Andrew Jones
Andrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China's rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others. Andrew first caught the space bug when, as a youngster, he saw Voyager images of other worlds in our solar system for the first time. Away from space, Andrew enjoys trail running in the forests of Finland. You can follow him on Twitter @AJ_FI.
Latest articles by Andrew Jones
![a white swirl on the moon's dark surface, with small craters interspersed throughout the landscape](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tHBH7xyv4caxyTkbTT3ghM-320-80.jpg)
South Korea marks anniversary of 1st lunar probe with new moon photos
By Andrew Jones published
South Korea's space agency has released new images of the moon to mark the anniversary of the launch of its first moon probe.
![a small four-wheeled rover travels across sand in a test yard at nasa's jet propulsion laboratory.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ktHvQ8hooDJWZD9t2WP5zW-320-80.jpg)
Trio of tiny autonomous NASA rovers will launch to the moon next year
By Andrew Jones published
A trio of miniature autonomous NASA rovers will soon head for the moon, with the aim of boosting the efficiency of exploration missions.
![A white and red chinese long march 4c rocket launches into a blue sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dUWoeDTVFtdhs9B9EaBzdb-320-80.jpeg)
China launches Fengyun-3F meteorological satellite to orbit
By Andrew Jones published
China has added a new satellite to its fleet of meteorological spacecraft.
![a shot of the moon from lunar orbit, with a spacecraft's golden solar array slanting across the moon's face in the foreground](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3HuCZRFotZCgGZtRudG9y8-320-80.jpeg)
India's Chandrayaan-3 moon rover enters lunar orbit, snaps stunning photos (video)
By Andrew Jones published
India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander has returned images from the moon after entering orbit around our nearest neighbor.
![a large white rocket on its side in a factory](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kMKVAHHbC5pjP8tiyLXxZN-320-80.jpg)
Chinese launch startup tests landing rockets with jet-powered prototype
By Andrew Jones published
Chinese launch company Galactic Energy announced in late July that it used a small test vehicle propelled by a jet engine to test software for landing rockets.
![a satellite above earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9McdaSyAqy66kacg2LmPqF-320-80.jpg)
SpaceX's private control of satellite internet concerns military leaders: report
By Andrew Jones published
Military leaders around the world have expressed concerns over the dominance of SpaceX founder Elon Musk when it comes to satellite-based internet services.
![A powerful fire shoots downhill from the opening of a building nestled into the side of a green, hilly mountainous slope. Smoke fills the right side area](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JbrZR4TCpXjQKbmrihZ6WU-320-80.png)
Watch China test fire new engine for its planned crewed moon rocket (video)
By Andrew Jones published
China's moon rocket inches a step further in development, as the country test fires new rocket engine.
![a man in a suit](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/THwUjuei575LM7bBaYqqfN-320-80.jpg)
China keeps its eye on NASA's budget uncertainty
By Andrew Jones published
China is paying close attention to what NASA will and will not be able to afford in the coming years, as the space agency's budget gets chopped up by U.S. lawmakers.
![Scientists are seen in their clean room clothes with a giant metal cylinder representing the new experiment.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WfDBvarSvTAPPALXGukhmJ-320-80.jpg)
New ISS experiment will help develop air conditioning for future space habitats
By Andrew Jones published
An experiment sent to the International Space Station aims to help scientists develop AC for astronauts who may travel to remote areas of our solar system, and perhaps one day, beyond.
![Astronaut Robert Stewart during Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Exercise untethered above the Earth.February 11, 1984.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/De8fcLpzvwfBGfqzabqGZ3-320-80.jpg)
How long could you survive in space without a spacesuit?
By Andrew Jones published
How long could a person survive if thrust into the harsh vacuum of outer space? The short answer is, not very long.
![three white modules of china's space station fly above Earth.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YNv2x4Whi42jvPo7QPQf9N-320-80.jpeg)
China has sent more than 100 types of seeds to its Tiangong space station
By Andrew Jones published
China has sent 136 kinds of plant seeds to its Tiangong space station for space breeding experiments.
