#Space exploration

China's upcoming Chang'e-7 mission is scheduled to make the first direct touchdown at the Moon's south pole, an area of high scientific interest. The probe will search for water ice, a resource that could influence futur…

The 'Star Wars' film 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' will arrive on Disney+ on September 2, 2026, after its theatrical run. The movie follows Din Djarin and Grogu as they assist the New Republic against scattered Imperial wa…

Engineers have built a pen-sized 'laundry gun' that uses cold plasma to eliminate microbes from clothing and soft surfaces. This could help astronauts maintain hygiene on long missions without using scarce water. The dev…

The private LINK spacecraft, contracted to raise NASA's Swift Observatory to a higher orbit, suffered uncontrollable spinning and could not complete its task. NASA has officially ended the boost attempt, though LINK will…

Rocket Lab is set to launch an Electron rocket from New Zealand carrying a radar satellite for Japanese company iQPS. The mission, named 'The Lightning God Defends,' will deploy the SUSANOO-II satellite into low Earth or…

One reader calculates that a planet with Earth's density would need a radius of about 170 million kilometres for escape velocity to equal light speed, effectively making it a black hole. Another argues that gravity betwe…

Astronomers have detected a star circling the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy at unprecedented speed. The star's orbit is the closest ever observed, breaking previous records. This discovery provides …

Astronomers have identified a previously overlooked class of faint, rapidly fading radio galaxies. These objects provide fresh clues about what occurs after supermassive black holes cease powering their large radio jets.…

New Hubble Space Telescope observations provide definitive evidence that a dwarf galaxy merged with the young Milky Way about 11.8 billion years ago, roughly 2 billion years after the Big Bang. This event extends the kno…

Researchers at the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research characterized GJ 523b, a planet with 23 times Earth's mass but only 2.5 times its width, making it extremely dense. The study, led by graduate student Max Kroft, i…

A new peer-reviewed analysis models the atmospheric scattering of sunlight reflected by Reflect Orbital's planned space mirrors. A single 54-meter mirror would appear roughly four magnitudes brighter than the full moon, …

Chinese researchers presented a new comprehensive map of the moon, updating the 2024 edition with revised boundaries for ancient lunar periods and reprocessed spectral data. The map reveals more extensive KREEP terrane t…

The Artemis II crew, which circled the moon in April 2026, spoke at a public event at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, thanking NASA and contractors. Pilot Victor Glover expressed amazement at being allowed to manuall…

On Aug. 16, 1963, NASA's M2-F1, a wingless lifting-body aircraft, completed its first glide flight after being towed to 5,200 feet by a C-47 and released. The test proved that such a design could be controlled and landed…

NASA has awarded an early-stage NIAC grant to develop SPARK Aerobots, small spherical flying vehicles designed to explore the karst caves of Saturn's moon Titan. The project is in a nine-month Phase 1 study and may not b…

The new HBO series 'Lanterns' premiered on Aug. 16, 2026, with eight episodes airing weekly through Oct. 4. It follows Hal Jordan and John Stewart as intergalactic law enforcement officers. The show is available on HBO a…

Astronomers observed a black hole tearing apart a massive star, producing an explosion with energy roughly 400 billion times the Sun's output. The event, nicknamed "the Whippet," sent a shock wave traveling at one-fifth …

Astrochemists study cold, diffuse molecular clouds where stars are born, treating them as natural laboratories for chemical evolution. Using radio telescopes like ALMA, they map the distribution and motion of molecules a…

Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Tanegashima Space Center in the coming months, targeting a landing on Phobos to collect at least 10 grams of surface material. The mission wi…

Astronomers have detected water and dust in the immediate vicinity of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This discovery provides a rare direct observation of how evolved stars mig…

Stomp Rockets offer a low-cost, safe way for children to experience the basics of rocketry. They use air pressure to launch lightweight rockets, making them an ideal first step into model rocketry. This hands-on activity…

Researchers have identified numerous molecular precursors essential for life in various cosmic environments, including amino acids and nucleobases. However, some key building blocks, such as complex sugars and certain li…

On August 14, 2026, NASA Administrator voiced strong confidence that the Artemis 3 mission will proceed as planned for 2027. The mission continues NASA's efforts to return humans to the lunar surface.

On August 15, 2026, SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets within 38 minutes, setting a new spaceflight record. This brings the company's total Falcon 9 missions in 2026 to 95.

NASA is advancing its lunar base plans with a series of robotic missions and commercial landers, aiming for over 20 landings by 2029. These missions will test precision landing, communications, and other essential techno…

SpaceX achieved a new spaceflight milestone by launching two Falcon 9 rockets only 38 minutes apart on the evening of August 15, 2026. The rapid doubleheader marked the shortest interval between two orbital launches by t…

NASA plans to deploy three small rovers to the Moon with only a directive to collaboratively determine how to survey a designated area. The mission tests autonomous decision-making and coordination among robotic explorer…

The U.S. Space Force has granted Rocket Lab $397 million to produce a fleet of flat satellites, called 'Flatellites', designed to detect and track airborne threats from orbit. This contract aims to enhance space-based su…

As nations and companies race to the moon, experts caution that without regulations, old rockets and equipment could be discarded on the lunar surface. This could turn the moon into a dumping ground. They emphasize the n…

