Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, 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

SpaceX targeting mid-March for 1st flight of bigger, more powerful Starship 'Version 3,' Elon Musk says
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX plans to launch the 12th test flight of its Starship megarocket in six weeks, according to Elon Musk. It will be the first mission of the bigger, more powerful Starship "V3."

SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force (video, photos)
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX launched an advanced, jam-resistant GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida on Tuesday night (Jan. 27).

Artemis 2 astronauts enter quarantine ahead of historic NASA moon launch
By Mike Wall published
The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission went into quarantine on Jan. 23, keeping everything on track for a possible launch in early February.

NASA to fly piece of Wright Brothers' plane on Artemis 2 moon mission
By Mike Wall published
The Artemis 2 moon mission will send a swatch from the famous Wright Flyer, along with a number of other aerospace artifacts, when it launches in the coming weeks.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin will refly booster on next launch of powerful New Glenn rocket
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin will use a flight-proven booster on the next launch of its New Glenn rocket. The liftoff, which is targeted for late February, will be just the third for New Glenn to date.

Blue Origin launches 6 space tourists to the final frontier after last-minute crew swap (video)
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin launched six people to suborbital space today (Jan. 22). It was the 17th human spaceflight for the company, which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos.

Rocket Lab launches its 1st mission of 2026, sending 2 satellites to orbit (video)
By Mike Wall published
Rocket Lab launched its first mission of 2026 this morning (Jan. 22), sending two satellites aloft for the European company Open Cosmos.

Record-setting astronaut Suni Williams retires from NASA after 27 years
By Mike Wall published
Astronaut Suni Williams left NASA late last month after 27 years of service. She spent a total of 608 days in space, more than all but one other American astronaut.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to build 5,400-satellite megaconstellation
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin just announced "TeraWave," a planned satellite megaconstellation designed for customers who need super-high-throughput communication services.

US Space Force awards 1st-of-its-kind $52 million contract to deorbit its satellites
By Mike Wall published
"This contract reflects both the value of affordable servicing missions and the technical readiness of the Otter."

NASA's Crew-11 astronauts to discuss medical evacuation from International Space Station today: Watch it live
By Mike Wall published
The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission will discuss their shorter-than-expected stay aboard the International Space Station today (Jan. 21), and you can watch it live.

Watch private German rocket attempt history-making launch from Norway today
By Mike Wall published
Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket will try to become the first vehicle ever to reach orbit from European soil today (Jan. 21), and you can watch the action live.

Watch Blue Origin launch 6 people to suborbital space today
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin will launch six people to the final frontier on Thursday (Jan. 22), and you can watch the space tourism mission live.

Watch NASA roll huge Artemis 2 moon rocket out to the launch pad today
By Mike Wall last updated
NASA will roll its Artemis 2 moon rocket out to the launch pad on Saturday (Jan. 17), and you can watch the slow-moving action live.

Crew-11 astronauts arrive in Houston after 1st-ever medical evacuation from ISS
By Mike Wall published
The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission made it to Houston today (Jan. 16), just a day after their unprecedented medical evacuation from the International Space Station.

SpaceX launches its 1st national security mission of 2026, sending US spy satellites to orbit
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX will launch its first national security mission of the year tonight (Jan. 16), and you can watch the action live.

Congress passes $24.4 billion NASA budget, rejecting Trump's deep cuts
By Mike Wall published
Congress just approved a $24.4 billion budget for NASA for this year, rejecting the deep cuts that President Trump had proposed last spring.

ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: Crew-11 astronauts safely back on Earth
By Tariq Malik, Mike Wall, Josh Dinner last updated
NASA is returning four astronauts to Earth early from the International Space Station due to a medical concern with one of the Crew-11 astronauts. Here's the latest news.

SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts return to Earth after 1st-ever medical evacuation of ISS
By Mike Wall published
The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission splashed down safely today (Jan. 15) after the first-ever medical evacuation of the International Space Station.

The US really wants a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. 'Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power,' NASA chief says
By Mike Wall published
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy have firmed up their commitment to develop a nuclear reactor for use on the surface of the moon by 2030.

What time is SpaceX Crew-11's medical evacuation from the ISS on Jan. 14?
By Mike Wall published
The four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission will leave the International Space Station on Jan. 14, in the first-ever medical evacuation from the orbital lab. Here are the details.

Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly sues Pentagon, Pete Hegseth over censure campaign
By Mike Wall published
Former NASA astronaut and current U.S. Senator Mark Kelly is fighting back, suing the Pentagon for its plan to censure him over comments he made in a video late last year.

Indian PSLV rocket apparently fails for 2nd launch in a row (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
India's PSLV rocket apparently failed Sunday night (Jan. 11) while trying to launch 16 payloads to space. It was the PSLV's first liftoff since a May 2025 failure.
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