Space Exploration

Latest about Space Exploration

An illustration shows a planet being disintergrated "spilling its guts" into space

Fastest disintegrating world ever seen 'spills its guts' for NASA's exoplanet hunter

By Robert Lea published

NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter has found the fastest-disintegrating planet ever. Losing a moons-worth of matter every million years, it is a prime target for the James Webb Space Telescope.

James Webb Space Telescope
The upper stage of SpaceX's Starship megarocket rolls out to the launch pad at the company's Starbase site on Jan. 9, 2025 ahead of a planned Jan. 13 test flight.

SpaceX Starship Flight 7 launch: Live updates

By Tariq Malik last updated

Read the latest news about SpaceX's Starship megarocket test flights, launches, photos and more.

Launches & Spacecraft
Ariane 6 fully stacked and ready for testing.

Europe's new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket set for 2nd launch in February

By Andrew Jones published

Europe is moving towards the second launch of its new Ariane 6 launcher after finding and addressing anomalies following its debut flight.

Launches & Spacecraft
a person in a bulky white spacesuit stands next to a wheeled rover and a cylindrical spacecraft on four legs, all on a dusty grey surface

25 biggest space conspiracy theories: Debunked

By Ailsa Harvey published

Here we debunk some of the most common and enduring space conspiracies.

Search for Life
The two stages of SpaceX's Starship megarocket separate during the vehicle's seventh test flight on Jan. 16, 2025.

SpaceX Starship explosion likely caused by propellant leak, Elon Musk says

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX has traced the likely cause of the explosion that destroyed its Starship vehicle during its Jan. 16 test flight to a leak of liquid oxygen or liquid methane.

Private Spaceflight
Earth as seen from the upper stage of SpaceX's seventh Starship vehicle during its test flight on Jan. 16, 2025. The vehicle suffered an anomaly and exploded in Earth's atmosphere around 8.5 minutes after launch.

Watch SpaceX Starship explode over Atlantic Ocean on Flight Test 7 (videos)

By Brett Tingley, Mike Wall published

The upper stage of SpaceX's Starship megarocket exploded over the Atlantic Ocean during the vehicle's Flight 7 test today (Jan. 16), and lots of people saw the sky show.

Private Spaceflight
SpaceX's seventh Starship megarocket launches on a test flight on Jan. 16, 2025.

SpaceX catches Super Heavy booster on Starship Flight 7 test but loses upper stage (video, photos)

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX pulled off a launch-tower catch of Starship's Super Heavy booster during a test flight today (Jan. 16) but lost the vehicle's upper stage.

Launches & Spacecraft

Centuries-old supernova guides James Webb Space Telescope through an interstellar gap

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the first exquisite images of an interstellar patch of sky, about 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia.

James Webb Space Telescope
An illustration of two Indian satellites nearing each other in orbit.

Major milestone! India becomes 4th nation to dock satellites in orbit

By Mike Wall published

India successfully docked its two SpaDex satellites in Earth orbit yesterday (Jan. 15), becoming just the fourth country to pull off such a satellite meetup.

Missions
an astronaut in a white spacesuit works outside a space station opposite a space capsule

Astronauts repair black hole observatory, inspect cosmic ray detector on ISS spacewalk

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams completed a six-hour spacewalk to repair and upgrade equipment outside the International Space Station on Thursday (Jan. 16).

International Space Station
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