Space exploration, scientific discoveries, astronomy, and physics.
145 articles
NASA's Artemis program may be adopting a new upper stage for its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, potentially utilizing the commercially available Centaur V. An updated infographic reveals design changes and hints at evolving mission strategies, including advanced lunar lander operations.
SpaceX eyes March for Starship V3's maiden flight as new testing reveals design improvements. Meanwhile, NASA's Artemis program faces delays and strategic shifts, with Artemis III repurposed as a LEO test mission.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun its 10-year sky survey, promising to generate millions of astronomical alerts nightly. Meanwhile, new Webb images reveal Uranus in unprecedented detail, and the Artemis program faces timeline adjustments.
A devastating software error, involving a mismatch in coordinate systems, caused the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft to point its solar arrays away from the Sun, leading to a power failure and mission loss shortly after its February 2025 launch. The anomaly review report highlighted a critical oversight in ground testing.
NASA has announced a significant redesign of its Artemis lunar program, prioritizing faster mission cadences and altering the objectives of early flights. Artemis 3 will become a low Earth orbit test mission, while future lunar landings are pushed to later dates. This strategic shift aims to increase launch frequency and cost-effectiveness.
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected an ancient galaxy, JADES-GS-z13-0, existing just 320 million years after the Big Bang. Its surprising maturity challenges current theories about the rapid formation of early galaxies.
Voyager probes continue their interstellar journey, while the concept of Dyson spheres evolves into a gradual, satellite-based energy harvesting strategy. The Extremely Large Telescope promises groundbreaking discoveries, and the challenges of lunar missions are being addressed through robotic precursors. Life aboard the ISS reveals the unromantic realities of maintaining a space habitat.
New research suggests Uranus's interior might be rockier than previously thought, challenging the 'ice giant' classification. Advancements in telescopic observations are also revealing a more dynamic atmosphere and complex magnetosphere, prompting renewed interest in a return mission.
A sophisticated attack targeting a critical software dependency narrowly avoided a global internet collapse. The incident highlights the vulnerabilities within the open-source ecosystem and the crucial role of its volunteer maintainers.
Proposed budget cuts by the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council threaten to reduce funding for astrophysics, particle physics, and nuclear physics by up to 60%. This could cripple research and future opportunities for scientists.
