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January 2021

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216 articles

January 31
- Roscosmos selects four new candidates, all men, to begin cosmonaut training
- The Valoria 1 crew is fighting to survive the night — Commander's report: sol 8
- Neutrons' 'evil twins' may be crushing stars into black holes
- Aliens could be sucking energy from black holes. That may be how we'll find them.
January 30
- Earth is about to lose its second moon, forever
- US Space Force announces its rank system
- Virtual reality and creativity help the crew escape their Martian confinement — Commander's report: sol 5
January 29
- NASA to conduct 2nd 'hot fire' test with SLS megarocket in February
- SpaceX has two Starship prototypes on the pad at the same time
- 'Apollo 11: Quarantine' short documentary lands in IMAX theaters
- 'Galaxy Quest 2' is 'a fabulous script' according to Tim Allen
- SpaceX now targeting Monday for Starship SN9 test flight
- High schoolers help discover 4 new alien planets
- Doomsday Clock stands at 100 seconds to midnight
- Scientists solve a major climate mystery, confirming Earth is hotter than it's been in at least 120 centuries
- Earth's outer shell ballooned during massive growth spurt 3 billion years ago
- We may have found the most powerful particle accelerator in the galaxy
- The UAE's Hope mission is nearly to Mars, and scientists can't wait
January 28
- 'The Expanse' dials the drama up to 11 in season 5, episode 4
- A string of planets in our solar system sparkles in photos from 3 different sun probes
- Mysterious 'kick' just after the Big Bang may have created dark matter
- US Mint marks 35 years since Challenger with 'Teacher in Space' coin
- US planetary radar may get a boost from Green Bank Observatory
- Sirius XM's newest satellite, SXM-7, has failed in orbit
- NASA's Mars rover Perseverance is in the home stretch of its journey to Red Planet
- The lessons learned from the fatal Challenger shuttle disaster echo at NASA 35 years on
- Extreme black holes probably have 'hair'
January 27
- Hot Wheels Perseverance lands in stores ahead of rover on Mars
- Spacewalking astronauts tackle European lab upgrade at space station
- The full moon may influence sleep and menstrual cycles, scientists say
- First look: EXO-6 is beaming up a hyper-detailed First Contact Data figure from 'Star Trek: TNG'
- Astrophysicist Joe Pesce is back — This time, on video!
- Prebiotic ingredients for life found around young star
- Eragon's Christopher Paolini enters the Fractalverse for his first sci-fi novel, 'To Sleep in a Sea Of Stars'
- Exclusive: 'Resident Alien' showrunner Chris Sheridan talks adapting comic books to the small screen
- 'Resident Alien' on Syfy reinvents the classic 'alien-crash-lands-on Earth'-tale
- China is planning to launch at least 3 rockets from the sea this year
- NASA probe leaving asteroid Bennu in May to deliver samples to Earth
- NASA finds 'Lost Galaxy' shining out of Virgo's bosom
- Astronauts are taking a spacewalk today to upgrade a space station science module. Watch it live!
