Field: Aerospace
Chunks of Venus’ crust float like icebergs on its mantle
New evidence of tectonic activity on Venus expands our understanding of the hellish planet and offers a window into Earth’s own geological past.
You can now buy a balloon ride to the edge of space
Space tourism company Space Perspective has begun selling tickets for rides in a stratospheric balloon that can reach the edge of space.
See the first 3D map of the heliosphere
Astronomers have created the first ever 3D map of the heliosphere, using satellite data to reveal the part of the universe influenced by our sun’s solar wind.
New Chinese space station receives first astronauts
The new Chinese space station has received its first crew, a huge milestone for a project that began nearly 30 years ago.
Major airlines preorder hundreds of flying taxis
Several major airlines have preordered Vertical Aerospace’s in-development flying taxis, suggesting the industry views eVTOLs as the future of urban mobility.
Ion propulsion will power new space station
China's new space station will get a boost from an ion propulsion system, making it the first crewed spacecraft to feature the sci-fi-sounding engines.
NASA probe snaps stunning photos of Ganymede
NASA has shared new photos of Ganymede taken by the Juno probe when it was just 645 miles away from Jupiter’s icy moon.
Japan’s transforming moon rover gets help from toy company
Japan is sending a transforming moon rover to the lunar surface in 2022 to collect data that will inform an upcoming crewed mission.
NASA announces first missions to Venus since the '80s
NASA has just approved two missions to Venus that will provide the scientific community with a wealth of new data on Earth’s closest planetary neighbor.
United will buy 15 supersonic jets
United Airlines has agreed to buy 15 supersonic jets from Boom Supersonic, with plans to begin commercial flights before the end of the decade.
Colorful clouds on Mars captured in new rover pics
NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured images of colorful clouds on Mars, forming at higher altitudes and earlier in the Martian year than expected.
Fridge for astronaut food aces first flight tests
Purdue University engineers have designed a fridge for astronaut food that could double its shelf life, potentially overcoming a barrier to longer missions.
Discovery Channel is looking for wannabe astronauts
The winner of Discovery Channel’s new astronaut competition series, “Who Wants To Be an Astronaut?” will spend eight days aboard the ISS.
China’s Mars rover nails landing
China’s Mars rover, Zhurong, has landed on the Red Planet, making China only the second nation to successfully land a rover on Mars.
Volcanoes on Mars might still be active
New evidence suggests that volcanoes on Mars may have erupted just 50,000 years ago, far more recently than previously thought.
Why this scientist wants to grow fish on the moon
Researchers are finding out how to send fish eggs to the moon so that one day we will be able to farm fish on the lunar surface.
Starship nails landing for the first time
SpaceX’s fifth high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype ended with a successful landing — a first for the massive Mars-bound rocket.
NASA plans to send probe deep into interstellar space
An in-development Interstellar Probe could explore an area 10 times farther away than any craft before it, providing an unprecedented look at interstellar space.
Smart shirt monitored astronauts’ health in space
A sensor-packed smart shirt has been used to monitor astronauts’ health in space, with promising results.
Is NASA ready for an asteroid impact?
NASA is staging a week-long asteroid impact simulation during which participants will need to respond to a hypothetical impact scenario.
Chinese Space Station is ready for launch — in pieces
Construction is finally beginning on the Chinese Space Station, with its core module — Tianhe — expected to lift off in April 2021.
Astronauts take historic ride in used Dragon capsule
Four astronauts are en route to the International Space Station via a recycled SpaceX rocket and Dragon capsule — a first in spaceflight.
Airbus will test laser communication tech for inflight WiFi
Airbus is developing a laser communication system to increase the security of military operations and bring faster inflight Wi-Fi to passenger planes.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter just flew on Mars
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has made history on Mars, achieving the first controlled flight on another planet.
This startup’s goal is to be the “Henry Ford of space”
The startup Phantom Space is using other manufacturers’ parts to build its rockets, rather than developing them in-house like most space companies.
Can Hall thruster tech cut the cost of space exploration?
The spacecraft NASA is sending to study the Psyche asteroid will be powered by Hall thruster technology — marking its first use for deep space exploration.
Will the next space station be made of fabric?
NASA is considering an inflatable space habitat designed by Sierra Nevada Corporation as a potential space station of the future.
This “hamster ball” robot could explore lunar caves
The spherical Daedalus robot may explore lunar caves during future ESA moon missions, looking for places that could potentially host human settlements.
Space bacteria could help astronauts grow plants on Mars
A brand new species of bacteria has been discovered on the International Space Station — and it could one day help astronauts grow plants on Mars.
Jets powered by food waste could take off soon
Scientists have devised a method for converting food scraps, animal manure, and used food oil into a type of paraffin that works as jet fuel in jet engines.
