Spacecraft

WarfareSeptember 29, 2026

The next era of space warfare is upon us

Elusive, satellite-stalking spacecraft could unleash space war—or help keep orbital peace

Mary Randolph

Boeing’s Starliner approaching the International Space Station as it flies 268 miles above the South Pacific, which is seen in the background.

Space & PhysicsSeptember 28, 2026

NASA announces plans to revive Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft

Starliner hasn’t flown since its failed 2024 mission left two astronauts onboard the International Space Station for 286 days

Adam Kovac

New Issue: Science’s Impossible Questions. Read Now

Starship launches on its 14th test flight.

SpacecraftSeptember 28, 2026

SpaceX’s Starship lifts off in make-or-break orbital test flight

The world’s largest rocket successfully entered orbit for the first time—a milestone for SpaceX and a relief for future NASA moon missions

Lee Billings

An illustration of the Voyager spacecraft leaving the solar system. The spacecraft is in silhouette with the light from the distant sun shining through.

The UniverseSeptember 25, 2026

What’s the point of the interstellar Fermi Explorer mission?

Fermi Explorer, a proposed low-cost private mission to Alpha Centauri, seeks to address a question that’s already been answered

Phil Plait

Two bunnysuited engineers stand facing away from the camera in a large clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, gazing at flight hardware for the space agency's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

Space ExplorationSeptember 22, 2026

After brutal cuts, can this NASA center still build multibillion-dollar space telescopes?

2025 was a brutal year of budget cuts and workforce attrition at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the home base for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Experts worry Goddard—and NASA’s space science—may never recover

Eric Niiler

WarfareSeptember 15, 2026

It’s official: The U.S. has weapons in space

A high-ranking official announced yesterday that the U.S. military has deployed weapons into orbit to counter threats from Russia and China

Mary Randolph

A space telescope soars over the day- and night-sides of Earth.

The UniverseSeptember 11, 2026

A mighty space telescope is dying. Here’s why it mattered

NASA’s formidable gamma-ray burst hunter is doomed to soon reenter Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a glaring gap in our view of the high-energy sky

Phil Plait

A rocket soars into space, leaving an arc of light in the dark sky.

Space ExplorationSeptember 7, 2026

How many spaceports does the U.S. need?

A new executive order calls for more than 1,000 U.S. rocket launches per year by the end of the decade. Rethinking the nation’s spaceports will be key

Elizabeth Howell

Artist’s impression showing the Mercury Transfer Module separate from the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) composite spacecraft.

SpacecraftSeptember 3, 2026

After 8 years in space, the spacecraft BepiColombo is finally nearing Mercury

In a critical maneuver on Thursday, the mission successfully deployed its two science orbiters—beginning the final phases of its arrival at Mercury

Adam Kovac

A view of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope drifting away from the upper stage of its rocket to fly freely in space.

AstronomyAugust 31, 2026

What’s next for NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope?

After a flawless launch, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is on a mission to solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries

Lee Billings

A large rocket fairing containing NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope rests on a platform tugged by a truck as it approaches integration with its rocket for launch.

AstronomyAugust 28, 2026

Ten cosmic discoveries we’ll get from NASA’s Roman Space Telescope

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will open a whole new window on the cosmos. Here are 10 things it’s likely to show us

Joseph Howlett

A space telescope drifts in space with an alien planetary system in the background.

The UniverseAugust 28, 2026

To see exoplanets, NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will throw shade on stars

NASA’s newest major observatory will include the most advanced planet-imaging tech ever flown in space. Here’s how it works

Phil Plait