January 26
- SpaceX targeting Wednesday for Starship SN9 test flight
- 'Elves' and 'blue jet' lightning in Earth's stratosphere spotted from space
- 'Sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system' discovered whirling through the Milky Way
- 'Resident Alien' launches from comics to Syfy this week
- Axiom Space names first private crew to launch to space station
- Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine joins Acorn private equity firm
- Boeing targets a March 25 launch for next Starliner test flight for NASA
- New crew arrives in Hawaii for mock Mars mission — Commander's report: sol 2
- In photos: SpaceX's leaning Crew-1 Falcon 9 booster returns to port
January 25
- 'Blade Runner: 2029' exclusive: Ash returns to the rain-soaked streets of future Los Angeles
- Scientists spot 6 alien worlds orbiting a star in strange — but precise — harmony
- E.T. signal from Proxima Centauri? A conversation with Breakthrough Initiatives' Pete Worden
- Galaxies eject gas when they merge, preventing new stars forming – new research
- Preliminary investigation offers possible cause of Arecibo Observatory telescope collapse
January 24
- SpaceX launches a record 143 satellites on one rocket, aces landing
- Apollo landers, Neil Armstrong’s bootprint and other human artifacts on Moon officially protected by new US law
- South African astronomy has a long, rich history of discovery — and a promising future
- Wormholes may be lurking in the universe — and new studies are proposing ways of finding them
January 23
- SpaceX delays launch of 143 satellites on a single rocket due to bad weather
- Largest sea on Saturn's mysterious moon Titan could be more than 1,000 feet deep
- How to see the 'Great Hexagon' of bright winter stars this weekend
- Warm up with this cozy image of a hot spot on Jupiter
January 22
- Bernie Sanders in space! These inauguration mitten memes are out of this world
- Exclusive: Avasarala and Bobbie sink deeper into a black market weapons ring in 'The Expanse #2'
- SpaceX's Starship SN9 prototype fires engines again to prep for test flight
- Dawn Aerospace aims to launch New Zealand's 1st space plane from a conventional airport
- A moon rock in the Oval Office: President Joe Biden's lunar display
- Mystery particle may explain extreme X-rays shooting from the 'Magnificent 7' stars
- SpaceX to launch dozens of satellites on Transporter-1 flight Sunday and you can watch it live
- 'Out Astronaut' contest accepting submissions until Jan. 31
- Elon Musk says he's donating $100 million for carbon-capture tech prize
- Kerbal Space Program 2 will launch Kerbonauts with wild new hairdos and emotions
- 'Symbiotic stars' caught snacking on each other outside the Milky Way
January 21
- You can see Uranus, Mars and the moon get close in a rare night sky sight tonight
- Boeing's Starliner spacecraft software passes qualification review for next NASA test flight
- Did water once flow through meteorites?
- Powerful cosmic eruptions traced to brilliant 'magnetar' in nearby galaxy
- Biden administration appoints Steve Jurczyk acting NASA chief
- NASA's Mars rover Perseverance lands on the Red Planet in less than a month!
- A galactic sideswipe 3 billion years ago warped our Milky Way galaxy
- This tiny comet photobombed the total solar eclipse of 2020
January 20
- Outgoing NASA chief Jim Bridenstine calls for unity in space exploration pursuits
- China kicks off a busy 2021 in space with communications satellite launch
- Out of space, NASA is demolishing Apollo and space shuttle launch platform
- 'Sun Science' postage stamps will feature NASA solar observatory images
- SpaceX rocket launches on record 8th flight carrying 60 Starlink satellites, nails landing
- Trump signs Space Policy Directive-7 on improving GPS cybersecurity
- Humans could move to this floating asteroid belt colony in the next 15 years, astrophysicist says
- The 'mole' on Mars will dig no more, NASA says
- The planet is dying faster than we thought
- Rocket Lab launches microsatellite to orbit in its 1st mission of 2021
January 19
- Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin gets COVID-19 vaccine
- Earth is hotter than ever — So what happens next?
- Space photo app 'spelfie' lets you attend President-elect Biden's inauguration virtually
- NASA knows what caused the early engine shutdown of its 1st SLS moon rocket during major test
- NASA Parker Solar Probe nails close flyby of sun as its space weather cycle ramps up
- NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe could make a 2nd stop at infamous asteroid Apophis
- Pluto's atmosphere gets its blue haze from icy organic compounds, study suggests
- Subscribe to your favorite magazines from just $3 for 3 issues!
- SpaceX will launch its 1st Starlink satellites of 2021 on Wednesday. Here's how to watch.
January 18
- Now-dead radio telescope finds bizarre venomous-spider star
- A neutron-star crash spotted 3 years ago is still pumping out X-rays. But why?
- Citizen scientists create 3D map of brown dwarfs in our sun's neighborhood
January 17
- Virgin Orbit launches 10 satellites to orbit in landmark test flight
- 'Old Faithful' galaxy has brilliant outbursts every 114 days
- How do stars die?
