Sharmila Kuthunur is an independent space journalist based in Bengaluru, India. Her work has also appeared in Scientific American, Science, Astronomy and Live Science, among other publications. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northeastern University in Boston.
Latest articles by Sharmila Kuthunur

Dozens of hidden star streams found in the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Astronomers discovered dozens of stellar streams in the Milky Way using Gaia data, offering new clues about galaxy formation and dark matter.

Astronauts on the ISS watched NASA's historic Artemis 2 launch from space
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
From the ground to low Earth orbit, the Artemis 2 launch became a shared moment across the planet and beyond.

1st results from Blue Ghost lunar lander reveal how much we still don't know about the moon
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Data from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander casts doubt on the decades-old view of the moon as divided between a hotter near side and cooler far side.

What do scientists hope to learn from NASA's historic Artemis 2 moon flyby?
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Here's what's on the experiment roster for the Artemis 2 moon mission.

Are Saturn's rings made of a lost, shattered moon? New evidence arises for the case
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
New simulations suggest Saturn's rings formed from a shattered moon called Chrysalis, offering clues to the planet's tilt and surprisingly young rings.

NASA's ambitious 'decade of Venus' exploration may bank on 1 probe: 'Not everything can move forward'
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
NASA may not be able to move forward with all three of its planned Venus missions as budget pressures force difficult trade-offs across its planetary science portfolio.

NASA won't give up hope on silent MAVEN Mars probe: 'We're still looking for it'
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
NASA has not reestablished contact with its MAVEN Mars orbiter since a planned communications blackout ended Jan. 16.

Beyond Artemis 2: NASA pursuing a 'more achievable' path back to the moon
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
As NASA gears up for the launch of Artemis 2, the agency is revising its moon landing strategy, aiming to make future missions more achievable and sustainable.

No sun, no problem? How life could thrive on moons of starless 'rogue' planets
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Exomoons orbiting rogue planets could host liquid water for billions of years, offering potential habitats for life deep in interstellar space.

NASA's DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling 'cosmic snowballs' at each other
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
New images from NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission show space rocks exchanging material in a slow process that reshapes their surfaces over millions of years.

Did Earth life actually begin on Mars? Asteroid impacts could let microbes planet-hop, study suggests
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
"Life might actually survive being ejected from one planet and moving to another."

Antarctica has lost 5,000 square miles of 'grounded ice' in the last 30 years, satellite images reveal
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Antarctica has lost nearly 5,000 square miles of "grounded ice" in 30 years, as warming ocean waters drive retreat in vulnerable regions, a new study finds.

NASA's Perseverance rover now has its own 'GPS' on Mars: 'We've given the rover a new ability'
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
NASA's Perseverance rover can now pinpoint its exact location on Mars without help from Earth, paving the way for longer, more autonomous exploration.

AI helps find new clues in the 60-year search for Luna 9, the 1st successful moon lander
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists may have narrowed down the landing site of the Soviet Union's Luna 9, which in 1966 became the first spacecraft to touch down softly on the moon.

Astronomers witness vanishing star collapse into a black hole in Andromeda galaxy
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Astronomers tracked a star in Andromeda as it dimmed and vanished without the usual fiery explosion, offering rare clues to how black holes form.

Venus may have an underground tunnel carved by volcano eruptions
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists analyzing decades-old NASA's Magellan data have identified only the second reported lava tube on Venus.

As China and the US vie for the moon, private companies are locked in their own space race
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Falling launch costs and private innovation are fueling a new space race, transforming Earth orbit into a fast-growing global marketplace.

It's time to think about human reproduction in space, scientists urge
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
"If reproduction is ever to occur beyond Earth, it must do so with a clear commitment to safety, transparency and ethical integrity."

James Webb Space Telescope finds most distant galaxy ever detected: 'It looks nothing like what we predicted'
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
"There is a growing chasm between theory and observation related to the early universe, which presents compelling questions to be explored going forward."

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover completes its 1st drive planned by AI
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
"The fundamental elements of generative AI are showing a lot of promise in streamlining the pillars of autonomous navigation for off-planet driving."

Bleached Martian rocks offer fresh evidence of a wetter and warmer Mars: 'But where did they come from?
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
"You need so much water that we think these could be evidence of an ancient warmer and wetter climate where there was rain falling for millions of years."

From space to the seabed, critical infrastructure is becoming more vulnerable, experts warn: 'People don't realize how dependent we are'
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
"We are on Day 1. A lot more needs to be done."

James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Recent James Webb Space Telescope data confirms a decade-old theory that the universe's earliest supermassive black holes formed without stars.
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