The golden box that could create oxygen on Mars
MOXIE, an instrument designed to create oxygen on Mars from carbon dioxide, is now ready for testing on the Red Planet.
Russia and China plan to put humans on lunar space station
Russia and China have agreed to collaborate on a lunar space station where humans might one day live and work.
SpaceX Starship SN10 lands successfully — then blows up
SpaceX Starship SN10 successfully landed after a high-altitude test launch — a first for one of the massive rockets — but it blew up a few minutes later.
Solar probe snaps surprising photo of the surface of Venus
The Parker Solar Probe has taken an image of the surface of Venus that may change what we thought we knew about the planet — or possibly the probe itself.
Cancer survivor joins first all-citizen private spaceflight
The crew aboard the first all-citizen private spaceflight, Inspiration4, includes a billionaire, a childhood cancer survivor, and maybe you.
NASA’s Mars helicopter phoned home. Here’s what’s next.
NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity has survived the journey to the Red Planet. Here’s what’s next for the first-of-its-kind aircraft.
Light-driven levitation could lift probes to the edge of space
A new light-driven levitation technique can lift objects large enough to carry sensors to the understudied mesosphere near the edge of space.
Perseverance’s Mars landing was a success
NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully executed its Mars landing, ending a seven-month journey — and kicking off an epic exploration mission.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover is mic’d up
Two microphones on the Mars rover, Perseverance, are designed to record audio during its EDL sequence and subsequent mission.
Two new Mars missions just reached the Red Planet
Two of the three Mars missions expected to reach the Red Planet in February 2021 have successfully completed the journey.
Nuclear fusion inspires new rocket thruster design
A new rocket thruster design that uses magnetic fields could lead to far faster space travel — the kind that could let us explore places beyond Mars.
Biofuel rocket launch is a first in aerospace
Startup bluShift has successfully launched a biofuel rocket, proving that biofuels could be the future of more sustainable spaceflight.
Tiny satellite uses Earth’s magnetic field to generate thrust
Students are sending a CubeSat to space. The nanosatellite will test a propulsion method that uses Earth's magnetic field to maintain low earth orbit.
This spider-like moon rover will explore lunar lava tubes
A spider-like moon rover heading to the lunar surface in 2021 is designed to explore the underground lava tubes in which astronauts might one day live.
The most anticipated space missions of 2021
The list of 2021's most exciting space missions includes several Mars orbiters, a couple of moon shots, and the launch of an asteroid-deflecting spacecraft.
NASA's next-gen spacesuit
NASA is developing a next-generation spacesuit called the xEMU for upcoming missions to the moon and, eventually, crewed trips to Mars.
ESA is building its first reusable spaceplane
ESA is officially building Space Rider, a spaceplane designed to give scientists cheaper access to microgravity for their experiments.
5 awesome space exploration achievements of 2020
2020 was a big year for space news. Here are five achievements in space exploration that were particularly awesome.
NASA scientists want to send this robot dog to Mars
A modified version of Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot could be the ideal Mars rover for exploring caves and other underground structures.
Electric planes will bring cheaper flights and less CO2
Electric aviation would mean less CO2 emissions and cheaper airfare — but batteries still aren't powerful enough to compete with fuel-filled commercial jets.
An AI co-pilots a military jet for the first time
On December 16, 2020, the Air Force flew an AI co-pilot on a U-2 spy plane. This is the first time that the Air Force completed a military flight with AI.
SpaceX’s Starship exploded, but the flight was a success
During a test flight, a SpaceX Starship rocket prototype soared to a record height of eight miles, completed a successful “belly flop” — and then crashed.
Can Japan’s asteroid samples show us how life began?
JAXA’s Hayabusa2 has successfully returned asteroid samples to Earth. Its next mission? Gather information that could help prevent an asteroid impact.
Reusable rockets: Making space more affordable
Reusable rockets, like those developed by SpaceX, are ushering in a new, cheaper era in space exploration
NASA confirms existence of water on the moon
A study confirmed the existence of water on the moon the same day another provided evidence that the lunar surface could be rife with water reserves.
Why NASA just landed a spacecraft on the asteroid Bennu
NASA has collected samples from the asteroid Bennu that could yield insights into everything from the origin of life to avoiding an asteroid impact on Earth.
Nokia is building a 4G network on the moon
As part of NASA's "Tipping Point" program, Nokia will establish a 4G network on the moon to help astronauts communicate with each other and Earth.
Supersonic travel went stale. Can Boom bring it back with new commercial jet?
The startup aims to make supersonic travel available to the public within a decade.
