Space & Physics
Lunar Exploration Tech Tops NASA’s “Tipping Point” Funding List
The agency awarded a total of $44 million to multiple firms developing crucial technologies for future space exploration
Stories by Mike Wall
Natural Disasters
Space Station Crew Photographs Raging California Wildfires
The Golden State’s fiery woes are clearly visible all the way from low-Earth orbit
Space & Physics
Planet-Hunting Kepler Telescope Wakes Up, Phones Home
Nearing the end of its life, the spectacularly successful mission is still churning out new observations
Space & Physics
Signs of Life on Europa May Be Just beneath the Surface
New maps suggest evidence of alien life in the icy moon’s buried ocean could be surprisingly easy to find
Space & Physics
Watch a Baby Exoplanet Being Born
New observations reveal an infant alien world coalescing from gas and dust around a young star
Space & Physics
NASA Defers Launch of James Webb Space Telescope Again—This Time to 2021
The postponement brings the project's total estimated lifetime cost to $9.66 billion—and further delays are possible
Space & Physics
Pluto Has Dunes, but They’re Not Made of Sand
Images from NASA’s New Horizons probe reveal mysterious mounds made of frozen methane or nitrogen
Policy
New NASA Chief Jim Bridenstine Faces "Uphill Climb" after Contentious Confirmation
Partisanship and his past statements about climate change could hinder Bridenstine’s leadership of the space agency
Space & Physics
Chinese Space Station Tiangong 1 Falls to Earth
The space station disintegrated in the atmosphere over the South Pacific
Space & Physics
European Space Agency Picks Exoplanet-Studying Spacecraft for 2028 Launch
The ARIEL mission will peer into the atmospheres of thousands of exoplanets to learn more about their formation and evolution
Space & Physics
Stephen Hawking to Be Interred in Westminster Abbey
The late physicist’s ashes will share a final resting place with the remains of Newton, Darwin and other historic figures
Space & Physics
'Oumuamua, First-Known Interstellar Visitor, Likely Born from 2 Stars
The mysterious object may have formed in a binary star system, new research suggests
Space & Physics
You Are Here: Earth Shines in Image from Kepler Spacecraft
Last December, the planet-hunting mission viewed our planet from 94 million miles away
Space & Physics
Astronomers Glimpse Signposts of Universe’s First Stars
A simple signal confirms the existence of stars just 180 million years after the big bang, and reveals new hints about the nature of dark matter
Space & Physics
Superflare Wallops Nearest Exoplanet, Proxima b
Such flares dim hopes for life on the Earth-mass world
Space & Physics
Astronomers Spot Most Distant Supernova Ever Seen
Light from the powerful cosmic explosion took 10.5 billion years to reach Earth
Space & Physics
SpaceX Launches Test Satellites for Internet Constellation
The launch also marked the company’s first attempt to recover and reuse the fairing of its Falcon 9 rocket
Space & Physics
Astronomers Haul in Another Horde of Kepler Planets
Nearly 100 worlds are the latest catch from the hardy space telescope
Space & Physics
EX-PRIZE: Google's $30-Million Moon Race Ends with No Winner
After more than a decade of activity, the Google Lunar XPRIZE is concluding—but the race to the moon continues
Space & Physics
Fate of Secret "Zuma" Satellite Unknown after SpaceX Launch
Rumors swirl around whether or not a mysterious spacecraft successfully entered and began operations in low Earth orbit
