Mike Wall
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's Crew-8 Dragon capsule docks at the ISS (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX's Crew-8 astronaut mission arrived at the International Space Station early Tuesday morning (March 5).
Watch this private Varda Space capsule's blistering return to Earth in amazing onboard video
By Mike Wall published
Varda Space's first off-Earth manufacturing capsule captured spectacular footage of its fiery homecoming last month.
Goodnight, Odysseus. Intuitive Machines' private moon lander goes offline — but could it rise again?
By Mike Wall published
Intuitive Machines has shut down its robotic Odysseus lander, which last week became the first-ever private spacecraft to touch down softly on the moon.
Where and when to see the northern lights in 2024
By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Our northern lights 2024 guide tells you where and when to see aurora borealis throughout Europe and North America.
Magic secrets on the moon: Q&A with David Copperfield (exclusive)
By Mike Wall published
Famed illusionist David Copperfield discusses his involvement with Intuitive Machines' historic moon mission and his desire to help preserve humanity's knowledge on and away from Earth.
Private Odysseus moon lander broke a leg during historic touchdown. 'He's a scrappy little dude.' (new photos)
By Mike Wall published
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander overcame a number of hurdles during its epic Feb. 22 touchdown, including one or more broken legs.
Near miss! NASA satellite, dead Russian spacecraft zoom past each other in orbit
By Mike Wall published
NASA's TIMED Earth-observation satellite and a dead Russian spacecraft nearly slammed into one another high above our heads this morning (Feb. 28).
SpaceX fires up rocket ahead of March 2 astronaut launch (photos)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX just fired up the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA, a liftoff targeted for Saturday (March 2).
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus probe beams home more photos from historic moon landing
By Mike Wall published
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander has beamed home a few selfies snapped during its pioneering descent to the lunar surface last week.
SpaceX rolls out rocket, capsule for Crew-8 astronaut launch (photos)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX just rolled out the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule that will launch the Crew-8 astronaut mission to the ISS on Friday (March 1).
FAA closes investigation into explosive 2nd flight of SpaceX's Starship megarocket
By Mike Wall published
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has closed the investigation into the second test flight of SpaceX's huge Starship vehicle, which ended with a bang on Nov. 18.
President Biden congratulates Intuitive Machines on historic moon landing
By Mike Wall published
U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Intuitive Machines on making the nation's first moon landing since 1972, calling it "a thrilling step forward in a new era of space exploration."
Ingenuity Mars helicopter snapped rotor blade during hard landing last month (video, photo)
By Mike Wall published
New observations by NASA's Perseverance rover show just how much damage Ingenuity sustained on its final Mars flight.
SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites from Florida
By Mike Wall last updated
SpaceX launched 24 of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Sunday (Feb. 25), on the company's 18th mission of 2024.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander tipped over on the moon during 'spicy' lunar landing
By Mike Wall published
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander apparently settled on its side during its historic Feb. 22 touchdown, but the spacecraft remains operational on the lunar surface.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander didn't deploy camera during historic descent
By Mike Wall published
Sorry, space fans: We won't be getting ground-level views of the first American moon landing since the Apollo era.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ties 19 flight-record with launch from California (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for a record-tying 19th time on Thursday (Feb. 22), sending a batch of Starlink internet satellites to orbit.
Intuitive Machines lands on moon in nail-biting descent of private Odysseus lander, a 1st for US since 1972
By Mike Wall published
The private Odysseus lander touched down near the moon's south pole this evening (Feb. 22), etching its name into the history books with a nail-biting descent.
Private Varda Space capsule returns to Earth with space-grown antiviral drug aboard
By Mike Wall published
California startup Varda's first in-space manufacturing mission wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 21) with a touchdown of its capsule in northern Utah.
Intuitive Machines' private Odysseus lander snaps 1st moon photo, enters lunar orbit
By Mike Wall published
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander slipped into lunar orbit today (Feb. 21), setting up a historic touchdown attempt that will take place tomorrow afternoon (Feb. 22).
Private Varda space capsule to land in Utah today in historic in-space manufacturing reentry (update)
By Mike Wall last updated
Varda Space Industries' first off-Earth manufacturing effort, a mission called W-1, is scheduled to land in northern Utah on Wednesday (Feb. 21).
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket put a satellite in the wrong orbit in December. Now we know why.
By Mike Wall published
A software issue caused Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket to deploy a satellite into the wrong orbit on its four-ever launch this past December, company representatives said.
SpaceX launches Indonesian satellite on 300th successful Falcon 9 mission (video)
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket notched its 300th successful mission today (Feb. 20), launching the Merah Putih 2 satellite for Indonesian communications company Telkomsat.