News without the noise
Space news: launches, missions, telescopes and discoveries, from NASA, ESA, SpaceX and the rest of the industry.
197 articles · page 3 of 5
NASA has released an image from the Perseverance rover's navigation camera marking a record drive on Mars, the space agency announced. The picture shows rover tracks pressing into the sandy, rocky terrain of a slope leading upward toward a distant ridge under a hazy sky.
· 3 sourcesNASA announced on Tuesday that astronaut and engineer Christina Koch will serve as the agency's acting deputy chief engineer beginning Sunday, Nov. 1, succeeding Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after more than 35 years with the agency.
A commercial lunar lander bound for the Moon later this year has passed a series of critical environmental tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with the agency confirming the spacecraft is ready for the rigors of spaceflight as it prepares to support humanity's first lunar outpost.
NASA this week posted over 800 gigabytes of science data, images and videos from its Artemis II lunar mission on a new public website, Sights & Sounds of Science. The archive includes more than 11,000 photos and videos, over 8.5 hours of audio, and crew-annotated images marking where the astronauts observed impact flashes on the Moon's far side. The release provides an unprecedented inside look at a historic space mission.
Scientists have detected the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded, a powerful radio pulse that originated just three billion years after the Big Bang. The signal, designated FRB 20240304B, was captured on March 4, 2024, by South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, with its host galaxy later identified by the James Webb Space Telescope.
NASA has launched a low-cost experiment that uses a departing cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station to test advanced heat shield materials, a technology that could protect future astronauts returning from the Moon and Mars.
NASA on Friday released a long-awaited request for proposals to the US commercial space industry, seeking private space stations that could replace the International Space Station as a home for astronauts in low-Earth orbit as early as 2030.
· 2 sourcesSouth Korea successfully deployed five satellites for its first domestically launched microsatellite constellation during the fifth flight of its homegrown Nuri rocket on Wednesday, according to Yonhap News Agency. Nine of the rocket's 10 CubeSat secondary payloads were also released as planned, but a small satellite developed by South Korean startup Quaternion failed to separate.
· 2 sourcesA California startup is preparing to switch on the first precision commercial alternative to GPS, with six of its satellites scheduled to launch this month. Xona Space Systems says its service will compete with free government navigation networks while working with existing GPS receivers.
A team of astronomers has traced the origin of a fast radio burst (FRB) that travelled more than 10 billion years to reach Earth, pinpointing it to a small galaxy filled with young stars in the early universe. The discovery, published in Science, represents the most distant FRB whose host galaxy has been identified.
NASA’s Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission launched Oct. 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The technology demonstration will see an Otter spacecraft – built by Starfish Space – approach up to four defunct U.S.-origin satellites and rocket bodies in low Earth orbit, showcasing autonomous navigation, inspection and propulsion technologies that could reduce orbital debris and support future in-space repairs.
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate development of safe, reliable nuclear technologies for deep-space exploration, with a goal of fielding a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030. The agreement, titled “Accelerating American Leadership in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion,” was signed Thursday during the Golden Age Summit in Washington and takes effect November 1.
Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist who led the team that developed the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo 11 mission, has died at the age of 90. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), her former employer, confirmed her death on Wednesday, stating she died on 30 September. Hamilton is widely credited with popularising the term "software engineering" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 for her contributions to space exploration.
· 2 sourcesNASA and SpaceX are preparing for the 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, with liftoff scheduled for 6:33 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 13 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry a Dragon spacecraft packed with more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and equipment, including the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSA) and a suite of microgravity research payloads.
Australia has unveiled its first moon rover, marking a milestone for the nation's space ambitions. The rover is slated to be part of a mission to the lunar surface by 2030, according to reports from multiple national outlets.
· 4 sourcesA plan to build a spaceport in Canterbury, near Lake Ellesmere, would allow up to a dozen launches per year of large rockets, according to an initial proposal. The plan is at an early stage and would require resource consent and environmental assessments before moving forward.
NASA's new emphasis on securing 'good deals only' from international partners is reshaping its space exploration strategy, with the agency abandoning the Lunar Gateway space station to focus entirely on building a Moon base near the south pole and competing with China for lunar resources.
· 2 sourcesNASA's Curiosity rover has captured a panoramic view of dawn breaking over distant, wind-carved cliffs on Mars, offering scientists the most detailed look yet at geological features called yardangs that they have long awaited to see up close.
NASA is moving 7,500 contractors back into the civil service, a significant reshaping of its workforce, according to a report from Ars Technica. The publication explores the reasoning behind the change, drawing on the experience of longtime flight director Gerry Griffin to frame the discussion.
· 2 sourcesNASA has released a stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) showcasing the chaotic and vibrant activity within a nebula, where powerful jets from young stars are carving out intricate structures in the surrounding gas and dust, offering astronomers an unprecedented view of stellar formation.
Astronomers have identified a second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf star HS 0209+0832, a gas giant composed of elements heavier than iron that could not have formed through conventional stellar processes. The discovery, published Monday, suggests planets can form after a star's violent red giant phase and that previously unseen material can become a planet.
Glasgow has emerged as a European leader in building small satellites, two decades after engineer Craig Clark returned home to found Clyde Space. With Europe pouring billions into space investment, the BBC asks whether the city's satellite industry can keep up.
NASA's Perseverance rover has acquired an image of light-toned boulders scattered across a hillside in a region called Lac de Charmes, beyond the western rim of Jezero Crater. The photograph, taken as part of the rover's ongoing exploration, shows the boulders standing out against the reddish-brown, dusty terrain.
