space-exploration

DARPA has a plan to keep geosynchronous satellites going for years beyond their expiration date. The agency aims to test it with a mission launching as soon as this summer.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured a sunset from the ISS, revealing Earth’s atmosphere in vibrant color and breathtaking detail.

Lost on the Moon for nearly 40 years, this Soviet rover seemed destined to remain a relic of the space race until scientists made an unexpected discovery.

Nothing beats a beautiful sunset (from space) | Space photo of the day for May 26, 2026

This webinar will provide an overview of the current landscape of space interferometry, spanning foundational concepts, enabling technologies, mission architectures, and key astrophysical science applications. 9:00am - 10:00am PT | 12:00pm - 1:00pm ET The post ASTRA Space Interferometry Webinar, 5 June 2026 appeared first on NASA Science .

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft just used Mars as a giant slingshot on its journey to a mysterious metal world that could reveal what’s hidden inside planets like Earth. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft successfully completed a close flyby of Mars on May 15, passing just 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) above the planet’s surface. The maneuver used Mars’ gravity [...]

Engineers are increasingly turning to the concept of "biomimicry" for the next generation of Mars robots.

NASA took advantage of the recent close approach of the Psyche probe to Mars to calibrate its observation instruments.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  May 24: Egeria slides on by After reaching superior conjunction midmonth, Mercury is increasing in visibility and should be easily identifiable now in the evening sky. Just half an hour after sunset, step outside to see if you can spot the solar system’s Continue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, May 25: Three planets af…

We report a Kelvin–Helmholtz vortex (KHV) event observed at the duskside magnetopause boundary layer by the magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) satellites in conjunction with auroral beads detected in the high-latitude ionosphere by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) on 27 September 2016. During the KHV event, the MMS spacecraft were located in the low-latitude boundary layer and wer…

China launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft with 3 astronauts heading to its space station. One astronaut is set to stay in space for a year to explore human adaptability in long-duration spaceflights.

It’s 2035 and NASA’s Dragonfly quadcopter has been “hopping” around the surface of Saturn’s largest moon Titan for just over a year taking images, scanning pebbles, drilling holes, and analyzing surface material for potential signs of life. You’re at NASA JPL and just moved to Blue Team (12am-8am) from Red Team (4pm-12am), so you’re hyped up on coffee, Red Bull, and will power. It’s 3:30am, you’…

Scientists explore how beneficial fungi could make Martian regolith fertile enough to grow crops, opening doors for future space settlements.

A stubborn air leak has returned to the ISS’s Russian segment, reminding the world of the challenges of maintaining aging space hardware.

Mission will put first astronaut in orbit for a year, a key step in Beijing’s plan to put people on the moon by 2030 China has launched its Shenzhou-23 mission in which an astronaut will spend a full year in orbit for the first time, a crucial step in Beijing’s ambition to send humans to the moon by 2030. The Long March 2-F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan launch centre in north-western China o…

China’s Shenzhou 23 mission lifts off to Tiangong, setting the stage for the nation’s first year-long human spaceflight.

On its way to a metal asteroid, NASA's Psyche probe tested its cameras as it got a gravity assist from the Red Planet.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  May 23: View Vallis Alpes Moving through vast Virgo, 11th-magnitude asteroid 13 Egeria is passing near some stationary background stars tonight, offering an excellent chance to chart its motion over the course of a few hours.  You can begin looking for the Continue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, May 24: Egeria slides …

China has named the three astronauts due to fly on the Shenzhou 23 mission on Sunday (May 24), including Hong Kong's first astronaut.