Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.
Latest articles by Mike Wall

NASA is updating its Artemis moon base plan today. Here's how to watch it live.
By Mike Wall last updated
NASA will give an update on Tuesday afternoon (May 26) about its plans to build a moon base, and you can watch it live.

SpaceX Starship Flight 12 launch updates: Starship V3 Ship makes fiery splashdown in Indian Ocean as planned
By Josh Dinner, Tariq Malik, Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX is now targeting a Friday, May 22, launch for its newest Starship design, the Starship V3 megarocket.

Starship V3 from space: Satellite snaps amazing photo of SpaceX megarocket on the pad
By Mike Wall published
A sharp-eyed satellite captured an amazing photo of SpaceX's first Starship V3 megarocket on the pad Thursday (May 21), just before it was supposed to lift off.

Rocket Lab launches private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
Rocket Lab launched an Earth-observing radar satellite for the Japanese company Synspective early Friday morning (May 22).

How to watch SpaceX launch its 1st Starship V3 megarocket today
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX's new "V3" Starship megarocket will fly for the first time ever on Thursday (May 22), and you can watch the highly anticipated action live.

SpaceX's 1st Starship V3 megarocket launch scrubbed at last minute. Sorry, Nicki Minaj
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX's new "V3" Starship megarocket was supposed to fly for the first time ever on Thursday (May 21), but technical issues nixed that plan.

'Stop lying!' Conspiracy theorist confronts Artemis 2 astronauts, accuses them of faking their moon mission
By Mike Wall published
A conspiracy theorist confronted the Artemis 2 astronauts on Capitol Hill recently, accusing them of faking their moon mission. They showed more restraint than Buzz Aldrin did in a similar situation.

SpaceX will launch its 1st-ever Starship V3 megarocket today. The stakes couldn't be higher
By Mike Wall published
There's a lot riding on the debut flight of SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket — including some of NASA's lunar ambitions.

Worker dies at SpaceX's Starbase ahead of Starship V3 megarocket launch
By Mike Wall published
A worker died at SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas early Friday morning (May 15), as the company geared up for the debut launch of its Starship V3 megarocket.

Vast, builder of private space stations, launches line of high-power satellites
By Mike Wall published
The California startup Vast, which is best known for its space station plans, announced today (May 19) that it's launching a new line of high-power satellites.

Vega C rocket launches European-Chinese space weather satellite to orbit
By Mike Wall last updated
A Vega C rocket launched the European-Chinese SMILE space weather mission to orbit on Monday night (May 18).

These Apollo 'UFO' images have been public for decades. So why are people talking about them now?
By Mike Wall published
Much of the UFO imagery that the Pentagon released last week was new, but we've known for decades about the odd things that the Apollo astronauts saw on and around the moon.

SpaceX launches 6,500 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station after delay (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX launched its Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station today (May 15) after a weather delay, sending 6,500 pounds of supplies to orbit.

SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket will do something completely new on Flight 12 — take a good look at itself
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX's advanced new "V3" Starship megarocket is set to fly for the first time ever next week. The debut will feature some in-space action never seen before on a Starship mission.

Artemis 3 astronaut test flight will be 'one of the most highly complex missions NASA has undertaken.' These new details reveal why.
By Mike Wall published
NASA just revealed some new details about its upcoming Artemis 3 astronaut mission to Earth orbit, which is targeted to launch in late 2027.

Will Starship launch from foreign shores? SpaceX 'constantly exploring' options for megarocket liftoff sites
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX just revealed that it's on the hunt for additional launch sites for its Starship megarocket, eyeing locations both inside and beyond the United States.

Cost estimate for 'Golden Dome' missile defense system balloons to $1.2 trillion
By Mike Wall published
It will likely cost about $1.2 trillion to develop and operate President Trump's planned "Golden Dome" missile defense system, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report.

SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket finally has a debut launch date. Here's when it will fly
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX is officially targeting May 19 for the debut of Starship Version 3, an advanced new vehicle that could help humanity take its first steps on the moon and Mars.

Star Catcher just raised $65 million to build the world's first power grid in space — with lasers
By Mike Wall published
Star Catcher Industries just raised $65 million to build a constellation of power-beaming satellites, which the Florida company thinks will supercharge the off-Earth economy.

SpaceX fuels up Starship V3 megarocket for 1st time ahead of crucial test flight (photos)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX has stacked and fueled the new version of its Starship megarocket for the first time ever, gearing up for a key test flight that could launch as soon as May 19.

SpaceX launches secret US spy satellites to orbit from California (video, photos)
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX launched a batch of spy satellites for the U.S. government this evening (May 11) from California's foggy central coast.

China's Tianzhou 10 freighter delivers 7 tons of cargo to Tiangong space station
By Mike Wall published
The Tianzhou 10 freighter delivered nearly seven tons of supplies to China's Tiangong space station early Monday morning (May 10), about five hours after launching atop a Long March 7 rocket.

Pentagon unveils trove of declassfied 'UFO' videos. How to see them all, from 'a football-shaped body' to 'a misshapen and uneven ball of white light'
By Mike Wall published
The Pentagon released a new tranche of UFO files on Friday (May 8). Among the documents are nearly 30 videos, which feature a range of intriguing objects.

SpaceX just fired up its 33-engine Starship 'V3' Super Heavy rocket booster. When could it fly? (video)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX just took a big step toward its next Starship test flight, firing up all 33 engines of the vehicle's Super Heavy on the pad in Texas.

'Whatever Russia is testing, it's sophisticated': 2 Russian satellites get within 10 feet of each other in orbit
By Mike Wall published
Two Russian satellites got within 10 feet (3 meters) of each other recently, demonstrating a sophisticated set of orbital maneuvering skills.
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