Work continues on designs for robots that can help assist the first human explorers on the Moon in over half a century. One of the most important aspects of that future trip will be utilizing the resources available on the Moon’s surface, known as in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). This would give the explorers access to materials like water, structural metals, and propellant, but only if they can recover it from the rock and regolith that make up the Moon’s surface. A new paper from researchers mainly affiliated with Tohoku University describes the design and testing of a type of robot excavator that could one day assist lunar explorers in unlocking the world’s potential.
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John McFall | Prosthetics, possibility & parabolic flights | ESA Explores #16
Video: 00:12:53
Meet John McFall – Paralympian, medical doctor and member of ESA’s Astronaut Reserve. As part of ESA’s groundbreaking FLY initiative, John is helping prove that physical disability is no barrier to space. In this episode, he shares the results of a feasibility study showing no technical showstoppers for flying to the International Space Station with a prosthesis and talks about what’s next—from hardware certification and scientific proposals to astronaut reserve training and running in microgravity.
Space rescue services needed? 2 'stranded' astronaut incidents are a 'massive wake-up call,' experts say
China's decision to delay the return of its Shenzhou 20 astronauts due to a possible space debris impact has led to discussion of space rescue planning — or lack of it.
SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida
SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink broadband satellites from Florida's Space Coast on Monday night (Nov. 10).
Rocket Lab delays debut of Neutron rocket to 2026
An artist’s rendering of a Rocket Lab Neutron rocket during stage separation. Illustration: Rocket Lab
The inaugural flight of Rocket Lab’s reusable, medium-lift Neutron rocket is now set for 2026, instead of this year. The company said more testing and qualification work was needed.
Taikonauts Enjoy BBQ Aboard the Chinese Space Station
For decades, astronauts traveling to space were forced to subsist on a diet that largely consisted of freeze-dried and packaged food. This changed with the introduction of plant-growing operations in orbit, like the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) aboard the International Space Station (ISS). But in what is a really big first, the China National Space Agency (CNSA) has installed a new in-orbit barbecue system aboard the Tiangong space station. In a recent video (shown below) released by the China Central Television (CCTV), we see the current crew of the Tiangong giving the BBQ a whirl!
The oldest stars are planet killers
As stars age, they expand. That’s bad news for planets orbiting close to their stars, according to a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society this month. The study suggests that planets closest to their stars, especially those that orbit their stars in just 12 days or less, are at a higher risk of being sent to their doom by their aging suns.
The Case for Insects on the Space Menu
Long before humans reached orbit, insects had already proven they could handle spaceflight. Fruit flies travelled aboard a V-2 rocket in 1947, becoming the first animals to reach space and survive the journey. Since then, countless creepy crawlies have followed, from bumblebees and houseflies to ants and stick insects, helping scientists understand how living organisms cope with the extreme environment beyond Earth's atmosphere.
When Black Holes Merge
October and November 2024 proved to be particularly productive for gravitational wave astronomy. Within the two months, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration detected two black hole mergers with such unusual properties that they're changing our understanding of how they form and evolve. Both events feature rapidly spinning black holes in unequal mass pairs, properties that point toward a violent history of previous collisions rather than a quiet stellar origin.
Could this film become the 1st western movie to send a filmmaker into space?
An Italian producer has announced plans for the first western film to launch a filmmaker into low-Earth orbit to shoot key scenes.
Never Mind Rogue Planets. Their Rogue Moons Could Support Life
At a young age, we're told how the Sun warms the Earth and makes life possible. That idea sticks with most of us for life. But when we want to understand things more thoroughly and we dig more deeply, we learn that Earth its own heat sources that help it maintian habitability: remnant heat and radioactive decay. Other rocky worlds can have these sources, too.
Astronomy Heaven: Sky & Telescope Tours Chile
Sky & Telescope's Chile tour offered magnificent views of the southern sky, professional observatories, and one of the world’s most remarkable deserts.
'Shockingly large' amount of sensitive satellite communications are unencrypted and vulnerable to interception, researchers find
A mind-boggling lack of encryption allowed researchers to eavesdrop on satellite links and intercept vast quantities of private communications, including those by government and military officials.
Darth Vader returns in the new 'Star Wars' novel 'Master of Evil', and we've got a sneak peek (exclusive)
Author Adam Christopher takes us to Mustafar and beyond in the chilling new sci-fi story "Star Wars: Master of Evil."
China breaks its single-year launch record with weekend flurry
Four Chinese rockets launched over the weekend, taking the nation's total for 2025 to a record-breaking 72 orbital missions.
Florida annual launch record broken with late-night Starlink flight
A long-exposure shot of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasting off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Nov. 10, 2025. Image: John Pisani / Spaceflight Now
Update Nov. 10, 11:30 p.m. EST (04130UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the 29 Starlink satellites.
Scientists 3D printed muscle tissue in microgravity. The goal is to make human organs from scratch
Scientists just 3D printed human muscle tissue in microgravity conditions. The ultimate goal is to make organs in space.
James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the premier space science observatory designed to solve the mysteries of our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the enigmatic structures and origins of our universe. As the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, JWST is an international collaboration led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
New 'exosuit' with artificial muscles could help astronauts explore the moon and Mars
A new "exosuit" was put through its paces with analog astronauts in Australia. The research team would love to try the suit out on the International Space Station, too.
Private Chinese rocket fails during launch, 3 satellites lost
Galactic Energy's Ceres-1 rocket suffered a failure of its upper stage during a launch on Sunday (Nov. 9), leading to the loss of all three payloads on board.
Northern lights may be visible in 21 US states tonight
Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Indiana as two incoming coronal mass ejections could spark geomagnetic storm conditions overnight.
