A new agreement between multiple U.S. government agencies aims to improve space weather forecasts and the government's ability to mitigate the effects of solar storms on critical infrastructure.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
'What is that material?': Potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu stumps scientists with its odd makeup
Scientists found signs of organic molecules in the first samples of potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu, as well as a 'head scratching' material that has yet to be identified.
Weather in the Solar System Can Teach Us About Weather on Exoplanets
The way astronomers study planets in our own solar system is surprisingly similar to the way they study exoplanets, despite the latter being orders of magnitude more distant. The key is spectroscopy – examining the wavelengths of light that reach a telescope from a planet’s atmosphere. Different molecules allow different wavelengths to pass through, creating unique patterns in the spectrum and giving scientists clues about the composition of an atmosphere.
NASA reveals what 2 tomatoes look like after being lost in space for 8 months (video)
NASA showed off two lost tomatoes that astronaut Frank Rubio misplaced nearly a year ago, on the International Space Station. The photo shows remarkable preservation in space.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield would love to fly SpaceX's Starship around the moon (exclusive)
Astronaut Chris Hadfield, former commander of the International Space Station, spoke with Space.com about SpaceX Starship, Starfield and how much Canada's astronaut program has grown in 2023.
Saturn V moon rocket art revealed for 2024 American Innovation $1 coin
The United States Mint is getting ready to put a rocket in your pocket. Alabama chose NASA's historic Saturn V to appear on a $1 coin as its example of American Innovation.
Measuring how space creates jobs and prosperity on Earth
Space is becoming ever more important to life on Earth – from managing climate change to responding to emergencies to digitalising the economy. To help policymakers and businesses take informed decisions about investing in space, ESA has today published plans to create robust and reliable data on the space economy, in collaboration with international partners.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 15 – 24
The waxing Moon passes Saturn, jumps over Jupiter, then jumps the Pleiades. Sirius and Procyon rise earlier, but the Summer Triangle still hangs on.
Earth from Space: Icy landscape
Image: As the holiday season swiftly approaches, frosty landscapes tend to be associated with the magical idea of a white Christmas. But this Copernicus Sentinel-3 image over the Antarctica Peninsula sheds light on a different perspective.
Trying to Communicate with Whales is Like Talking to Extraterrestrials
Communicating between species isn’t something that only has to take place between space-faring civilizations. There are plenty of species here on our home planet that communicate using a variety of sights, sounds, and smells. We’re only starting to unlock the secrets of how to understand and respond to these types of foreign languages. Researchers at the SETI Institute think that doing so might be a good test for whether we’ll be able to communicate with extraterrestrials if we ever get the chance to.
A Tiny Telescope is Revealing “Hot Jupiter” Secrets
A recent study presented this week at the 2023 meeting of the American Geophysical Union discusses observations of “hot Jupiters” from the NASA-funded CubeSat mission known as the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE). Unlike most exoplanet-hunting telescopes, whose sizes are comparable to a small school bus, CUTE measures 36 centimeters (14 inches) in length, equivalent to the size of a cereal box. These findings come after members of the team, which consists of undergraduate and graduate students, published an overview paper about CUTE in The Astronomical Journal in January 2023 and results from CUTE observing WASP-189b in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in August 2023.
SpaceX to launch 1st batch of 'direct to cell' Starlink satellites early Dec. 15
SpaceX plans to launch 21 more of its Starlink internet satellites, including the first six 'direct to cell' craft, early Friday morning (Dec. 15), and you can watch the action live.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch first Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability
A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to support the Starlink 7-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission also includes the first six satellites that will be used for the company’s direct-to-cell service. Image: SpaceX
Update 1:13 a.m. EST: SpaceX delayed the launch until Friday night at 9:19 p.m. PST (12:19 a.m. EST, 0519 UTC).
Rocket Lab successfully completes return-to-flight Electron launch
Update 12:05 a.m. EST: Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully deployed the Tsukuyomi-1 satellite.
Voyager 1 Has Another Problem With its Computer System
For more than 46 years, the Voyager 1 probe has been traveling through space. On August 25th, 2012, it became the first spacecraft to cross the heliopause and enter interstellar space. Since then, mission controllers have maintained contact with the probe as part of an extended mission, which will last until the probe’s radioisotopic thermoelectric generators (RTGs) finally run out. Unfortunately, the Voyager 1 probe has been showing its age and signs of wear and tear, which is unavoidable when you’re the farthest spacecraft from Earth.
See the Geminid meteor shower 2023 light up the sky in these amazing photos
The Geminid meteor shower, one of the best of the year, put on a brilliant show Dec. 13 amid a near-moonless sky. More shooting stars are expected tonight.
Sun unleashes monster X-class solar flare, most powerful since 2017 (video)
The sun unleashed an X2.8 solar flare today (Dec. 14), its most powerful such eruption since September 2017.
Aurora-like 'Steve' phenomenon and glowing 'picket fences' point to unknown exotic physics
A recent study suggests the aurora-like STEVE and "picket fence" phenomena are generated by low-altitude electric fields parallel to Earth's magnetic field.
Tiny 14-inch satellite studies 'hot Jupiter' exoplanets evaporating into space
Hot Jupiters are gas giants so close to their star that the star's heat and radiation can blow the planets' atmosphere away.
FAA's launch mishap investigations need a rethink, government report finds
The Federal Aviation Administration should evaluate and improve the way it investigates space launch mishaps, according to a new report.
