NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is preparing for a close encounter with a small asteroid this weekend as it continues its long journey toward the distant Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on an ambitious mission to explore 11 different asteroids, aiming to offer new insights into the early solar system and the remnants…
The habitability or possibly habitation of K2-18b, a planet circling a star some 120 light-years away, requires more investigation. While the quest for extraterrestrial life has taken scientists from Martian methane to Venusian phosphine, Earth remains the only confirmed home to living organisms. However, a new study offers what researchers say could be the strongest…
SpaceX is moving steadily toward its next big launch, as key components of the Starship megarocket have arrived at the launch pad in preparation for liftoff later this week. On February 25, the company shared images on X, showcasing the massive Super Heavy booster being carefully positioned onto the orbital launch mount at its Starbase…
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch a specialized space telescope designed to track near-Earth objects (NEOs). The agency announced on February 21 that it had awarded a task order under the NASA Launch Services II contract, assigning the Falcon 9 rocket for the launch of the Near Earth Orbit (NEO) Surveyor mission. The contract is…
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams remain aboard the International Space Station’s Harmony module as NASA adjusts its plans for an upcoming crew rotation. On Tuesday, the agency announced a change in the spacecraft assigned to its Crew-10 mission, opting to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule rather than a newly built…
Astronomers have detected supersonic winds on a massive gas planet over 500 light-years away from Earth. According to a study published Tuesday in Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers have been monitoring the planet’s weather since 2016 and revealed that its jetstream winds are the fastest ever recorded circling a planet. “This is an entirely new phenomenon,”…
A massive jet of material shooting out from a black hole located 12 million light-years away has encountered an enigmatic obstacle in space, leaving astronomers intrigued about its nature. This phenomenon was captured in an ultra-deep X-ray image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the most detailed X-ray image ever recorded of the Centaurus A galaxy.…
Astronomers have harnessed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to delve into the intricate strands of the Spiderweb protocluster, revealing unexpected discoveries in this massive cosmic structure. While the $10 billion telescope didn’t uncover a literal spider lurking in the celestial web, it did uncover new insights and previously hidden galaxies within this forming galaxy…
Firefly Aerospace, a US-based aerospace company, has announced that its Moon lander is ready for transport to the launch site. Known as the Blue Ghost lunar lander, this spacecraft was developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. It will soon be shipped from Firefly’s Texas facility to Cape Canaveral in Florida,…
NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) is now accepting proposals for a fresh round of CubeSat missions. CubeSats, small spacecraft that offer a cost-effective means for various organizations to access space, are at the center of this initiative. This opportunity is particularly geared toward U.S. educational institutions, non-profits, and informal educational institutions, with a special emphasis…