The four astronauts of the private Ax-2 mission are scheduled to return to Earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule tonight (May 30), and you can watch the action live.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Stratolaunch Buys Virgin Orbit's Rocket-Launching 747
With Virgin Orbit going through bankruptcy, other launch providers are purchasing various parts of the business. This week we learned that Stratolaunch’s bid to buy Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft has been approved by the U.S Bankruptcy Court, enabling Stratolaunch to use the 747 to carry its Talon-A hypersonic vehicles, ideally beginning operation by 2024.
Relive SpaceX Starship's epic launch with these amazing highlights (video)
Recently released footage gives new, highly detailed looks at the first-ever launch of a fully stacked Starship vehicle, which SpaceX conducted last month.
HAKUTO-R’s Software Got Confused at the Last Minute, Causing it to Crash into the Moon
On April 26, 2023, people around the world watched as the HAKUTO-R lander made its final approach for a landing on the Moon. It had been “on the road” since December 11, 2022, and completed eight Mission 1 milestones. Numbers 9 and 10 would have been landing and establishing a base on the Moon. As we all know, it reached the lunar surface, but not the way the ispace team expected. NASA images confirmed its final resting place.
How Much Damage Will Lunar Landings Do to Lunar Orbiters?
Multiple missions are destined for the Moon in this decade. These include robotic and crewed missions conducted by space agencies, commercial space entities, and non-profit organizations. The risks and hazards of going to the Moon are well-documented, thanks to Apollo Program and the six crewed missions it sent to the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. But unlike the “footprints and flags” of yesterday, the plan for the coming decade is to create a “sustained program of lunar exploration and development.”
A New Place to Search for Habitable Planets: “The Soot Line.”
The habitable zone is the region around a star where planets can maintain liquid water on their surface. It’s axiomatic that planets with liquid water are the best places to look for life, and astronomers focus their search on that zone. As far as we can tell, no water equals no life.
A massive sunspot is currently visible to the unaided eye. Here's how to see it safely before it's gone
A massive new sunspot is visible without using a telescope or binoculars, but you'll still need to protect your eyes when observing it.
SpaceX could launch this origami-inspired folding heat shield later this year
A private company has plans to test a revolutionary new heat shield that folds and unfolds like origami, and it could conduct a test flight aboard a SpaceX rocket later this year.
JWST Spies a Gigantic Water Plume at Enceladus
The James Webb Space Telescope has observed a huge water vapor plume emanating from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Astronomers say the plume reaches nearly 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) into space, which is about the equivalent distance as going from Ireland to Japan. This is the largest plume ever detected at Enceladus.
New record! 17 people are in Earth orbit right now
The total number of people in Earth orbit is now at a record high, though only for a short time. With Monday's (May 29) launch of China's Shenzhou 16 mission, the population in orbit grew to 17.
One Spacecraft Could Visit All of Saturn's Inner Large Moons
If you’ve ever played Kerbal Space Program, you know how difficult it can be to get your spacecraft into the orbit you want. It’s even more difficult in real life. This is why it’s pretty impressive to see a proposal to study all of Saturn’s large inner moons in one go.
Europe's JUICE Jupiter probe finishes deploying its instruments
Europe's JUICE spacecraft is now in its full flight configuration, six weeks after the flagship mission launched for Jupiter.
Webb maps surprisingly large plume jetting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
Interaction between moon’s plumes and Saturn’s ring system explored with Webb
A water vapour plume from Saturn’s moon Enceladus spanning more than 9600 kilometres — long enough to stretch across the Eurasian continent from Ireland to Japan — has been detected by researchers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Not only is this the first time such water ejection has been seen over such an expansive distance, but Webb is also giving scientists a direct look, for the first time, at how this emission feeds the water supply for the entire system of Saturn and its rings.
Live coverage: U.S.-Saudi commercial astronaut crew heading for Earth today
Live coverage of the undocking, re-entry, and splashdown of Axiom’s Ax-2 mission at the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
NASA Undocking Coverage
North Korea May Launch Spy Satellite Soon
Enigmatic North Korea may attempt to put a satellite in orbit, as early as this week.
Scientists may be able to put Mars-bound astronauts into 'suspended animation' using sound waves, mouse study suggests
Firing ultrasound signals into rodent brains puts them in a torpor-like state. Scientists are wondering if it could be used on humans.
China is Planning to Have Humans on the Moon by 2030
As NASA prepares to return astronauts to the Moon with Artemis III, China is ramping up its efforts for a crewed lunar landing, targeting earlier than 2030. Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director of China’s Manned Space Agency announced that the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) is preparing for a “short stay on the lunar surface and human-robotic joint exploration.”
Hungry black hole shoots out bright X-ray jet 60,000 times hotter than the sun
Observing a powerful feeding black hole in X-ray light has allowed astronomers to peer into the inner workings of what is the brightest quasar seen in the last 9 billion years of cosmic history.
The ultimate guide to planning epic stargazing road trips in the US southwest
Explore the U.S. Southwest's best sites for stargazing with our helpful guide. From canyons and valleys to snow-capped mountains and world-class observatories.
Watch private Ax-2 astronauts head back to Earth in SpaceX Dragon today
The four astronauts of the private Ax-2 mission are scheduled to head home to Earth today (May 30), and you can watch the action live.
Chinese astronaut launch breaks record for most people in orbit
A Long March 2F rocket climbs through the sky after lifting off from the Jiuquan launch base with the Shenzhou 16 astronauts. Credit: China Manned Space Agency
The launch of the next crew to China’s Tiangong space station late Monday (U.S. time) added three astronauts to the population of humans in space, which reached a record number of 17 people in orbit — six Chinese citizens, five Americans, three Russians, two Saudis, and one Emirati astronaut.
