Planetary Science
NASA Unveils Ice-Hunting VIPER Rover’s Lunar Landing Site
The space agency’s first-ever robotic moon rover will touch down in late 2023 just west of Nobile, a crater near the lunar south pole
Stories by SPACE.com
Space Exploration
SpaceX’s Private Inspiration4 Crew Is Back on Earth
The crew’s splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean marks the historic mission’s end
Space Exploration
SpaceX Launches Four Civilians into Orbit on Historic Inspiration4 Flight
The crew will spend the next few days in space before returning to Earth in the fully autonomous Dragon module
Space Exploration
SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Mission Launches Today. Here’s How to Watch
The three-day orbital voyage of the all-civilian crew will be a historic milestone for human spaceflight
Astronomy
This Supernova Will Make a Ghostly Reappearance in 2037
A chance celestial alignment is allowing astronomers to witness a distant star’s explosive death, again and again
Space Exploration
Why Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin Is So Reviled
Economic inequality, an indulgent trip to space and an ongoing legal battle with NASA are putting the space company in the hot seat
Astronomy
Chinese Astronomers Eye Tibetan Plateau Site for Observatory Project
Years of weather monitoring suggest a high-altitude locale in Qinghai Province could host future telescopes
Planetary Science
NASA Probe Finds Higher Chance of Asteroid Bennu Striking Earth
Using data from the OSIRIS-REx mission, scientists calculated slightly increased (but still low) odds the space rock will collide with our planet in the 2100s
Planetary Science
Buried ‘Lakes’ on Mars May Just Be Frozen Clay
Mineral deposits, not salty water, are the most likely cause of radar reflections spotted beneath the planet’s south pole, a new study finds
Space & Physics
Jeff Bezos Launches into Space on Blue Origin’s First Astronaut Flight
The billionaire and three others take a suborbital trip onboard the craft New Shepard
Space & Physics
Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin Are Finally Flying to Space
After nearly twenty years pursuing a lifelong dream of spaceflight, the world’s wealthiest person is at last ready for lift off
Space & Physics
Virgin Galactic Launches Richard Branson to Space in First Fully Crewed Flight of VSS Unity
SpaceShipTwo make a successful, crewed suborbital test flight to 282,000 feet (86 kilometers) above Earth’s surface
Space & Physics
Life on Venus Is Impossible because of Lack of Water, Study Suggests
Otherwise clement regions of the planet’s atmosphere are still too dry to sustain life as we know it
Space & Physics
A Glitch Has Knocked the Hubble Space Telescope Offline—for Now
Although mission controllers have yet to identify the source of the problem, confidence is high the iconic observatory will soon return to normal operations
Space & Physics
China Launches Astronauts to New Space Station
The nation’s first crewed liftoff in nearly five years is the third of 11 planned launches to complete the station’s construction
Space Exploration
Venus Wins Stunning Third New Mission, This Time from Europe
EnVision will follow NASA’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS
Space & Physics
Ganymede Looks Glorious in New Images from NASA’s Juno Mission
The spacecraft captured the first close-up views of the solar system’s largest moon in more than 20 years
Space & Physics
Jeff Bezos Will Go to Space on Blue Origin’s First Crewed Flight
The multibillionaire—along with his brother and at least one other passenger—could reach suborbital heights as soon as July 20
Space & Physics
NASA’s Juno Set for Close Encounter with Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede
The flyby will be the closest a spacecraft has come to the gas giant’s largest moon in 20 years
Space & Physics
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is Delayed—Again
A Halloween launch for the space agency’s long-awaited flagship observatory is all but certain to slip into mid-November or later