The card game company is continuing its campaign against SpaceX and Elon Musk by planning to build a monument with a derogatory message near Starbase. This move is part of their ongoing public protest. The monument's exa…

A list of six space-themed board games that evoke the political drama seen in shows like 'For All Mankind' and 'Star City'. These games allow players to engage in strategic decision-making and power struggles over space …

NASA has announced a two-day aerospace expo scheduled for November, named 'Max Power' as a nod to 'The Simpsons.' The event will feature exhibits and demonstrations related to aerospace technology and exploration. Attend…

The Nikon Action Zoom 10-22x50 binoculars offer a variable magnification range from 10x to 22x, making them ideal for travel and outdoor observation. They provide clear views of celestial objects and terrestrial scenes. …

In this episode, hosts Rod Pyle and Dale Skran are joined by Dr. Scott Pace to discuss the future of Moon exploration. They cover topics like lunar infrastructure, international cooperation, and the next steps for humani…

The upcoming HBO series 'Lanterns' will feature a roster of characters from the Green Lantern universe. The show is expected to explore the intergalactic police force and its members. This guide breaks down the key figur…

On August 15, 1977, the Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University detected a strong narrowband signal that became known as the Wow! signal. The signal's origin has never been explained, and it remains a key moment…

A new study in Science Advances offers spectroscopic evidence that Neptune's many tiny moons are remnants of a catastrophic disruption caused by the capture of its giant moon Triton. Triton, which orbits retrograde and c…

A joint study by the University of Copenhagen and NASA used blood tests to investigate why astronauts frequently experience constipation in microgravity. The research provides new insights into how the absence of gravity…

A new study suggests that a microquasar, rather than the Cygnus X star-forming region, could be responsible for the highest-energy emissions from the Cygnus Bubble, a vast gamma-ray structure spanning thousands of light-…

A small UK-built satellite, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, will orbit the moon's far side to detect faint signals from the cosmic dark ages. This period, lasting roughly 150 million years after the Big Bang, pred…

A new artificial intelligence model can identify subtle early signals of active regions on the Sun before dark sunspots become visible. The system forecasts the emergence of these regions, which can produce powerful sola…

A portable Celestron telescope is recommended by an expert as an excellent choice for beginners and young stargazers. It is designed to make observing the moon and stars easy and enjoyable. The telescope's portability ad…

The latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds features a lookalike character, joining a long history of doppelganger plots in the franchise. The story explores themes of identity and duplication in a spacefaring se…

A striking photograph taken just as the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse approached totality showcases the sun's corona and the moon's silhouette. The image highlights the dramatic contrast between light and shadow du…

On August 13, 2014, the WorldView-3 satellite lifted off, providing unprecedented high-resolution imagery of Earth. The satellite has since supported applications in mapping, agriculture, and disaster response.

The annual Perseid meteor shower reached its peak, producing a brilliant display of shooting stars. Photographers around the world captured the event, resulting in a collection of striking images.

Virgin Galactic has postponed its next commercial spaceflight to February 2027, marking a further delay from its previous schedule. The company has not conducted a spaceflight since June 2024, extending its operational p…

This tutorial provides instructions for using a telescope and camera to capture images of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus.

Chris Carter has created a new R-rated director's cut of the 2008 film 'The X-Files: I Want to Believe,' which he describes as the horror movie he originally intended. It will be released on Hulu on August 14.

Northrop Grumman plans to reuse technology from the HALO module, originally built for NASA's canceled lunar space station, to support the development of the Artemis moon base.

Mike Fincke retired from NASA after 30 years of service, having twice commanded the International Space Station and served as Chief of the Astronaut Office's Commercial Crew Branch.

Researchers have explained why certain pairs of stars produce regular, long-period radio bursts. The systems consist of a white dwarf and a smaller M dwarf star in orbit, and the mechanism resembles the interaction betwe…

A proposed array of 900 telescopes could analyze the atmosphere of an Earth-like exoplanet during a single transit across its star. By capturing the spectrum of starlight filtered through the planet's air, the system cou…

NASA's TESS mission has detected a rare brown dwarf orbiting a massive, aging star. Brown dwarfs are objects too large to be planets but too small to become stars, and they can form either by direct gas cloud collapse or…

Using neutron and X-ray tomography, researchers detected macroscopic hydrogen-rich areas inside a Martian meteorite, indicating past water-rock interactions on Mars. The meteorite is now dry, but the findings provide evi…

Analysis of the oldest known Martian meteorite, discovered on Earth in 2022, suggests that Mars began losing its water more than 4 billion years ago. This finding provides new insights into the planet's early climate and…

The James Webb Space Telescope has identified a pair of black holes, designated LID-1166, that are the oldest and closest such binary system observed in the early universe. This discovery may shed light on how early blac…

Contrary to the myth of black holes as cosmic vacuum cleaners, new research suggests that active supermassive black holes can foster planet formation. The mechanism could produce planets more massive than Jupiter in thei…

A drone captured a time-lapse video of the 2026 total solar eclipse from above Spain, offering a unique perspective. The 4K footage allows viewers to relive the event as seen from the air. The video showcases the eclipse…

A high-definition time-lapse video of the 2026 total solar eclipse has been released, showcasing the celestial event in 4K resolution. The footage highlights the beauty that has fascinated humans for millennia. The video…