For today’s commercial space companies providing launch services to orbit, the name of the game is simple: “do it cheaper.” To reduce the costs of launching payloads to space and encourage the commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), entrepreneurs have turned to everything from reusable rockets and 3-D printing to air-launch vehicles and high-altitude balloons. And yet, there is one concept that truly seems like something out of this world!
Space News & Blog Articles
NASA's huge James Webb Space Telescope is one month from launch
The long-awaited launch of NASA's next generational observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, is just one month away.
Astra aims to reach orbit for 1st time with early Friday launch: Watch it live
Astra aims to reach orbit for the first time early Friday morning (Nov. 19), and you can watch the action live.
The Beaver Moon lunar eclipse won't be a true 'blood moon,' but it may look red. Here's why.
The Beaver Moon partial eclipse will probably turn the moon dark Friday (Nov. 19) even though it's not a true "blood moon."
The greatest asteroid encounters of all time!
Asteroids are important building blocks of our solar system. When spacecraft study these small worlds, we learn more about how our neighborhood was formed — moons, planets and, of course, our own planet Earth.
Did Astronomers Spot a Black Hole in Another Galaxy? Maybe Not
Astronomers might have spotted a stellar-mass black hole in another galaxy — but not everyone agrees with what they found.
The 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 4 premiere is not one of its strongest starts (review)
Season 4 of "Star Trek: Discovery" is back on Paramount Plus and its premiere episode is a little uneven to say the least.
Eggshell Planets Have a Thin Brittle Crust and No Mountains or Tectonics
Planets without plate tectonics are unlikely to be habitable. But currently, we’ve never seen the surface of an exoplanet to determine if plate tectonics are active. Scientists piece together their likely surface structures from other evidence. Is there a way to determine what exoplanets might be eggshells, and eliminate them as potentially habitable?
Ultrahot 'superionic' ice is a new state of matter
To create the ice, the scientists had to squeeze a water droplet to 3.5 million times Earth's atmospheric pressure and heat it hotter than the sun.
Rocket Lab recovers booster after successful launch with BlackSky satellites
An Electron rocket lifts off from Rocket Lab’s spaceport on the North Island of New Zealand with two BlackSky optical remote sensing satellites. Credit: Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab launched two small BlackSky optical Earth-imaging satellites Wednesday from New Zealand, the first of three straight Electron rocket flights for the U.S. remote sensing company.
Wormholes may be viable shortcuts through space-time after all, new study suggests
Wormholes may be stable after all, a new theory suggests, contradicting previous predictions that these hypothetical shortcuts through space-time would instantly collapse.
Russia's anti-satellite missile test could have easily obliterated the International Space Station
What's the worst that could happen from the Russian missile test that blasted more than 1,500 pieces of space debris into Earth orbit?
LightSail 2 has Been Flying for 30 Months now, Paving the way for Future Solar Sail Missions
Even after 30 months in space, The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission continues to successfully “sail on sunbeams” demonstrating solar sail technology in Earth orbit. The mission is providing hard data for future missions that hope to employ solar sails to explore the cosmos.
Vixen SG 2.1x42 binoculars review
The Vixen SG 2.1x42 binoculars' small size and specs make them something of an oddity for astronomy, but stargazers will love the low-power opera glasses style.
Station resumes normal operations, but risk from Russian ASAT test continues
Expedition 66 crew members, from left to right: Pyotr Dubrov, Tom Marshburn, Anton Shkaplerov, Raja Chari, Mark Vande Hei, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer. Credit: NASA
The seven-person crew living on the International Space Station resumed normal operations Wednesday, two days after closing off parts of the complex as precaution following a widely-condemned Russian anti-satellite test that created a new cloud of space debris.
Live coverage from the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting
Government ministers in charge of space activities in ESA’s Member States meet on 19 November at an Intermediate Ministerial Meeting in Matosinhos, Portugal. Join us on ESA Web TV for live coverage, including an inflight call with ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer on the International Space Station.
Telescopes at Best Buy: Black Friday discounts and stock
We’ve combed through all the telescopes at Best Buy, looking for Black Friday deals and checking stock levels on popular models.
Washington state flooding
Image: The US State of Washington is under a state of emergency following days of severe wind and rain leading to extensive flooding in parts of the state. Different satellites in orbit carry different instruments that can provide us with a wealth of complementary information to understand and to respond to flooding disasters.
'Star Trek: Discovery' season 4 warps onto TV today
"Star Trek: Discovery" season 4 starts with a strange anomaly threatening the entire galaxy. Billions could be killed, Starfleet must unite… Wait, wasn't that the story arc for Season 3?
Steve Wozniak's startup Privateer plans to launch hundreds of satellites to study space debris
Privateer aims to characterize the orbital debris population like never before. It will do this by incorporating a variety of data, including information gathered by its own sizable satellite fleet.