Space News - Latest Space and Astronomy News

A view of San Francisco Bay at night seen by the Suomi NPP satellite, a joint project of NASA and the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration and one of the satellites feeding a new international COVID-19 dashboard.

NASA teams with Japan, Europe for COVID-19 global impacts project

By Meghan Bartels

Three space agencies have pulled together data monitoring the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic into one joint information source in hopes of assisting understanding of the public health crisis.

An artist's impression of the star Gliese 887 and its planetary system.

Newfound 'super-Earth' exoplanets bear clues about atmospheres of alien worlds

By Charles Q. Choi

The brightest red dwarf star in the sky may be the best chance astronomers have yet to analyze the atmospheres of alien worlds — and perhaps detect whether those worlds have life, a new study finds.

Mary W. Jackson overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias to become the first African American female engineer to work at NASA. She later led the efforts to ensure equal opportunities for future generations. The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C. has been named in her honor.

NASA names headquarters building for 'hidden figure' Mary Jackson

By Robert Z. Pearlman

NASA is recognizing one of its "hidden figures" by naming its headquarters in Washington, D.C. after Mary Jackson, the first African American female engineer to work at the space agency.

In a new study, scientists explore a new theory that aims to explain why the moon's near and far sides are so different.

Why is the far side of the moon so weird? Scientists may have solved a lunar mystery

By Chelsea Gohd

The moon's mysterious far side is so much different than its near side, which we see in the night sky, and now scientists think they know why.

An artist's depiction of AU Mic b orbiting its star.

Newly discovered alien planet spotted zipping around highly active star

By Elizabeth Howell

Two veteran NASA planet-hunting missions found a Neptune-size planet that circles its young star every Earth week.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon "Endeavour" is seen approaching a docking with the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken aboard, Sunday, May 31, 2020.

SpaceX's 1st Crew Dragon for astronauts aces tests in space, could land Aug. 2

By Chelsea Gohd

SpaceX's first Crew Dragon to carry astronauts is passing all tests and could return to Earth as soon as August 2nd.

Heat gave Jupiter's icy moon Europa layers. That may be good news for the search for life.

By Doris Elin Urrutia

There are many items on the habitability checklist, and Europa may have experienced an important life-supporting phenomenon.

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is prepared to be encapsulated in its Atlas V rocket payload fairing at NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18, 2020.

Launch of NASA's next Mars rover delayed again by 'contamination concern' on the ground

By Tariq Malik

The launch of NASA's next Mars rover has been delayed to no earlier than July 22 due to a contamination issue with ground support equipment.

The preferred obverse (at top) and reverse designs for the 2021 Christa McAuliffe Silver Dollar Commemorative Coin, as identified by the Commission of Fine Arts and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CACC), as well as the McAuliffe family.

Candidate designs reviewed for 'Teacher in Space' Christa McAuliffe coin

By Robert Z. Pearlman

A new U.S. silver dollar will depict Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to launch towards space in a way that is representative of all educators.

Space Chat with Space.com: Tune in Fridays for science, space and more!

By Chelsea Gohd

Fridays at 1 p.m. EDT (17000 GMT), Space.com staff writer Chelsea Gohd will host the brand new series "Space Chat."

An artist's depiction of the Axiom module after its detachment from the International Space Station.

Axiom Space picks Thales Alenia to build commercial space station modules

By Meghan Bartels

A new commercial agreement marks a step forward in the quest to add a new module to the International Space Station — one that will become an independent space station after the massive lab's tenure.

An artist's depiction of the Relativity Space launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Relativity Space inks deals for California launch pad, Iridium satellite launches

By Meghan Bartels

Relativity Space has signed agreements for a new launch site and a new batch of launches destined to blast off from that site.

Antarctica's ice sheets responded most strongly to the angle of Earth's tilt on its axis when the ice extends into the oceans.

Scientists just sampled the most pristine air on Earth. Here's what they found.

By Kathryn Moore, Jun Uetake, Thomas Hill

Atmospheric scientists sampled the most pristine air on Earth, just above the Southern Ocean. They found some surprises.

NASA's new Sunset Simulator reveals what a sunset would look like on Uranus and other worlds.

See a sunset on Uranus, other worlds (and a moon, too) in this NASA simulator

By Chelsea Gohd

If you watched the sun set on Uranus, the sky would start off as a brilliant blue and fade into deeper blues with striking turquoise notes. So how do we know that?

A massive dust plume from the Sahara Desert reaches far out over the Atlantic Ocean, stretching across 2,000 miles, in this view from the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP Earth-observing satellite on June 13, 2020.

Massive Saharan dust plume swirling across Atlantic Ocean spotted from space

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA satellites spotted an enormous brown plume of dust from the Sahara desert floating above the Atlantic Ocean.

A map of inner Earth showing the new ultralow-velocity zones (ULVZs) discovered with 30 years of seismic data.

The monstrous 'blobs' near Earth's core may be even bigger than we thought

By Brandon Specktor

Using thousands of seismic wave recordings, researchers mapped the mysterious 'blobs' deep below the Pacific Ocean and found they are even bigger than imagined.

The test tank for SpaceX's Starship SN7 prototype is moved into position on its pressure test stand on June 12, 2020 at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas facility.

Boom! SpaceX pops huge Starship SN7 test tank on purpose in pressure test (videos)

By Tariq Malik

SpaceX pushed a massive tank for its latest Starship prototype beyond its limits Tuesday (June 23) in an intentionally explosive test in South Texas.

An artist's depiction of the heavily asymmetrical collision observed through gravitational waves.

Scientists just found the biggest neutron star (or smallest black hole) yet in a strange cosmic collision

By Meghan Bartels

Astrophysicists have spotted the strangest gravitational-wave signal yet, an observation that could force scientists to rewrite what they know about the cosmos.

A visualization of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

NASA inspector general looking into Boeing moon lander bid after input from agency official: report

By Elizabeth Howell

Boeing, one of the two companies supplying commercial crew vehicles, is under investigation in relation to a lucrative contract to land humans on the moon, according to a Washington Post report.

Astrophysicist Joe Pesce of the National Science Foundation is taking your cosmic questions in Space.com's Forums!

Join astrophysicist Joe Pesce in an AMA about the universe in our Space.com Forums!

By Elizabeth Howell

Join real-life astrophysicist in an "ask me anything" with Joe Pesce of the National Science Foundation in our Space.com Forums this week!