SpaceX is 'go' to launch its 29th cargo mission to the International Space Station on Nov. 9

SpaceX’s next robotic cargo mission to the International Space Station has been cleared for its Thursday (Nov. 9) liftoff. NASA and SpaceX teams completed a launch readiness review (LRR) on Wednesday (Nov. 8) for the CRS-29 mission, which will send a Dragon capsule to the International Space Station (ISS).  Everything went well with the review,…

James Webb Space Telescope detects clues about how Earth formed billions of years ago

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spied planet-forming disks letting off a cold “steam,” providing crucial evidence for a leading theory describing how planets are built. This excess water vapor was detected by the James Webb Space Telescope in two compact disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars that are just 2 million…

NASA's exoplanet-hunting telescope spies 8 'super-Earths'

Almost everyday, the number of confirmed exoplanet discoveries grows.  The majority of those planets, which sit just above 5,500 in total, have been identified by the Kepler space telescope. But for the last few years, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has been steadily adding new alien worlds to our growing planetary catalog of the…

Evidence of alien life may exist in the fractures of icy moons around Jupiter and Saturn

Scientists are investigating specific geological features on the largest moons of both Jupiter and Saturn that could be ideal spots for the emergence of life elsewhere in the solar system. The team, led by researchers from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, looked at what are called “strike-slip faults” on the Jovian moon, Ganymede  — …

U.S. Air Force X-37B spaceplane to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket

The seventh mission of the reusable U.S. Air Force X-37B spaceplane is scheduled to launch Dec. 7 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The post U.S. Air Force X-37B spaceplane to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket appeared first on .

Betelgeuse may be the result of a 'quiet' star merger

Betelgeuse, the second-brightest star in the familiar constellation Orion, is a strange, giant star. Recent observations have revealed that it spins much faster — and has many more heavy elements mixed within it — than typical giant stars should. Recently, a team of astronomers developed a sophisticated computer simulation to explore a radical idea: That…

India's Aditya-L1 sun probe spots 1st high-energy solar flare

India’s newly launched Aditya-L1 sun-studying mission has already captured its first glimpse of a solar flare in high-energy X-rays. On Tuesday (Nov. 7), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that Aditya-L1‘s High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) instrument had spotted the impulsive phase of a solar flare — the powerful burst of energy…

NASA powers up Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft ahead of 2024 moon mission

The next astronaut moon spacecraft felt the power this week. The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2, expected to circle the moon with four astronauts on board in 2024, successfully passed its first power-on test on Monday (Nov. 6). It will carry NASA‘s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency‘s Jeremy Hansen,…

Good news, everyone! Hulu renews 'Futurama' for 2 more seasons

“Futurama’s” season 11 finale premiered on Sept. 25 during its most recent revival at Hulu. Legions of acolytes are already anticipating 2024’s next outing, which was inked in the streaming platform’s original deal for the cult sci-fi series back in 2022. “Futurama,” which was created by “The Simpsons” veterans Matt Groening and David X. Cohen,…

Surprise! China's space station has a 3rd, mini robotic arm. Watch it in action (video)

China’s space station has a third, smaller robotic arm operating inside to assist astronauts, we now know. The Tiangong space station notably has a pair of robotic arms on its exterior. These arms — which are 33 feet (10 meters) and 16.4 feet (5 m) long, respectively, and can “crawl” on the outside of Tiangong…

Startups, universities selected for accelerator focused on space domain awareness

The Space Force’s Space Systems Command selected several startups and universities to participate in a new accelerator program focused on enhancing space domain awareness. The post Startups, universities selected for accelerator focused on space domain awareness appeared first on .

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' will get a choose-your-own-adventure graphic novel

NEW YORK — Between “Discovery,” “Lower Decks,” “Prodigy” and “Strange New Worlds,” “Star Trek” has four TV shows that are either currently airing or in production for a new season. However, the venerable franchise expands well beyond the small screen, as IDW demonstrated at New York Comic Con 2023.  The prolific publisher hosted a panel…

TikTok-viral astronaut star projector 15% off pre-Black Friday

The Aukyo astronaut star projector is a viral hit on social media, TikTok. It is also currently 15% off on Amazon ahead of Black Friday.  Grab the Aukyo astronaut star projector for just $29.74 on Amazon today.  There’s a lot to like about this star projector, not just the saving and even if you haven’t…

Space weather is a growing threat. This new NASA center aims to help protect us

Space is a dangerous place, especially when it comes to high-energy particles, and intense solar activity can pose threats to people and technology on Earth. To address the potential dangers, NASA has provided five years’ worth of funding for CLEAR, a space weather forecasting center at the University of Michigan. The sun is anything but…

Asteroids in the solar system could contain undiscovered, superheavy elements

For centuries, the quest for new elements was a driving force in many scientific disciplines. Understanding an atom’s structure and the development of nuclear science allowed scientists to accomplish the old goal of alchemists – turning one element into another. Over the past few decades, scientists in the United States, Germany and Russia have figured out how to use special tools to combine two atomic nuclei and…

DoD signs $270 million agreement to acquire SES satellite communications services

The global satellite operator SES will provide services to the U.S. Defense Department under a five-year agreement worth up to $270 million. The post DoD signs $270 million agreement to acquire SES satellite communications services appeared first on .

SpaceNews 2023 Icon Awards honorees: Unsung Hero

Since the beginning, the SpaceNews Awards have honored the well-known champions as well as the unsung heroes shaping the global space industry for the better. We endeavor to celebrate headline-grabbing breakthroughs as well as outside-the-limelight innovations.   However, it’s not just lunar landings that caught our attention in 2023. SpaceNews is delighted to reveal the…

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover celebrates 4,000 'sols' on the Red Planet

NASA’s Curiosity rover is doing well after fighting dust, wind and age for 4,000 Red Planet days. Curiosity recently passed 4,000 “sols,” or Red Planet days, on Mars since landing on Aug. 5, 2012. (One sol is slightly longer than an Earth day — about 24 hours and 40 minutes.) The rover is a key…

Where is the best place to see the April 2024 total solar eclipse?

Witnessing a total solar eclipse is a rare opportunity — after next year’s event, on April 8, 2024, the next chance to see a total solar eclipse in North America won’t occur for more than 20 years. Naturally, being in the right place at the right time is crucial.  So where’s the best place to…

Black Friday space gift ideas: Telescope deals, binocular discounts, camera deals and more

Black Friday deals: Editor’s pick 1. The list in brief ↴ 2. Best telescope deal 3. Best beginner telescope deal 4. Best binocular deal 5. Best star projector deal 6. Best camera deal 7. Best drone deal 8. Best Lego deal 9. Best lightsaber deal 10. Best Streaming deal 11. Black Friday FAQ 12. How we…