WATCH LIVE: Japanese H3 rocket launching navigation satellite to orbit

A Japanese H3 rocket will launch the Michibiki 5 navigation satellite to orbit tonight (Dec. 16) at 9:10 p.m. EST (0210 GMT on Dec. 17). Watch it live here and read our preview story.

準天頂衛星システム「みちびき5号機」　／H3ロケット8号機打上げライブ中継 - YouTube 準天頂衛星システム「みちびき5号機」　／H3ロケット8号機打上げライブ中継 - YouTube
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Skywatching

graphic with night sky in large font and silhouettes of people below looking up at the night sky.

Night sky tonight: See the Winter Triangle rise in the east after dark

By Jamie Carter last updated

Find out what you can see in the night sky for tonight, from planets and stars to dazzling meteor showers.

Stargazing

Aurora forecast for Dec. 16: Northern lights confined to high latitudes again tonight

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

The latest aurora forecast for tonight help you make sure you're in the right place at the right time to see the northern lights.

Auroras
A series of white streaks of meteor showers are seen in a pale blue night sky over some mountain peaks at the bottom of the image

December's overlooked meteor shower peaks next week — will the Ursids surprise us?

By Joe Rao published

December's faint Ursid meteor shower returns under dark skies, offering a small chance of unexpected activity.

Meteors & Meteor Showers
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Spaceflight

a triple-core rocket blasts off under a sunny, partly cloudy blue sky. smoke expands below next to an obscured launch tower, near a long white hanger with SPACEX written on the side. To the left, a bird flies away.

Rocket launch today: Is there a rocket launch and what time?

By Josh Dinner, Tariq Malik last updated

Follow Space.com's rocket launch blog for the latest on when the next rocket launch will be and how to follow it live.

Launches & Spacecraft
Graphic illustration with 'space calendar' in large blue neon letters and 2025 below it in smaller white letters. Below the title are four neon images depicting a meteor or comet, a telescope, a rocket launch and an astronaut's helmet. There is a starry background to the entire image.

Space calendar 2025: Rocket launches, skywatching events, missions & more!

By Space.com last updated

Reference Keep up with all the rocket launches, astronomical events and mission milestones for 2025 with our space calendar.

Reference
An artist's illustration of NASA's Explorer 16 satellite, which launched on Dec. 16, 1962 to study the micrometeoroid environment in space.

On this day in space! Dec. 16, 1962: NASA launches 1st meteoroids mission Explorer 16

By Hanneke Weitering, Elizabeth Howell last updated

On Dec. 16, 1962, NASA launched the Explorer 16 spacecraft to study micrometeoroids near Earth.

Launches & Spacecraft
An image of Earth from space, showing Ethiopia and the Middle East covered with brown and gray streaks of ash

Satellite watches volcano spew ash over Middle East | Space photo of the day for Dec. 16, 2025

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

The ash plume disrupted flights as far away as India.

Satellites
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches 27 Amazon Leo internet satellites on Dec. 16, 2025.

Atlas V rocket launches 27 of Amazon's internet satellites to orbit (video)

By Mike Wall last updated

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket sent 27 Amazon Leo internet satellites to low Earth orbit from Florida early Tuesday morning (Dec. 16).

Launches & Spacecraft
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Science & Astronomy

an illustration shows PSR J2322-2650b, a strange lemon-shaped exoplanet orbiting a pulsar

James Webb Space Telescope discovers a lemon-shaped exoplanet unlike anything seen before: 'What the heck is this?'

By Robert Lea published

"This was an absolute surprise. It's extremely different from what we expected."

Exoplanets
A bright star twinkles in a deep blue night sky

Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet?

By Keith Cooper published

The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.

Comets
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Space Photo of the Day

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Entertainment

a girl in a blue jumpsuit in the wastelands

How to watch 'Fallout' Season 2 online and from anywhere

By Jeff Spry published

Okey Dokey! Prime Video's post-apocalyptic adventure heads for New Vegas starting tonight!

Space Movies & Shows

Fallout games ranked, worst to best

By Fran Ruiz published

With the Fallout TV show venturing back out into the Wasteland, what better time to rank every Fallout game from worst to best?

Space Games
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What's Up In Space Today

Search For Life

A silhouette of a planet is in front of a giant sun with a small planet to the right of the image

Which exoplanet in the TRAPPIST-1 system could be habitable? Scientists are modeling the star to find out

By Samantha Mathewson published

Frequent flares from the nearby star TRAPPIST-1 could offer new clues in the search for habitable planets beyond Earth.

Search for Life
A reddish dusty surface is seen with an orange sun in the background

Beyond the habitable zone: Exoplanet atmospheres are the next clue to finding life on planets orbiting distant stars

By Morgan Underwood published

But being in this sweet spot doesn't automatically mean a planet is hospitable to life.

Search for Life
"Wow!" signal printout. The comment on the side inspired the event's name.

SETI's 'Noah’s Ark' – a space historian explores how the advent of radio astronomy led to the USSR’s search for extraterrestrial life

By Gabriela Radulescu published

An expert dives into the history of radio astronomy and the search for life beyond our Earth.

Search for Life
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Technology

A man wearing a red hoodie and tan pants points to a nearby drone hovering over rippling sand dunes

NASA tests drones in Death Valley | Space photo of the day for Dec. 15, 2025

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

To develop more robust next-generation aerial explorers, NASA's Mars Exploration program is turning to drones.

Technology
An illustration showing a data center in space with various white modules of servers

Data centers in space: Will 2027 really be the year AI goes to orbit?

By Domenico Vicinanza published

Assuming Google does manage to launch a prototype in 2027, will it simply be a high-stakes technical experiment – or the dawning of a new era?

Technology
A SpaceX rocket lifts off in the background behind the sign for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

US Space Force to get 'next level' tech to combat drones near Cape Canaveral launch sites

By Brett Tingley published

The U.S. Space Force is boosting its ability to deter and defeat drones and other uncrewed aerial systems near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Eastern Range.

Aerospace
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