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SpaceX serious about building factories on the moon: 'It’s going to happen,' Elon Musk says

By Mike Wall Published

SpaceX plans to build factories on the moon, using robots to do much of the heavy lifting, Elon Musk said on Tuesday (Aug. 4) during SpaceX's first-ever quarterly earnings call.

The moon
NASA's SkyFall Mars helicopters will wear tiny capes

By Chelsea Gohd Published

These tiny capes carry some serious technology.

3 Comments
Mars
a photograph of a grey mottled surface on which a dark oval area is circled in white
SpaceX rocket's impact crater on the moon spied by Korean lunar orbiter (photos)

By Mike Wall Published

South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter has spied the crater that a SpaceX rocket blasted out when it slammed into the moon on Wednesday morning (Aug. 5).

5 Comments
The moon
A rocket body impacted the moon on March 4, 2022 near Hertzsprung Crater, creating a double crater roughly 95 feet (29 meters) wide in the longest dimension, as seen in this photo taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Rocket-peppered moon: A brief history of impacts, from Luna 2 to SpaceX's upper stage

By Robert Z. Pearlman Published

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket upper stage that collided with the moon on Wednesday (Aug. 5), was just the latest in a line of energetic lunar touchdowns.

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The moon
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Blue Ghost and Resilience lunar landers on Jan. 15, 2025. The rocket's upper stage slammed into the moon on Aug. 5, 2026.
A SpaceX rocket just crashed into the moon. Now, the race is on to get a look at the impact site

By Chelsea Gohd Published

Early this morning, a SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon at seven times the speed of sound. Now, lunar orbiters are trying to get a look at the aftermath.

5 Comments
The moon
a reddish-brown landscape of soil and rocks covered in slightly raised hexagonal lines of nearly equal size
Curiosity rover spots mysterious honeycombs on Mars | Space photo of the day for Aug. 5, 2026

By Brett Tingley Published

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover spotted surprising honeycomb-like shapes in the Red Planet soil while exploring a large valley.

Mars
reddish-orange soil and rocks
Mars dust is toxic. How will future astronauts deal with it?

By Leonard David Published

Mars dust is known to contain various carcinogens, such as silica and numerous heavy metals. How will future astronauts mitigate the health risks?

7 Comments
Mars
an impact on a grey, dusty surface kicks up a plume of dust and rocks into a black sky
A 9,000-pound SpaceX rocket will crash into the moon tonight. Will you be able to see it?

By Samantha Mathewson Published

While the impact itself probably won't be visible from Earth, observers may have a chance to spot a plume of debris rising above the lunar surface.

2 Comments
The moon
a white swirl of cloud above blue ocean waters as seen from space
ISS astronaut spies a swirling super storm | Space photo of the day for Aug. 4, 2026

By Brett Tingley Published

From the International Space Station on Aug. 2, 2026, NASA astronaut Anil Menon captured an incredible photograph of a swirling typhoon in the Pacific Ocean.

Earth
'Significant areas of Mars may have once been covered by water': Scientists find hidden clue in Spirit rover data

By Samantha Mathewson Published

A new analysis of NASA's Spirit rover data reveals overlooked traces of crystalline hematite and altered magnetite.

4 Comments
Mars
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