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have identified a possible second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, solving a longstanding puzzle about the system's unusual chemical composition. The finding suggests the planet formed from gas and dust ejected when the star died, making it chemically distinct from planets that form alongside their host stars.
· 2 sourcesMilt Windler, one of the NASA flight directors who orchestrated the safe return of the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970, has died at age 94.
· 2 sourcesThe US military has ended a long-running, classified satellite program that monitored for nuclear missile launches from orbit, with the last operational payloads flying until last month, according to reports.
· 2 sourcesSpaceX has achieved the first orbital launch of its new Starship rocket, Ars Technica reports. The Monday morning flight, the 14th for the super-heavy vehicle, also deployed the first 26 of Starlink's new-generation V3 satellites, opening the way for faster growth of the satellite internet network.
Sydney Morning Herald and Brisbane Times reported on 1 October 2026 that SpaceX has sent four astronauts to the International Space Station. The brief articles, published across both Nine Entertainment mastheads, provided no additional information about the crew, the launch date, or the mission designation.
· 2 sourcesFor nearly half a century, the thick, yellowish haze wrapped around the lower atmosphere of Venus has puzzled planetary scientists. Now a research team from Tohoku University in Japan has identified the source: microscopic particles from disintegrating meteorites interacting with sulfuric acid.
A four-person crew launched into orbit Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, beginning a six-month expedition aboard the International Space Station. The launch, delayed from mid-September due to a faulty valve in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system, proceeded after SpaceX performed a repair that involved cutting into a propellant line to replace the component.
· 4 sourcesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Oct. 1, 2026, carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the International Space Station for a long-duration science mission.
NASA has announced that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has delivered new observations shedding light on catastrophic collisions between planetary bodies, offering a clearer understanding of how planets form and evolve through violent impacts. The findings, published by the space agency, use Webb's infrared capabilities to study debris disks and the aftermath of planetary-scale crashes.
The Canadian government has awarded its first contracts to three domestic rocket companies — NordSpace, Reaction Dynamics and Canada Rocket Company — as part of a push to secure sovereign access to space, spurred by worsening relations with the United States under the Trump administration.
· 2 sourcesAn attempt to save NASA's $500 million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from falling out of orbit has failed, but government and commercial space officials are highlighting the unprecedented speed and collaboration behind the rescue effort. Katalyst Space Technologies built and launched a recovery spacecraft called Link under a $30 million contract, but a malfunction caused it to spin out of control, forcing NASA to abort the mission in August.
· 2 sourcesNearly two decades after Russia began work on a next-generation crewed spacecraft, the programme now known as Eagle (Orel) has yet to demonstrate meaningful flight hardware, according to an Ars Technica report. The project, which once involved possible European cooperation, has survived multiple name changes but critics say it may remain more a public relations exercise than a genuine engineering effort.
NASA and Boeing say Starliner will fly again, with an uncrewed cargo mission to the International Space Station scheduled for late 2026 and a crewed mission planned for 2028, despite a troubled history that has limited the capsule to a single crewed flight.
NASA is confronting a difficult decision regarding SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, with the agency's long-standing goal of fostering a competitive commercial space economy in low-Earth orbit now at a crossroads. The dilemma, highlighted by Ars Technica, appears to have no straightforward resolution.
· 2 sourcesA SpaceX rocket has reached orbit despite encountering engine trouble during flight, according to reports published by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Brisbane Times.
· 4 sourcesSpaceX's Starship rocket achieved orbit for the first time early Monday, launching from South Texas on its 14th test flight and deploying 26 of the company's newest generation of Starlink broadband satellites — a milestone that demonstrates the vehicle's operational capability after a series of suborbital flights.
· 2 sourcesEighty years after five engineers arrived at a dusty California airfield to pioneer supersonic flight, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is celebrating its legacy of aviation breakthroughs while charting a future that includes quiet supersonic travel, support for Artemis moon missions, and continued Earth science research from the air.
The Canadian Space Agency's Canadarm2 robotic arm on the International Space Station has stopped working after a routine 'walk-off' maneuver, leaving the arm and its mobile transporter unable to move, according to a report from Ars Technica.
· 3 sourcesSpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, achieved orbit for the first time on Monday, deploying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites before returning to Earth after a shortened flight. The milestone mission, which nearly failed when one of the upper stage's engines shut down shortly after launch, ended with a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about three hours into what was planned as a nearly 10-hour flight.
· 9 sourcesNASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 26, 2026, features a striking image of a bright meteor streaking across the night sky, captured alongside the Milky Way and reflected in the surface of a large segmented telescope mirror.
NASA and Boeing leadership will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 28, to discuss the development of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and plans for regular crew flights to and from the International Space Station, the agency announced.
Starfish Space, a spacecraft company founded in October 2019 by former Blue Origin engineers, is releasing its 'Otters' into the wild after seven years of development. The milestone follows a journey that began with a question about how humanity would manage a growing number of satellites in low-Earth orbit — and survived the onset of a global pandemic just months after the company was founded.
NASA has given the green light to PRIMA, the first mission in its new Probe Explorers class, targeting a launch in the early 2030s. The billion-dollar infrared observatory aims to fill a gap between lower-cost Explorer missions and multibillion-dollar flagships like the Roman Space Telescope, the agency announced this week.
NASA has completed environmental and physical testing of a small satellite designed to fly a single, integrated propulsion system that feeds both high-thrust and low-thrust engines from one shared fuel tank. The ASCENT mission, a flight demonstration of the dual-mode concept, could simplify spacecraft design and open the door to smaller, cheaper launch vehicles.
NASA has assigned four crew members from three space agencies to launch to the International Space Station no earlier than spring 2027 for a long-duration science expedition as part of the SpaceX Crew-14 mission.