Space

mars' surface with the left side of the image toned yellow and the right side blue

Astronomy

NASA shares colorful “postcard” of Mars’ surface

NASA has used photos taken by the Curiosity rover to create a gorgeous “postcard” of the Martian landscape.

Kristin Houser

a crowd of young people with their backs to the camera watching a rocket fly through the air in the distance

Aerospace

Students build reusable rocket, win $5,000 from NASA

The University of Alabama in Huntsville has won Student Launch 2023, NASA’s annual rocket-building competition.

Kristin Houser

an illustration of a capsule reentering Earth's atmosphere

Aerospace

SpaceX successfully launches world’s first “space factory”

SpaceX has successfully deployed a “space factory” developed by startup Varda Space Industries to manufacture drugs in microgravity.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

US plans to put nuclear-powered spacecraft in orbit by 2026

Nuclear thermal propulsion systems could power missions to Mars, help defense satellites evade attacks, and more.

Kristin Houser

Outer Space

Humans have big plans for mining in space

What's holding us back from mining in space when we have such big plans already? The sheer cost, for one thing.

Serkan Saydam and Michael Dello-Iacovo

Asteroids

We have a new way to hunt for potentially hazardous asteroids

To help protect Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids, astronomers developed an algorithm to look for them in existing datasets.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

After 350 years, astronomers still can’t explain the solar system’s strangest moon

Saturn's Iapetus, discovered way back in 1671, has three bizarre features that science still can't fully explain.

Ethan Siegel

Aerospace

NASA to help put first Japanese astronaut on the moon

The first non-American to reach the lunar surface will likely do so as part of NASA’s Artemis mission — and could be a Japanese astronaut.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

Telescope “sunglasses” find brightest pulsar outside our galaxy

Australian astronomers have discovered the brightest pulsar ever seen outside the Milky Way by putting “sunglasses” on a telescope.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Perseverance rover kicks off new hunt for life on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover has begun its Delta Front Campaign, the part of its mission most likely to produce evidence of past life on Mars.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Boeing’s Starliner is finally on its way to the ISS (Updated)

Boeing’s Starliner capsule — developed to carry NASA astronauts — is now en route to the International Space Station.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Chinese rover makes surprise discovery about liquid water on Mars

Data from China’s Zhurong rover suggests there was substantial liquid water on Mars far more recently than we thought.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Stanford’s gravity telescope concept uses the sun to see exoplanets

Stanford scientists have designed a gravity telescope concept that could take stunningly clear images of exoplanets.

William Lockett

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