Veteran parabolic flight pilot Eric Delesalle sits down with Space.com to talk about what it takes to create weightlessness and lunar gravity in a plane.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
Moonquakes could 'smooth out' the surfaces of Jupiter and Saturn's icy moons
Something is shaking on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn as moonquakes are linked to landslides that smooth out icy surfaces of bodies like Europa and Enceladus.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy hits bullseye with ascent to near-geosynchronous orbit
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket thundered into the sky over Florida’s Space Coast Sunday night and deployed a sophisticated internet satellite for Viasat into a circular orbit more than 20,000 miles over the equator, delivering for a competitor to SpaceX’s own Starlink broadband network.
May: Leo is King in Late Spring
This month’s episode takes you on a guided tour of the key stars and planets that you’ll see on May evenings — a fun and informative way to introduce yourself to the nighttime sky!
Live coverage: SpaceX counting down to Sunday evening Falcon Heavy launch
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the ViaSat 3 Americas broadband satellite. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
SFN Live
Be Grateful the Sun Can’t Produce Flares Like This
Okay, so we all know that the Sun is heading into solar maximum. That means it’s quite a bit more active, with sunspots, coronal mass ejections, and flares aplenty. But, luckily for us, the Sun isn’t as active as the members of the binary star system V1355 Orionis. One of its stars periodically releases superflares. These are ten times more extensive than the largest solar flare ever recorded on the Sun.
Everything you need to know about Lego's May the 4th Star Wars event
It's almost Star Wars day, and that means Lego is planning an event filled with free gifts, new sets and discounts.
Bizarre Exoplanet Breaks All the Orbital Rules
In our solar system, the planetary orbits all have a similar orientation. Their orbital planes vary by a few degrees, but roughly the planets all orbit in the same direction. This invariable plane as it’s known also has an orientation within a few degrees of the Sun’s rotational plane. Most planetary systems have a similar arrangement, where planetary orbits and stellar rotation are roughly aligned, but a few exoplanets defy this trend, and we aren’t entirely sure why.
See Mercury's giant, comet-like tail in stunning new image as it passes close to the sun
Shortly after Mercury reached its closest point to the sun, its massive, comet-like tail became unusually visible in the night sky and was captured in a stunning new photo.
NASA satellite crash not source of mysterious flash of light above Ukraine capital, agency claims
A blinding flash of light set off air raid alerts across Ukraine’s capital city. Officials at first thought it was a falling NASA satellite, but the space agency has said it isn’t.
Acebeam X75 flashlight power bank review
We tried it, and yes, the Acebeam X75 flashlight power bank lives up to its self-given title of the most powerful flashlight in the world.
Funko Games unveils new cranium-busting 'Star Trek Cryptic' tabletop game
Funko Games releasing brainy new "Star Trek Cryptic" tabletop card game this June.
See asteroid Iris 7 make its close approach to Earth tonight
Skywatchers will get an excellent opportunity to spot the 124-mile-wide asteroid Iris 7 as it reaches opposition on April 30 as the main-belt object also makes its closest approach to Earth.
Zero-G announces plans for once-in-a-lifetime zero gravity musical concerts
Zero-G, the zero gravity space tourism company announced their intent to start offering private concerts aboard their specially outfitted aircraft.
Where to Look for Life: Homing in on the Habitable Zone
Scientists are refining the definition of the habitable zone in an effort to aid future efforts at finding life.
A Black Hole Tore a Star to Pieces. The Closest We’ve Ever Seen.
We all know that black holes are destructive monsters. Their tremendous gravitational pull sucks in anything that gets in the way. This is particularly true for supermassive black holes in the hearts of galaxies. They can tear apart stars. And, every so often—like once every, 10,000 years, that happens. The star passes too close and the black hole’s gravity shreds it.
Viasat seeks replacement for Ariane 6 for launch of third ViaSat 3 satellite
A full-scale test model of an Ariane 6 rocket stands on its launch pad in French Guiana last year. Credit:
ESA-Manuel Pedoussaut
While preparing for launch of its first ViaSat 3 internet satellite on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket this week, Viasat is considering bids from commercial launch service providers to carry an identical satellite into orbit next year, following a decision to move the spacecraft off of a European Ariane 6 rocket because of delays in its development and availability.
European Satellite Measures Exactly How Much Ice Has Been Lost from Glaciers
As global warming heats up our atmosphere a degree at a time, the world’s glaciers are paying the price. In ten years, they’ve shrunk by a total of 2 percent. To look at it another way, collectively the glaciers have lost 2,720 gigatons of ice thanks to warming air.
SpaceX Effectively Grounded by FAA After in-Flight Explosion
It was an exciting time when, two weeks ago, SpaceX got the clearance it needed to conduct its first orbital flight test with the Starship and Super Heavy launch system. After years of waiting, SN flight tests, static fire tests, and stacking and unstacking, the long-awaited test of the SN24 Starship and BN7 Booster prototype was on! For this flight, SpaceX hoped to achieve an altitude of at least 150 km (90 mi) above sea level, crossing the 100 km (62 mi) threshold that officially marks the boundary of “space” (aka. the Karman Line) and making a partial transit around the world before splashing down off the coast of Hawaii.
These Stars are Already Merging, but Their Future Will Be Catastrophic
Close-orbiting binaries are a ticking time bomb. Over time they spiral ever closer to each other until they merge in a cataclysmic explosion such as a supernova. But in the middle of their story, things can get interesting. Some stars collapse into a white dwarf before merging with their partner, others edge so close to each other that their surfaces touch for a time, becoming contact binaries before finally colliding. But one newly discovered binary system will have a wild ride before its final demise.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket aborts triple satellite launch at last minute
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying three satellites aborted an attempted launch at the last minute late Friday (April 28).
