As NASA prepares for a return to the Moon through the Artemis program, one of the biggest health concerns for astronauts has been lunar dust. The fine, abrasive particles known as the regolith that coat the Moon's surface have long worried scientists, especially after Apollo astronauts experienced respiratory problems after their missions. However, groundbreaking research from the University of Technology Sydney has delivered surprisingly reassuring news: lunar dust is less harmful to human lung cells than previously feared, and significantly less toxic than common Earth based air pollution.
Space News & Blog Articles
How Ten Times More Rocket Launches a Year Could Impact the Ozone Layer
A recent study addresses possible effects from increased rocket launches on the ozone layer.
Another Tether Deorbiting Test Mission Takes Shape
More and more satellites are being added to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every month. As that number continues to increase, so do the risks of that critical area surrounding the Earth becoming impassable, trapping us on the planet for the foreseeable future. Ideas from different labs have presented potential solutions to this problem, but one of the most promising, electrodynamic tethers (EDTs), have only now begun to be tested in space. A new CubeSat called the Spacecraft for Advanced Research and Cooperative Studies (SPARCS) mission from researchers at the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran hopes to contribute to that effort by testing an EDT and intersatellite communication system as well as collecting real-time data on the radiation environment of its orbital path.
Using a Space Elevator To Get Water Off Ceres
We might not currently have any technology that would make a space elevator viable on Earth. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t work on other bodies around the solar system. One of the most interesting places that one could work is around Ceres, the Queen of the Asteroid Belt, and potentially one of the biggest sources of resources for humanity’s expansion into space. A new paper from researchers at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and Industrial CNT, a manufacturer of Carbon Nanotube (one potential material for the space elevator), details just how useful such an elevator could be.
Do Hycean Worlds Have Smaller Habitable Zones?
Hycean worlds are also called ocean worlds. They're planets covered in oceans that also have thick hydrogen atmospheres. There are no confirmed Hycean worlds—also called ocean worlds—but many candidates. Even though they're only candidates so far, researchers are curious about their habitability. New research examines the role tidal heating plays in their potential habitability.
The First Images from Vera Rubin are About to Drop
The telescope's journey began in the early 1600s when Dutch spectacle maker Jan Lippershey discovered that combining lenses could magnify distant objects. Galileo Galilei quickly improved the designs and became the first to explore the heavens, revealing the Moon's craters, Jupiter’s moons and the rings of Saturn. Over the centuries, telescopes evolved from simple lens combinations to massive ground-based observatories with enormous mirrors, and eventually to space-based instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope that eliminated Earth's atmospheric interference. Today's cutting-edge telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, use advanced technology to look deeper into space than ever before.
Watch Honda launch (and land) its 1st reusable rocket in this wild video
The Japanese automaker Honda just hit a key milestone in rocket reusability with a near-bullseye landing during a vertical test flight in Hokkaido.
'The Best of Both Worlds' at 35: Why we're still assimilated by 'Star Trek''s greatest ever cliffhanger
Resistance is futile! We look back on the classic 'Trek' episode, back when the Borg were still the scariest bad guys in the galaxy.
NASA satellite sees sea ice crack apart in Canada | Space photo of the day for June 18, 2025
NASA's Terra satellite captured huge chunks of sea ice breaking apart in Canada's Amundsen Gulf.
This Australian moth may be the 1st insect ever discovered to use stars for long-distance navigation
"We know that daytime migratory insects use the sun, so testing the starry sky seemed an obvious thing to try."
'Nerds are cool' — Pixar's 'Elio' is a powerful story of finding yourself amongst the stars (interview)
We spoke to "Elio" stars Zoe Saldaña, Yonas Kibreab, and Brad Garrett, alongside co-directors Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, about finding the heart and humanity in sci-fi stories.
ESA at Le Bourget 2025 – Day Three Highlights
The European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius attended the third day of the International Paris Air Show.
Watch your favorite sci-fi shows anywhere in the world and get a free Amazon voucher ahead of Prime Day with this NordVPN deal
Get up to 76% off NordVPN and claim a free $50 Amazon Voucher ahead of Prime Day — watch season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds from anywhere.
Firefly Aerospace aims to deploy first commercial lunar imaging service
An artist’s interpretation of Firefly Aerospace’s Elytra spacecraft with the Ocula imaging service on display. Illustration: Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace is preparing for its next mission to the Moon and it hopes to, once again, make history, but this time, even before it reaches the lunar surface.
Firefly Aerospace to launch 'Ocula' moon-imaging service as early as 2026
Firefly Aerospace plans to launch a new "lunar imaging service" called Ocula, which will collect detailed imagery using a set of moon-orbiting spacecraft.
Colossal solar flare erupts from Earth-facing sunspot, sparking strong radio blackouts over Pacific Ocean (video)
The prolific flare factory doesn't look like stopping anytime soon.
Astronomers capture the most intricate picture of a galaxy in a thousand colors ever seen (photo, video)
A stunning new image of the Sculptor Galaxy, located 11 million light-years away, painted in thousands of colors by the VLT, reveals the intricacies of galactic systems.
ESA - European Commission Press Conference at Paris Air Show 2025
Video: 00:17:03
Watch the replay of the ESA-European Commission press conference with Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, and Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, held at the Paris Air Show 2025 (Le Bourget) on 18 June 2025.
Call with Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski at Paris Air Show 2025
Video: 00:12:58
Watch the replay of the call between Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, and Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, ESA project astronaut. This call took place at the Paris Air Show 2025 (Le Bourget) on 18 June. Project astronaut Uznański-Wiśniewski joined from quarantine ahead of the upcoming Ignis mission mission.
Satellite streaks: Can the huge new Vera Rubin Observatory function in the megaconstellation age?
Satellite streaks are a blight on astronomy. How much are observations by the Vera Rubin super telescope going to suffer from this contamination?
SpaceX sends 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on launch from Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 28 Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.