Fresh ice spotted in unexpected part of Saturn's moon Enceladus
Saturn’s moon Enceladus is already suspected of hosting extraterrestrial life, and new Cassini data suggests where that life might exist.
Astronauts lose muscle in space. These mice could hold the solution
Without gravity, astronauts experience muscle and bone loss, limiting mission time. Mice that gain mass in orbit may hold the key to preventing that loss.
New route makes a journey to the moon faster, cheaper
To make a journey to the moon faster, the NASA scientists behind an upcoming moon mission designed a brand new route for their spacecraft to take.
Hackers build a DIY satellite tracker to eavesdrop on space
The NyanSat guided challenge asks hackers to build a satellite tracker, making low-earth-orbit satellites more accessible.
Scientists find a new way to detect space junk orbiting Earth
A new technique for tracking space junk with lasers works during daylight hours — making previously “invisible” space debris visible.
DEF CON hackers compete to hijack a satellite in orbit
DEF CON’s Space Security Challenge 2020 tasked teams with hacking satellites. The grand prize? Nothing less than the moon.
A sunblock to save Martian explorers from radiation in space
Radiation in space is a major threat to astronauts’ health, but a new biomaterial could make space exploration a little less dangerous by blocking x-rays.
See prototype of Mars-bound Starship take its first “hop”
The first Starship test flight was a success, with the massive SpaceX rocket lifting off from a base in Texas and landing less than a minute later.
Tracking the Crew Dragon: Return to Earth
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with two astronauts onboard has returned to Earth from the International Space Station, marking a milestone in spaceflight.
How to watch the Mars 2020 rover launch
NASA plans to launch its Mars 2020 rover on July 30. Here’s what you need to know about the agency’s latest Mars mission.
Meet NASA's autonomous vehicle — for Mars
When Perseverance lands on Mars, it will hopefully drive further faster than any rover before. NASA’s autonomous vehicle’s secret? A dedicated “pilot.”
What a simulated Mars mission can teach you about life
After a simulated Mars mission, researchers come home with lessons we can all live by.
China Mars mission joins Emirates, with U.S. to follow
With each new Mars mission, the red planet renaissance heats up this July. China and newcomer the UAE are off-world, and NASA’s on deck.
VR experience aims to change people’s perspective of Earth
SpaceVR is trying to recreate the mind-altering “overview effect” experienced by astronauts using a float tank and VR headset.
NASA’s plans for space tourism are becoming a reality
NASA’s space tourism plans, which include hosting private citizens on the International Space Station, are starting to come to fruition.
Starlink internet to begin beta testing
SpaceX’s Starlink internet project promises to use satellites to improve internet access. Beta testers will get the chance to try it later this summer.
The first person to reach space and Challenger Deep
Astronaut Kathy Sullivan has visited the Challenger Deep, making her the first human to reach both space and the bottom of the ocean.
Space architects are building a home to live on the moon
The space architects of Saga have developed a habitat for people on the moon. Now they want to put it to the test in the endless arctic sun of Greenland.
Tracking the Crew Dragon: Docking with the ISS
On May 31, a SpaceX Crew Dragon with two astronauts onboard docked with the International Space Station, marking a milestone in spaceflight.
Tracking the Crew Dragon: Liftoff
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon had a successful liftoff from Cape Canaveral on May 30, marking the beginning of the historic Demo-2 mission.
What to know for today’s SpaceX launch (updated)
What you need to know about the SpaceX launch happening on May 27, a historic event that will mark a turning point in human space exploration.
“Crew Dragon” launch to kick off new era in US spaceflight
On May 27, a SpaceX Crew Dragon will ferry two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Crew Program.
Space plane experiment could lead to 24/7 solar power
The next time the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane launches, it’ll be carrying an experimental solar panel that could revolutionize clean energy.
Want to visit the moon? NASA is accepting astronaut applications
NASA has announced plans to begin accepting applications for its next class of Astronaut Candidates, some of whom may go on to visit the moon or even Mars.
Closer to the Sun: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
NASA is getting closer to the sun than ever before with the Parker Solar Probe, leaving researchers excited and bewildered by the data they saw.
Series|
Through the Looking Glass
AR in use: NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan
With a keen curiosity to learn more about how life formed on Earth, NASA has plans to send a spacecraft called the Dragonfly to Saturn’s largest moon, and they’re using augmented reality to make it happen.
The construction robots building space colonies
Sending construction robots into outer space will help pave the way for human exploration, but there are some real challenges that lie ahead.
How NASA’s space food lab will feed the farthest journey in history
These food scientists are making it possible for us to explore space in ways we haven’t yet as a species.
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The New Space Race
Four flights a day. five days a week.
At XCOR, the dream of taking regular commercial flights to space is alive and well.