Space News & Blog Articles

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ACES in space

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The Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES), ESA’s state-of-the-art timekeeping facility, is now installed on the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station. This still image, captured by external cameras on the Station, shows ACES after installation. For 25 years, cameras on the Station have documented activities in orbit, providing real-time views of operations like this one – a rare and remarkable perspective from space. 

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Satellite images reveal how Earth's surface moved during deadly Myanmar earthquake

Europe's Sentinel-1 satellites captured radar images of Myanmar before and after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on March 28, revealing significant ground movement.

Newly launched NASA satellites open eyes to start studying 'auroral electrojets' in Earth's atmosphere

The first bits of data have come back from NASA's EZIE cubesat mission, which aims to solve some mysteries surrounding the "auroral electrojet" phenomena in Earth's atmosphere.

Scientists use the JWST to study an extremely ancient galaxy piercing through the Cosmic Dark Ages

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have found an extremely ancient galaxy piercing through a thick blanket of cosmic fog in the distant universe.

Biomass poised for liftoff to unveil forest secrets

After years of careful design and preparation, ESA’s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite is set for launch tomorrow, 29 April at 11:15 CEST, aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

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SpaceX launches 250th Starlink satellite mission, lands rocket at sea (photos)

SpaceX launched its 250th dedicated Starlink mission on Sunday night (April 27), sending 23 of the broadband satellites to low Earth orbit.

How Well Would a Laser Communication System Work from Mars?

NASA's Psyche mission launched in 2023 and has now successfully demonstrated that laser technology can transmit high-bandwidth data across millions of kilometres in space, making it promising for communications from Mars. However, researchers simulating Martian conditions found that while this optical communication works well under normal circumstances, performance degrades during dustier periods and fails completely during global dust storms.

Uranus passed between Earth and a distant star this month — and NASA caught the rare event

NASA researchers got a rare chance to study Uranus' atmosphere and rings this month, when the ice giant passed between Earth and a distant star, creating a "stellar occultation."

20 years ago, 'Star Wars: Republic Commando' made us care about the clones long before 'The Clone Wars' and 'The Bad Batch'

The 2005 cult classic was pivotal to giving the Grand Army of the Republic faces and voices before George Lucas and Dave Filoni went deeper.

Trump administration cancels lease for NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies lab in New York City

The Trump administration has canceled the New York City lease of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a leading NASA climate-studying organization.

Faint Neptune joins Venus and Saturn to form a planetary triangle in the pre-dawn sky on April 28

Venus, Saturn and dim Neptune will form a planetary triangle in the pre-dawn sky on April 28, with Mercury hovering on the periphery.

Exploring the Moon’s Subsurface with LunarLeaper

What kind of spacecraft can be used to explore and study the subsurface lunar environment? This is what a recent study presented at the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) hopes to address as an international team of researchers discussed the benefits of a mission concept called LunarLeaper, which will be designed to traverse and analyze the various aspects of the lunar subsurface environment, including moon pits and lava tubes.

Is This the First Hint of Planet Nine?

Since the invention of the telescope, astronomers have been hunting for objects in our Solar System in particular and more recently, for the theorised 9th planet. Observations of Kuiper Belt objects suggest a large object might be lurking in the depths of the Solar System but to date, it hasn’t been directly observed. A team of researchers have analysed infrared sky surveys and found 13 objects that matched the estimated flux and motion of Planet Nine! Further analysis ruled out 12 leaving a single object. Is this Planet Nine?

Webb Confirms the Coldest Planet Ever Found. It's Orbiting a White Dwarf

A few years ago, astronomers discovered an exoplanet orbiting the white dwarf 1856+534 b. Now they've used the mighty JWST to do follow-up observations and made some exciting discoveries. It's definitely a planet and not a brown dwarf, with a temperature of 186 K (-87°C/-125°F) and about 6 times the mass of Jupiter. This makes it the coldest exoplanet ever detected, and it's orbiting in the "forbidden zone," which should have been engulfed during the red giant phase.

Hubble Spots a Magnetar Zipping Through the Milky Way

Magnetars are among the rarest - and weirdest - denizens of the galactic zoo. They have powerful magnetic fields and may be the source of fast radio bursts (FRBs). A team of astronomers led by European Space Agency researcher Ashley Chrimes recently used the Hubble Space Telescope to track one of these monsters called SGR 0501+4516 (SGR0501, for short, and SGR stands for Soft Gamma Repeater). It's whipping through the Milky Way at a rate that could be as high as 65 kilometers per second. The big challenge was to find its birthplace and figure out its origin.

Meet the 'Doctor Who' actors who brought the retrofuturistic robots to life for season 2's 'The Robot Revolution' (interview)

Veteran creature artists Stephen Love and Rob Strange share the rigors of having zero vision and taking tumbles while playing retro robots.

NASA's Dragonfly nuclear-powered helicopter clears key hurdle ahead of 2028 launch toward huge Saturn moon Titan

NASA's pioneering Dragonfly mission has passed its critical design review, keeping it on track for a 2028 launch to the potentially life-hosting Saturn moon Titan.

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) ahead of the launch of the Starlink 12-21 mission. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX is preparing to launch back-to-back Falcon 9 rockets on Sunday from both California and Florida. The Starlink 12-23 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is set to follow the Starlink 11-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

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The new 'Doctor Who' episode 'The Well' is actually a sequel to a David Tennant classic

The Doctor may not realise it at first, but he's been to Planet 6767 before…

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 27 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the Starlink 7-14 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX is preparing to launch back-to-back Falcon 9 rockets on Sunday from both California and Florida. Up first is the Starlink 11-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base with 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites onboard.

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 158 — Hubble's 35th Birthday

On Episode 158 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by John Grunsfeld to talk about the Hubble Space Telescope on its 35th anniversary.


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