The New Space Race
Reusable rockets are real, the internet is in orbit, and we’re heading to Mars. With space manufacturing, asteroid mining, and lunar bases, the new space race has just begun, transforming life on Earth forever.
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The billionaire building space lasers to power Earth
Space startup Aetherflux has a mission straight out of sci-fi: harvest solar power in orbit and beam it down to Earth via laser.
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T-Minus: Counting down the top 10 space stories of 2024
A look back on the 10 greatest space stories of 2024, from SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” to a first-of-its-kind civilian spacewalk.
T-Minus: Kessler Syndrome
Experts answer 10 big questions about the nightmare scenario that could send us back to the pre-Space Age.
T-Minus: 10 milestones in commercial spaceflight
T-Minus looks back at 10 major milestones in the commercial space industry — including several SpaceX triumphs.
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NASA gets first images from James Webb telescope
NASA has shared the James Webb Space Telescope’s first images, and so far, it looks like the epic spacecraft is working exactly as hoped.
NASA: Lockheed Martin will build the Mars Ascent Vehicle
NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle, a first-of-its-kind rocket capable of launching from the surface of Mars, will be built by Lockheed Martin.
“Space tug” tows dead satellite into a new orbit
China has used a space tug to change the orbit of a defunct satellite, proving it’s a viable way to clean up some old space junk.
Hibernating squirrels hint at secret to surviving space travel
Astronauts lose muscle mass in space. The secret to how ground squirrels keep mass in hibernation may help future space travelers keep their own.
NASA offers $1 million prize for prototypes to grow space food
NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge will give away $1 million in exchange for prototypes that could help feed astronauts on long-term missions.
NASA plans to destroy the ISS in 2031
NASA will deorbit the International Space Station in 2031 by sending it plunging into the Pacific Ocean’s “spacecraft cemetery.”
Toyota is building a “Lunar Cruiser” for Japan
Toyota’s pressurized moon rover, the “Lunar Cruiser,” could help astronauts live on the moon — and help us combat climate change on Earth.
New space plane would fly directly into orbit from a runway
Radian Aerospace is building a first-of-its-kind space plane that flies directly into orbit after taking off horizontally from the ground.
A space film studio is launching into orbit in 2024
A new space module designed for the recording and livestreaming of movies and sporting events is expected to attach to the ISS in 2024.
Chinese lander finds first onsite evidence of water on the moon
The first onsite evidence of water on the moon suggests that subterranean lunar rock contains larger stores than can be found on the surface.
China builds “artificial moon” on Earth
China’s artificial moon, which uses magnets to mimic lunar gravity, could help with the creation of future moon colonies.
Startup will send prized artifacts to the International Space Station
Uplift Aerospace will transport valuable goods to the ISS and house them in their Constellation Vault starting this year.
Astronomers have found the biggest group of rogue planets yet
Using ground telescopes and satellite observations taken over decades, researchers have identified the largest number of wandering rogue planets yet.
SpaceX’s Starship is ready for its first trip into space
SpaceX’s Mars-bound Starship — the largest spacecraft ever built — is expected to undergo its first orbital test flight in March 2022.
MIT is testing a levitating space rover
MIT engineers have designed a levitating space rover that could allow us to explore parts of the moon that are too rough for rolling rovers.
The plans to generate electricity on the moon
Scientists at TalTech are working on solar cell technology using microcrystals that are only about the size of a grain of sand — hoping to power a moonbase.
The most anticipated space missions of 2022
2022 will be a big year for space missions, with huge rocket launches, several rover rollouts, and a first-of-its-kind asteroid collision.
MIT is leading the hunt for life in Venus’ atmosphere
MIT is leading a privately-funded hunt for life in Venus’ clouds, scheduled to begin in 2023.
I wrote the book on warp drive. No, we didn’t accidentally create a warp bubble.
The same (former) NASA engineer who previously claimed to violate Newton’s laws is now claiming to have made a warp bubble. He didn’t.
No, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe didn’t “touch the Sun”
How can you “touch the Sun” if you’ve always been inside the solar corona, yet will never reach the Sun’s photosphere?
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