Space & Astronomy News

Blue Origin Kicks Off Kids' Space Club With Offer to Launch Postcards
Jeff Bezos is adding another title to his credit: space postmaster. read more...

On This Day in Space! May 11, 2009: Final Hubble Servicing Mission Launches
On May 11, 2009, the space shuttle Atlantis launched on the fifth and final servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope. See how it happened in our On This Day in Space videos series! read more...

How DARPA's Experimental R3D2 Satellite Was Built Super Fast
Northrop Grumman built DARPA's experimental R3D2 satellite in record time, the company says. read more...

Beanie Babies, the Invention of CubeSat and Student-designed and Built Satellites
The democratization of space began 20 years ago with Beanie Babies. read more...

Blue Origin's Lunar Lander: A Photo Tour
See photos of Blue Moon, Blue Origin's new lunar lander. read more...

Blue Moon: Here's How Blue Origin's New Lunar Lander Works
Yesterday, Blue Origin's billionaire founder, Jeff Bezos, revealed the company's plans to land a spacecraft named "Blue Moon" on the lunar surface. Here's what we know about the lander. read more...

Virgin Galactic Moving Test Flights to New Mexico to Prep for Commercial Operations
The spaceflight company is moving its development and testing activities from Mojave, California, to its commercial-operations headquarters, Spaceport America, in New Mexico. read more...

Rocket Lab Announces Date, Payloads for Satellite Rideshare Launch
Space launch startup Rocket Lab has announced a launch date for several spacecraft on behalf of Spaceflight, a satellite rideshare company. read more...

Elon Musk Jabs Jeff Bezos Over Blue Origin's Moon Lander
The billionaire space rivalry may have flared up again. read more...

NASA Will Aim a DART at Target Asteroid in Upcoming Deflection Test
Telescopes and spacecraft are already watching the skies for potentially hazardous asteroids, but what could be done to actually deflect a dangerous object heading toward Earth? read more...

Space Calendar 2019: Launches, Sky Events & More
Here's a guide to the major astronomical events of the next year, as well as space launches and milestones for spacecraft already in travel. read more...

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket to Land on Display at Space Center Houston
The first SpaceX rocket to launch on two NASA missions will soon land on exhibit in Houston read more...

Image of the Day
Grey clouds scoot across the Martian sky in this view from NASA's InSight lander. read more...

Here's the Winner of NASA's 3D-Printed Mars Habitat Challenge
New York-based design agency AI SpaceFactory took the top prize in a NASA competition to 3D print a habitat that could be used on the moon or Mars. read more...

Apollo Fusion Obtains Hall Thruster Technology from JPL
Satellite electric propulsion startup Apollo Fusion is expanding its product line through an agreement with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, giving it access to advanced Hall thruster technology. read more...

Black Hole Photos Could Get Even Clearer with Space-Based Telescopes
The first-ever photo of a black hole amazed people across the world. Now, astronomers are aiming to take even sharper pictures of these enigmatic structures by sending radio telescopes into space. read more...

Are Astronauts Worth Tens of Billions of Dollars in Extra Costs to go to Mars?
As society contemplates going to the moon or Mars, there's a rising debate as to whether it's worth the money. read more...

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3: What We Know and What We Hope For
The USS Discovery was last seen en route to the 32nd century, in the year 3187. read more...

Blue Origin Unveils 'Blue Moon,' Its Big Lunar Lander
Jeff Bezos revealed the first life-size mockup of Blue Origin's new lunar lander, named "Blue Moon," during a speech in Washington, D.C. today (May 9). read more...

When Will We See Another Bright Comet?
Recently, a friend of mine asked when we might be able to see a comet. He was surprised when I said there are several visible right now. read more...

Opening Up the Moon: Q&A with 'Moon Rush' Author Leonard David
The veteran science journalist's new book looks at the bright future of moon exploration. read more...

Female Astronauts: How Performance Products Like Space Suits and Bras are Designed to Pave the Way for Women's Accomplishments
The situation in question in March 2019 was NASA's cancellation of an all-female spacewalk. read more...

Apollo 11: First Men on the Moon
Apollo 11 astronauts were the first to leave footprints on the moon. read more...

Mysterious 'Sub-Neptunes' Are Probably Water Worlds
Water worlds that each possess thousands of times more water than Earth does may be more common than Earth-like rocky planets in the Milky Way galaxy, a new study finds. read more...

Awesome NASA Time-Lapse Video Shows the Moon's Phases During Apollo Lunar Landings
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of humans first walking on the moon, NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio created a fascinating time-lapse video that maps all six Apollo landing sites as the moon waxes, wanes and wobbles. read more...

Crew Dragon Parachutes Failed in Recent Test
A test of parachutes for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft did not go as planned last month, NASA and SpaceX confirmed May 8. read more...

North Korea, US Fire Missiles in Early-Morning Tests (Video)
North Korea fired off two short-range missiles in quick succession early this morning (May 9), and the United States followed suit with a test of its own just minutes later. read more...

Antimatter Is Both a Particle and a Wave, New Experiment Confirms
Antimatter is made of waves, and physicists have proven it at the level of a single antimatter particle. read more...

Off the Coast of Portugal, the Earth's Crust Might Be Peeling in Two
It might explain the massive earthquake of 1755 which destroyed the city of Lisbon. read more...

Farewell, Chewbacca: Astronaut Honors Peter Mayhew of 'Star Wars' in Space
"Star Wars" fans on Earth aren't the ones mourning the death of actor Peter Mayhew, who portrayed the iconic Wookie Chewbacca. read more...