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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Space plane experiment could lead to 24/7 solar power
The next time the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane launches, it’ll be carrying an experimental solar panel that could revolutionize clean energy.
The new space race has officially begun
The space race to the moon, a new “zombie” satellite discovery by an amateur astronomer, and more top stories in our weekly Progress Report.
You can help scientists during the coronavirus quarantine
Getting bored during the coronavirus quarantine? Researchers are looking for volunteer citizen scientists to help analyze distant galaxies from home.
MIT unveils simulation to help stop an asteroid impact
MIT has developed a simulation to determine the most appropriate way to stop an asteroid impact if one of the space rocks is headed toward the Earth.
This 93-million mile deep space mission might catch the next super solar storm
A newly funded satellite mission could help us keep a watchful eye on the sun’s activity, buying us more time to prepare for a potential solar storm.
Want to visit the moon? NASA is accepting astronaut applications
NASA has announced plans to begin accepting applications for its next class of Astronaut Candidates, some of whom may go on to visit the moon or even Mars.
Move the sun, save the earth: the plan to relocate our solar system
This stellar engine could harness the power of the sun to drag our solar system throughout the galaxy, preventing a catastrophic collision.
NASA’s plan to stop an asteroid headed for Earth
In 2013, a small meteor exploded above Chelyabinsk, Russia that sent over 1,200 people to the hospital. Now, NASA has plans to detect Earth-bound asteroids and defend the planet from another large-scale catastrophe.
Closer to the Sun: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
NASA is getting closer to the sun than ever before with the Parker Solar Probe, leaving researchers excited and bewildered by the data they saw.
Is anybody out there?
New breakthroughs in the technology used for exoplanet discovery mean we could find proof for the existence of extraterrestrials in our lifetime.
AR in use: NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan
With a keen curiosity to learn more about how life formed on Earth, NASA has plans to send a spacecraft called the Dragonfly to Saturn’s largest moon, and they’re using augmented reality to make it happen.
The construction robots building space colonies
Sending construction robots into outer space will help pave the way for human exploration, but there are some real challenges that lie ahead.
What is inside a black hole?
Rendering the first black hole image was an important milestone. But in many ways, the true value of the project lies in how it created an opportunity for researchers to change the way they explore the world.
How to talk to aliens
Let’s imagine aliens exist. You have the extraordinary task of crafting a message that they might conceivably understand. How would you do it? And what would you say? Daniel Oberhaus has a few ideas.
How NASA’s space food lab will feed the farthest journey in history
These food scientists are making it possible for us to explore space in ways we haven’t yet as a species.
Tiny satellite “constellations” could bring the entire world online
SpaceX is out in front, but the race for global satellite internet is getting crowded.
The first private moonshot is ready to launch
The Israeli group’s moon mission will be ride-sharing on a SpaceX rocket.
3 ways to think about the future
Why don’t we have a moon base? A cartoonist and a scientist explain.
Meet the amateur astronomer who found a lost NASA satellite
A $130 million satellite vanished. Over a decade later, a blogger/astronomer found it.
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