Aerospace
This spider-like moon rover will explore lunar lava tubes
A spider-like moon rover heading to the lunar surface in 2021 is designed to explore the underground lava tubes in which astronauts might one day live.
The most anticipated space missions of 2021
The list of 2021's most exciting space missions includes several Mars orbiters, a couple of moon shots, and the launch of an asteroid-deflecting spacecraft.
NASA's next-gen spacesuit
NASA is developing a next-generation spacesuit called the xEMU for upcoming missions to the moon and, eventually, crewed trips to Mars.
ESA is building its first reusable spaceplane
ESA is officially building Space Rider, a spaceplane designed to give scientists cheaper access to microgravity for their experiments.
5 awesome space exploration achievements of 2020
2020 was a big year for space news. Here are five achievements in space exploration that were particularly awesome.
NASA scientists want to send this robot dog to Mars
A modified version of Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot could be the ideal Mars rover for exploring caves and other underground structures.
Electric planes will bring cheaper flights and less CO2
Electric aviation would mean less CO2 emissions and cheaper airfare — but batteries still aren't powerful enough to compete with fuel-filled commercial jets.
An AI co-pilots a military jet for the first time
On December 16, 2020, the Air Force flew an AI co-pilot on a U-2 spy plane. This is the first time that the Air Force completed a military flight with AI.
SpaceX’s Starship exploded, but the flight was a success
During a test flight, a SpaceX Starship rocket prototype soared to a record height of eight miles, completed a successful “belly flop” — and then crashed.
Can Japan’s asteroid samples show us how life began?
JAXA’s Hayabusa2 has successfully returned asteroid samples to Earth. Its next mission? Gather information that could help prevent an asteroid impact.