NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is preparing for a close encounter with a small asteroid this weekend as it continues its long journey toward the distant Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on an ambitious mission to explore 11 different asteroids, aiming to offer new insights into the early solar system and the remnants…
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch a specialized space telescope designed to track near-Earth objects (NEOs). The agency announced on February 21 that it had awarded a task order under the NASA Launch Services II contract, assigning the Falcon 9 rocket for the launch of the Near Earth Orbit (NEO) Surveyor mission. The contract is…
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams remain aboard the International Space Station’s Harmony module as NASA adjusts its plans for an upcoming crew rotation. On Tuesday, the agency announced a change in the spacecraft assigned to its Crew-10 mission, opting to use a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule rather than a newly built…
A recent study has revealed that the pace of ocean warming has surged dramatically, now more than four times faster than it was four decades ago. This alarming trend explains why sea temperatures reached unprecedented levels throughout 2023 and into early 2024. Published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the study indicates that ocean temperatures…
Astronomers have detected supersonic winds on a massive gas planet over 500 light-years away from Earth. According to a study published Tuesday in Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers have been monitoring the planet’s weather since 2016 and revealed that its jetstream winds are the fastest ever recorded circling a planet. “This is an entirely new phenomenon,”…
A massive jet of material shooting out from a black hole located 12 million light-years away has encountered an enigmatic obstacle in space, leaving astronomers intrigued about its nature. This phenomenon was captured in an ultra-deep X-ray image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the most detailed X-ray image ever recorded of the Centaurus A galaxy.…
Firefly Aerospace, a US-based aerospace company, has announced that its Moon lander is ready for transport to the launch site. Known as the Blue Ghost lunar lander, this spacecraft was developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. It will soon be shipped from Firefly’s Texas facility to Cape Canaveral in Florida,…
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has once again taken command of the International Space Station (ISS), marking her second tenure as the leader of the orbiting laboratory. Williams, known for her vast experience in space missions, first held the command position during Expedition 33 back in 2012. Williams, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, has been…
NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) is now accepting proposals for a fresh round of CubeSat missions. CubeSats, small spacecraft that offer a cost-effective means for various organizations to access space, are at the center of this initiative. This opportunity is particularly geared toward U.S. educational institutions, non-profits, and informal educational institutions, with a special emphasis…
SpaceX plans to use a powerful, enhanced capsule to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) once its operational life concludes. On Wednesday, NASA and Elon Musk’s company outlined their strategy to incinerate the station on reentry, with the remnants ideally falling into the ocean around early 2031, marking 32 years of service. Other options, such…