Space

A rocket lifts off from its launch pad with clouds of smoke billowing around it, set against a blue sky.

The New Space Race

Reusable rockets are real, the internet is in orbit, and we’re heading to Mars. With space manufacturing, asteroid mining, and lunar bases, the new space race has just begun, transforming life on Earth forever.
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T-Minus: 10 milestones in commercial spaceflight
T-Minus looks back at 10 major milestones in the commercial space industry — including several SpaceX triumphs.
T-minus
T-Minus: 10 space startups to watch
Today’s aerospace industry includes hundreds of startups, all vying to be the next SpaceX. Here are 10 that could actually do it.
T-Minus: 10 space stations of the future
The International Space Station may be nearing retirement, but 10 new space stations are just preparing for launch.
T-Minus: Counting down 10 upcoming moon missions
A countdown of 10 upcoming moon missions, all leading up to the one expected to return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface.
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NASA offers $1 million prize for prototypes to grow space food 
NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge will give away $1 million in exchange for prototypes that could help feed astronauts on long-term missions.
NASA plans to destroy the ISS in 2031
NASA will deorbit the International Space Station in 2031 by sending it plunging into the Pacific Ocean’s “spacecraft cemetery.”
Toyota is building a “Lunar Cruiser” for Japan 
Toyota’s pressurized moon rover, the “Lunar Cruiser,” could help astronauts live on the moon — and help us combat climate change on Earth.
New space plane would fly directly into orbit from a runway 
Radian Aerospace is building a first-of-its-kind space plane that flies directly into orbit after taking off horizontally from the ground.
A space film studio is launching into orbit in 2024 
A new space module designed for the recording and livestreaming of movies and sporting events is expected to attach to the ISS in 2024.
Chinese lander finds first onsite evidence of water on the moon 
The first onsite evidence of water on the moon suggests that subterranean lunar rock contains larger stores than can be found on the surface.
China builds “artificial moon” on Earth
China’s artificial moon, which uses magnets to mimic lunar gravity, could help with the creation of future moon colonies.
Startup will send prized artifacts to the International Space Station 
Uplift Aerospace will transport valuable goods to the ISS and house them in their Constellation Vault starting this year.
Astronomers have found the biggest group of rogue planets yet 
Using ground telescopes and satellite observations taken over decades, researchers have identified the largest number of wandering rogue planets yet.
SpaceX’s Starship is ready for its first trip into space
SpaceX’s Mars-bound Starship — the largest spacecraft ever built — is expected to undergo its first orbital test flight in March 2022.
MIT is testing a levitating space rover
MIT engineers have designed a levitating space rover that could allow us to explore parts of the moon that are too rough for rolling rovers.
The plans to generate electricity on the moon
Scientists at TalTech are working on solar cell technology using microcrystals that are only about the size of a grain of sand — hoping to power a moonbase.
The most anticipated space missions of 2022 
2022 will be a big year for space missions, with huge rocket launches, several rover rollouts, and a first-of-its-kind asteroid collision.
MIT is leading the hunt for life in Venus’ atmosphere
MIT is leading a privately-funded hunt for life in Venus’ clouds, scheduled to begin in 2023.
I wrote the book on warp drive. No, we didn’t accidentally create a warp bubble. 
The same (former) NASA engineer who previously claimed to violate Newton’s laws is now claiming to have made a warp bubble. He didn’t.
No, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe didn’t “touch the Sun”
How can you “touch the Sun” if you’ve always been inside the solar corona, yet will never reach the Sun’s photosphere?
NASA tosses rockets to prepare for Mars sample return
NASA is developing a system for the Mars Sample Return mission that tosses a rocket into the air just prior to ignition on Mars.
This startup is ready to make electric flight a reality 
After years of preparation, Washington-based startup Eviation is ready to lead the charge to electric flight.
Water on Mars found hidden in massive canyon
Scientists have discovered a huge store of hidden water on Mars, and it’s just below the surface of the Valles Marineris canyon system.
The Hubble Space Telescope is dying. Here’s what’s next.
With Hubble living on borrowed time, NASA and its partners prepare to launch the satellite’s successor: the James Webb Space Telescope.
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