![A short golden lunar lander with the grey of the lunar surface behind.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gwcemt7iY7Hmy7brBVxDTZ-320-80.jpg)
Japan gearing up to launch small moon lander next month
By Andrew Jones published
The SLIM moon lander will test precision landing and pave the way for small-scale exploration of Earth's nearest neighbor.
![a white tower surrounded by a ring of objects in a desert mountain landscape](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P3EESVzeiX2NgDt2Sc7rVX-320-80.jpg)
China begins trial operations with world's largest solar telescope array
By Andrew Jones published
The world's largest array of sun-monitoring radio telescopes has begun trial operations in southwest China.
![Two people walk by large models of China's moon rocket designs. A triple-core rocket, the Long March 10, stands the tallest.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZoJ7ZoxhgUPAHEEarmLXYJ-320-80.jpg)
China's new moon rocket could launch as soon as 2027
By Andrew Jones published
China's new Long March 10 rocket just completed its sixth hotfire test. The country is hoping to launch astronauts to the moon on the rocket by 2030.
![illustration of chinese rovers and landers on the moon, with earth in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCFHsm36U9owDGYpqTFuN5-320-80.jpeg)
Moon gear: China building lander, rover and spacesuit for lunar missions (video)
By Andrew Jones published
China is developing spacecraft and a spacesuit to allow its astronauts to land and explore the moon.
![a small striped fish](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dn4PTKoNDphHkyoinGRdja-320-80.jpg)
China is sending zebrafish to the Tiangong space station
By Andrew Jones published
China is planning to send zebrafish to its space station in the future as part of experiments that aid research into mitigating bone loss in astronauts.
![The orbits of Chandrayaan-3 that will bring it closer to the moon over the next month](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/k6T2wUYJ65k4v6TxXocpnD-320-80.png)
India's Chandrayaan-3 moon rover mission aces orbit-raising maneuvers around Earth
By Andrew Jones published
India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is continuing its circuitous journey to the moon with a series of burns to raise its orbit around Earth.
![a chinese astronaut on a spacewalk waves to the camera with earth in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gvsLHdzEQh5w29Zki3vHCC-320-80.jpeg)
China's Shenzhou 16 astronauts complete 1st spacewalk (video)
By Andrew Jones published
Two Chinese astronauts completed an approximately eight-hour spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on Thursday (July 20).
![a black and white chinese rocket launches into a blue sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jw9D7Aw7vCdZTnHyhvodCY-320-80.jpeg)
China launches 4 commercial weather satellites to orbit (video)
By Andrew Jones published
A Chinese solid rocket launched a new batch of commercial satellites from the Gobi Desert on Wednesday (July 19).
![a silver space capsule sits in a museum surrounded by other pieces of space hardware](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/69CfuDKh5PPCrEZg9imYyT-320-80.jpg)
China to launch moon astronauts' new spacecraft for 1st time in 2027 or 2028
By Andrew Jones published
China is planning to launch a next-generation crewed spacecraft around 2027 that will be capable of carrying astronauts to the moon and even beyond.
![people watch a large tv screen with an image of a missile launching into a blue sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bwy5seWyAF6aQAFU8kVBGf-320-80.jpg)
North Korea launches ICBM on record-breaking 74-minute flight
By Andrew Jones published
North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday (July 12), shortly after complaining about purported spying activity by the United States.
![a white, twin-fuselage airplane flies in a light-blue sky with a space plane beneath its wings](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nG2QEkCYR7w8kcdJ98LABf-320-80.jpg)
Virgin Galactic set to launch crucial 1st commercial SpaceShipTwo mission today
By Andrew Jones published
Virgin Galactic is ready to launch the first commercial mission of its SpaceShipTwo space plane on Thursday (June 29). Success would be huge for the ambitious company.
![three cosmonauts holding a red, dark-blue, and light-blue-striped flag aboard the international space station](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2TYvqPgqwUuAvhSqMQcid-320-80.jpeg)
Russian space agency Roscosmos recruiting fighters for war against Ukraine: report
By Andrew Jones published
Russia's space agency Roscosmos is recruiting and training militia members for the nation's ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine, according to a Financial Times report.