SpaceX’s Starship and NASA’s SLS Could Supercharge Space Science
Scientists are beginning to dream of how a new generation of super-heavy-lift rockets might enable revolutionary space telescopes and bigger, bolder interplanetary missions
Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Soars on 22nd Red Planet Flight
The aircraft’s sorties are helping NASA’s Perseverance rover scout a path into an ancient Martian river delta
Russia’s War in Ukraine Threatens Joint Missions to Mars, Venus and the Moon
Interplanetary voyages are among several space science collaborations delayed or doomed by the ongoing conflict
The First Rocket Launch from Mars Will Start in Midair
NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle will attempt a wildly unconventional liftoff to bring Red Planet samples back to Earth
NASA Eyes Electric Car Tech for Future Moon Rovers
Space agencies are partnering with car manufacturers to custom build new rovers—or retrofit commercial vehicles—for future missions to the moon and Mars
What We Learned from the Perseverance Rover’s First Year on Mars
Despite some unexpected challenges, team members are setting lofty goals for the rover in 2022
NASA’s ‘Nuclear Option’ May Be Crucial for Getting Humans to Mars
After decades of false starts, a new push for nuclear-powered rocketry could make or break the space agency’s plans to send astronauts to the Red Planet
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Chokes on Mars Pebbles while Collecting a Rock Sample
The rover’s latest sample collection—an effort to gather material for eventual return to Earth—is off to a rocky start
Life Is Complicated—Literally, Astrobiologists Say
A new theory suggests that searches for molecular complexity could uncover convincing evidence of extraterrestrial life—and do so soon
How Scientists Could Tell the World if They Find Alien Life
Sparked by major advances in their field, astrobiologists are grappling with how best to discuss possible breakthrough discoveries with the public
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Signs of Epic Ancient Floods on Mars
New results from the mission reveal that its landing site of Jezero Crater has a surprisingly dynamic and complex hydrologic history
Mars on the Cheap: Scientists Are Working to Revolutionize Access to the Red Planet
The concepts include souped-up Mars helicopters and inexpensive orbiters and landers