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 Exploration1389 articles archived since 1845
Space Exploration
SpaceX’s Starship Could Rocket-Boost Research in Space
The platform could aid climate science, space junk cleanup and planetary exploration
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
Space Exploration
China Wants to Build a Mega Spaceship That’s Nearly a Mile Long
A proposal plans to study how to build a giant spacecraft
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
Space Exploration
NASA Just Broke the ‘Venus Curse’: Here’s What It Took
Despite the best efforts of scientists eager to study Earth’s sister world, U.S. efforts to send a dedicated spacecraft to Venus languished—until NASA made a surprising announcement...
Planetary Science
Crumbly Mars Rock, Not Hardware Flaws, Scuttled Perseverance’s First Sample Attempt
After an alarming failure, the rover is set to continue its mission to retrieve specimens for eventual return to Earth
Space Exploration
The Ethics of Sending Humans to Mars
We need to avoid the mistakes European countries made during the age of colonization
Space Exploration
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Foiled in First Attempt to Grab Rock for Return to Earth
Seeking to collect its inaugural core sample, the mission hopes to begin what could be humanity’s boldest search for extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial Life
Future Space Travel Might Require Mushrooms
Mycologist Paul Stamets discusses the potential extraterrestrial uses of fungi, including terraforming planets, building human habitats—and providing psilocybin therapy to astronauts...
Space Exploration
Can the U.S. and China Cooperate in Space?
China’s meteoric rise in space science and exploration—along with its new partnership with Russia—is spurring U.S. experts to reconsider a long-standing prohibition on bilateral collaborations...
Space Exploration
China’s Space Station Is Preparing to Host 1,000 Science Experiments
The spaceborne studies will cover diverse topics, from dark matter and gravitational waves to the growth of cancer and pathogenic bacteria
Space Exploration
InSight Lander Makes Best-Yet Maps of Martian Depths
The NASA mission used seismic waves from marsquakes to perform a core-to-crust survey of the planet’s subsurface
Space Exploration
Venus Wins Stunning Third New Mission, This Time from Europe
EnVision will follow NASA’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS
Space Exploration
NASA Picks Two Missions to Explore Venus, the First in Decades
The space agency’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions could boost planetary science when they launch later this decade
Space Exploration
First in Flight: NASA Just Proved Flying on Mars Is Possible—Next Up Is the Solar System
With Ingenuity’s five successful flights on the Red Planet, aviation may find unexpected footing in the future of space exploration
Space Exploration
Perseverance Has Landed! Mars Rover Begins a New Era of Exploration
NASA’s latest mission to the Red Planet will seek out signs of ancient life, gather samples for return to Earth and even fly a first-of-its-kind interplanetary helicopter
Space Exploration
Want to Talk to Aliens? Try Changing the Technological Channel beyond Radio
Finding cosmic civilizations might require a more innovative approach than listening for radio transmissions
Space Exploration
Alone in a Crowded Milky Way
Even a galaxy teeming with star-hopping alien civilizations should still harbor isolated, unvisited worlds—and Earth might be among them
