An Atlas V rocket lit up the predawn sky over Florida early Tuesday (Dec. 7) to launch a novel NASA laser space communications satellite into orbit.
Space News & Blog Articles
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Airbus will build ESA’s Ariel exoplanet satellite
ESA and Airbus have signed a contract to move forward with the design and construction of the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, Ariel, planned for launch in 2029.
Live coverage: Atlas 5 rocket counting down to predawn liftoff Tuesday
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with the U.S. Space Force’s STP-3 mission, carrying two satellites hosting technology demonstration experiments to geosynchronous orbit. Text updates will appear automatically below. Follow us on Twitter.
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ULA Webcast
SpaceX mates NASA astronomy satellite with rocket at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer spacecraft ready for encapsulation inside the payload fairing of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: NASA
A NASA astronomy satellite will be the smallest payload to ever get a dedicated ride on a Falcon 9 rocket when it takes off from Florida this week, but the SpaceX launcher will need to flex its muscles to reach the mission’s unusual orbit hugging the equator.
ULA to set rocket endurance record on next launch
An Atlas 5 rocket stands on launch pad 41 ahead of the STP-3 mission. Credit: United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket will set an endurance record after liftoff from Cape Canaveral Tuesday, targeting the delivery of two U.S. military tech demo satellites directly into a geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles over the equator.
NASA laser communications experiment set for launch into geosynchronous orbit
Artist’s illustration of NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration on-board the U.S. military’s STPSat 6 satellite, showing laser links with a ground station and the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
A $320 million NASA experiment to test high-speed laser communications links between Earth and space is poised for launch Tuesday, tagging along for a ride to geosynchronous orbit on a US Space Force mission aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
Want to see Comet Leonard? Here are the best telescope and binoculars to spot it this month.
Comet Leonard is visible in binoculars and telescopes. Here are our recommendations on telescopes and binoculars to see the comet.
Hubble telescope traces a spiral galaxy to chart our universe's expansion
Mapping celestial objects like this lets us figure out how fast they are moving relative to each other.
NASA unveils 10 new astronaut candidates for future space station, moon missions
NASA revealed the members of its 2021 astronaut class, the 23rd group since 1959, who may someday help establish a sustainable presence on the moon.
Maybe “Boson Clouds” Could Explain Dark Matter
The nature of dark matter continues to perplex astronomers. As the search for dark matter particles continues to turn up nothing, it’s tempting to throw out the dark matter model altogether, but indirect evidence for the stuff continues to be strong. So what is it? One team has an idea, and they’ve published the results of their first search.
Astra to launch mission for NASA from Florida next month
Astra will launch a NASA mission from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in January, the California rocket builder announced on Monday (Dec. 6).
Did the Earth’s Water Come From the Sun?
Where did Earth’s water come from? Comets may have brought some of it. Asteroids may have brought some. Icy planetesimals may have played a role by crashing into the young Earth and depositing their water. Hydrogen from inside the Earth may have contributed, too. Another hypothesis states the collision that formed the Moon gave Earth its water.
Messier 95 – the NGC 3351 Barred Spiral Galaxy
Welcome back to Messier Monday! Today, we continue in our tribute to our dear friend, Tammy Plotner, by looking at the barred spiral galaxy known as Messier 95!
Fuel leak delays Atlas V rocket launch to early Tuesday morning: Watch it live
A U.S. military mission will get off the ground Tuesday morning (Dec. 7) after a two-day delay, and you can watch the liftoff live.
Watch the entire total solar eclipse of 2021 in just 1 minute! (time-lapse video)
A new video (available on YouTube in 4K) offers a stunning view of the 2021 solar eclipse that occurred on Saturday (Dec. 4).
Watch the moon shine near Venus tonight on its way toward Saturn and Jupiter
Venus and the moon make a dazzling duo in the night sky tonight (Dec. 6), starting the moon's multi-day journey past a slew of planets.
Astronauts see only total solar eclipse of 2021 from space station (photos)
Astronauts at the International Space Station got a glimpse of the only total solar eclipse of 2021, which was otherwise only visible to a few lucky observers in Antarctica.
‘Don’t Look Up’ shines a satirical spotlight on the campaign to counter cosmic threats
The science adviser for “Don’t Look Up,” a star-studded comedy about a killer comet, has some serious advice for dodging a threat from the skies: Take the title of the movie, and do the exact opposite.
Colliding Gases at the Heart of the Running Man Nebula
Behold, the Herbig-Haro object known as HH45, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)! These objects are a rarely seen type of nebula made up of luminous clouds of dust and gas. These occur when newborn stars form within a nebula and eject hot gas, colliding with the surrounding gas and dust. The result is bright shock waves that look like mounded, luminous clouds in space!
SpaceX resumes work on Starship launch pad at Kennedy Space Center
Training jets fly over pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center earlier this year ahead of the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission. Credit: Inspiration4 / John Kraus
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and chief executive, says crews have started construction of the first Starship orbital launch pad in Florida inside the gates of historic launch complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
NASA says SpaceX is only provider so far able to provide astronaut taxi rides
The company received three more mission orders for Crew Dragon as Boeing Starliner works to get off the ground.