- Critical engine test for NASA's Space Launch System megarocket shuts down earlier than planned
January 16
- Rocket Lab calls off microsatellite launch due to sensor issue
- How to spot the Pleiades, Hyades and other star clusters in the winter night sky
- 'Bumblebee gravity' could explain why the universe is expanding so quickly
- NASA will test-fire its 1st SLS megarocket for moon missions today. Here's how to watch.
- Here's a frightening 1st look at the newly-resurrected 'Alien' series from Marvel Comics
January 15
- Vespera, a smart telescope to make astrophotography easier, nabs CES 2021 Innovation Award
- Cold War heats up on the moon in 'For All Mankind' season 2 trailer for Apple TV+
- SpaceX swapping out two engines on Starship SN9 prototype ahead of test flight
- Astronaut William Thornton, who invented space shuttle treadmill, dies at 91
- Rian Hughes delivers a modernist sci-fi saga of epic proportions in his debut novel, 'XX'
- 2020 ties record for the hottest year ever, NASA analysis shows
- Curiosity rover celebrates 3,000 Martian days on the Red Planet
- After 'Apollo 11': New short film goes into 'Quarantine' after first moon landing
- NASA extends planetary science missions at Mars and Jupiter
- Is NASA about to get its first female leader?
January 14
- Space startup bluShift to launch its 1st biofuel rocket Friday. Here's how to watch live.
- Triple-star system's strange antics entrance scientists digging through 125 years of data
- Oyin Oladejo of 'Star Trek: Discovery' talks diversity and elephants for 'Endlings' Season 2 on Hulu (exclusive interview)
- Blue Origin's 1st upgraded New Shepard spacecraft for astronauts aces launch (and landing)
- Atmospheric CO2 will pass an alarming milestone in 2021
- CIA releases entire collection of UFO-related documents to truth-seeking website
- Astronomers are still reeling from the loss of iconic Arecibo radio telescope
- SpaceX's upgraded Cargo Dragon supply ship makes 1st Atlantic splashdown
January 13
- SpaceX's Starship SN9 prototype fires up rocket engines three times in one day
- Blue Origin will launch its upgraded New Shepard space capsule today. Here's how to watch live.
- Exclusive: 'Star Wars' scholar Phil Szostak on his stellar new concept art book for 'The Mandalorian'
- Omega debuts next generation of NASA-qualified Speedmaster moonwatches
- Gas giant exoplanet with weirdly long orbit may bear clues about our solar system
- Imaginary Earths: Countless Falling Stars
- MethaneSAT picks SpaceX for satellite launch to track methane levels in Earth's atmosphere
- Virgin Orbit now targeting Sunday for 1st spaceflight
- The most distant quasar ever found is hiding a seriously supermassive black hole
- Boeing to boost space station power supply with new solar arrays
- NASA is finally ready to test-fire the engines of its SLS megarocket
- NASA's InSight Mars lander may 'hear' Perseverance rover's landing next month
January 12
- Astronomers spot the fastest spinning magnetar ever seen
- Dream Chaser space plane's first flight slips to 2022 due to pandemic-related delays
- Scientists are getting closer in race to find gravitational wave background and dark matter
- Rocky 'super-Earth' planet spotted orbiting one of the Milky Way's oldest stars
- SpaceX Cargo Dragon supply ship makes 1st autonomous undocking from space station
- 'The Expanse' exclusive: Naomi and Filip have a heated family chat in new clip from season 5, episode 7
- Rocket Lab targets early Saturday for microsatellite launch
- It's really there! Kepler space telescope's 2nd-ever exoplanet candidate finally confirmed.
January 11
- 'The Expanse' recap: The full fury of Marco Inaros is unleashed in season 5, episode 3
- 'Kerbal Space Program 2' now launching in 2022
- Japanese asteroid-sampling probe begins long trek to next space rock
- Bad weather on Earth delays SpaceX Dragon's return from space station
- 'Super Bowl of Astronomy' kicks off online due to global pandemic
- Curious Kids: How does the sun make such pretty colours at sunsets and sunrises?
