed in the northern hemisphere of Mars during the Hesperian Period, or more than 3 billion years ago. This finding is based on data collected by the China National Space Agency’s (CNSA) Zhurong rover in the Vastitas Borealis Formation (VBF), which lies within southern Utopia Planitia on Mars.

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Live coverage: SpaceX rocket ready for late-night launch for Arabsat

Watch our live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Arabsat’s Badr 8 communications satellite from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens at 11:25 p.m. EDT Friday, May 26 (0325 UTC Saturday, May 27). Follow us on Twitter.

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Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel succumbs to Dark Side, will cease operations this fall

Disney will close its billion-dollar "Star Wars"-themed Galactic Starcruiser hotel in September

40 years ago, a comet came out of the blue in a surprise Earth flyby. Here's what we know now.

Forty years ago this month, there came a show stopping celestial sight — literally a bolt out of the blue — as a new comet was discovered close to Earth.

'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi' at 40: What it was like seeing Darth Vader's death scene for the 1st time

An exploration of Darth Vader's death scene in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi."

NASA’s final two TROPICS CubeSats launched by Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher lifts off from Launch Complex 1B in New Zealand with NASA’s fifth and sixth TROPICS hurricane research satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab

The last two spacecraft in a four-satellite constellation of tropical cyclone research platforms took off late Thursday from New Zealand on a Rocket Lab Electron launcher, helping ensure NASA’s TROPICS mission is ready for observations in time for the peak of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

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When Black Holes Merge, They'll Ring Like a Bell

When two black holes collide, they don’t smash into each other the way two stars might. A black hole is an intensely curved region of space that can be described by only its mass, rotation, and electric charge, so two black holes release violent gravitational ripples as merge into a single black hole. The new black hole continues to emit gravitational waves until it settles down into a simple rotating black hole. That settling down period is known as the ring down, and its pattern holds clues to some of the deepest mysteries of gravitational physics.

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Private Japanese moon lander crashed after being confused by a crater

Japanese company ispace revealed that an unexpected lunar terrain feature led the Hakuto-R lander's onboard computer to misjudge its altitude, leading to the crash.

NASA's Artemis moon rocket will cost $6 billion more than planned: report

An independent report into NASA contracts for the SLS rocket has found significant cost overruns and delays which could hinder the agency's plans to put astronauts back on the moon.

ESA Has a Playground for Mars Rovers to Learn how to Explore the Red Planet

NASA makes successful rover missions seem mundane. Spirit and Opportunity were wildly successful, and Curiosity and Perseverance would both be considered successes even if they stopped working today. But complex missions don’t succeed without rigorous testing.

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ULA delays Vulcan test-firing to troubleshoot engine ignition system

ULA stacked the first stage for the first Vulcan rocket test flight onto a mobile launch platform Jan. 25 inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance called off a test-firing of the company’s first flight-rated Vulcan Centaur rocket at Cape Canaveral Thursday to troubleshoot a problem with the booster’s engine ignition system.

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Watch 1,000 Lego astronauts fly near the edge of space (video)

1,000 Lego astronauts traveled near the edge of space on stratospheric balloons and returned safely to Earth on a specially designed landing platform resembling a mini space shuttle.

Amazing Views From ESA’s New MeteoSat Weather Satellite

The European Space Agency’s latest third generation Meteosat-I 1 weather satellite shows its stuff, with more to come.

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Juice deployments complete: final form for Jupiter

Flight controllers at ESA’s mission control centre in Germany have been busy this week, working with instrument teams on the final deployments to prepare ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) for exploring Jupiter.

James Webb Space Telescope teams up with NASA X-ray observatory for a stunning look at the universe (photos)

Stunning new NASA images depict our universe in all its visible, and invisible, glory thanks to the combined powers of the James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.


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