- This transforming NASA rover can go places others could only dream of
January 10
- A mysterious 'wobble' is moving Mars' poles around
- How to watch the rare 'triple conjunction' of Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn tonight
- Wandering polar vortex may cause a wild, snowy winter
January 9
- An alien machine already visited us, Harvard astrophysicist still contends
- 'The Expanse' sets up an epic story arc in episode 2 of season 5
- Baby Yoda lands in Minecraft Star Wars DLC
- Netflix reveals 1st teaser for 'Space Sweepers,' a South Korean sci-fi film about space junk salvage
January 8
- Don't miss Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury shine in a triple-conjunction this weekend
- Sunquakes likely triggered deep beneath solar surface
- Future astronauts could make methane rocket fuel on Mars
- The Stingray nebula is fading fast, Hubble telescope photos reveal
- How satellites are stopping deforestation in Africa
- Astronomers reevaluate the age of the universe
- SpaceX launches Turksat 5A communications satellite for Turkey, lands rocket
January 7
- 'Star Trek: Discovery' finishes season 3 with a mediocre finale
- SpaceX founder Elon Musk is now the richest person in the world
- Meet Au-Spot, the AI robot dog that's training to explore caves on Mars
- China plans to launch core module of space station this year
- Earth is whipping around quicker than it has in a half-century
- SpaceX will launch the Turksat 5A satellite for Turkey tonight. Here's how to watch live.
- India plans to build reusable rockets in the next decade (report)
- NASA will fire up its SLS moon megarocket in final 'green run' test this month
- We've already blown past the warming targets set by the Paris climate agreement, study finds
- From squarks to gluinos: It's not looking good for supersymmetry
- Largest canyon in the solar system revealed in stunning new images
- Senator Mark Kelly, other former astronauts condemn storming of US Capitol building
January 6
- SpaceX's Starship SN9 prototype fires its engines for the 1st time
- Blue UFO soars over Hawaii before crashing into the sea
- Cygnus cargo ship leaves space station to test 5G tech and spark fires in orbit
- Virgin Orbit aims to launch 1st spaceflight Jan. 10
- NASA spacecraft reveals travels of China's Yutu 2 rover on far side of the moon
- Are primordial black holes really giant gravitinos?
January 5
- Retro-cool starfighters and spaceships revealed for 'Star Wars: The High Republic'
- China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft will reach Mars orbit on February 10
- Defending Earth against dangerous asteroids: Q&A with NASA's Lindley Johnson
- 'Star Wars: The High Republic' writers discuss the Jedi Order's finest hour (exclusive)
- Congress asks for report on Arecibo radio telescope collapse
- NASA Plum Brook test facility renamed for astronaut Neil Armstrong
- New law is first to protect Apollo sites from future moon missions
- Star-crossed teens witness the doom of Krypton in DC Comics' new 'House of El' graphic novel
January 4
- SpaceX targets bold new 'catch' strategy for landing Super Heavy rockets
- 'ISS Experience' puts viewers aboard the space station in 3D 360-degree VR
- Planetary protection needs more than just NASA, White House plan says
- Did a holographic phase transition in the early universe release gravitational waves?
- Earth's atmosphere is full of microbes. Could they help us find life on other worlds?
- Is there more than one dark energy?
- Did the Milky Way's huge black hole kill all the red giants around it?
- What is a star?
January 3
- Could we ever pull enough carbon out of the atmosphere to stop climate change?
- Bad space weather may make life impossible near Proxima Centauri
- Chuck Yeager was a Hollywood idea of a brave test pilot – today they must be skilled engineers too
- This is what a supernova sounds like, according to NASA
- 'War in space' would be a catastrophe. A return to rules-based cooperation is the only way to keep space peaceful
January 2
- The Milky Way is probably full of dead civilizations
- Our galaxy's supermassive black hole is closer to Earth than we thought
January 1
- The Quadrantid meteor shower, usually one of the best, peaks at the wrong time this weekend
- A giant black hole keeps evading detection and scientists can't explain it
- 'Zombie' greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean
- Astronauts ring in new year from space with zero gravity ball drop for 2021