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A camera located next to the sampling horn on Hayabusa2 captured this image 4 seconds after the spacecraft touched down on July 10, 2019.

Touchdown! Incredible Photos Show 2nd Asteroid Landing by Japan's Hayabusa2

By Meghan Bartels

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 made a second touchdown on an asteroid called Ryugu last night (July 10) in a carefully choreographed maneuver — and the photos are incredible.

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for human exploration and operations, testifying at a House hearing July 10. Hours later, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Gerstenmaier and another top exploration systems official were being reassigned.

NASA Shakes Up Human Space Exploration Leadership

By Jeff Foust

Virgin Galactic said the several hundred million dollars it raised through the merger with SCH will allow it to move into commercial operations of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle.

Virgin Galactic to Go Public, Merge with Investment Company

By Jeff Foust

Virgin Galactic announced it had reached an agreement to merge with a public investment vehicle, raising several hundred million dollars of capital and allowing the company to become publicly traded.

Skywatcher and satellite tracker, Ralf Vandebergh of the Neterhlands, has released a new image of an over flight of the U.S. Air Force secretive X-37B space plane, also known as Orbital Test Vehicle-5.

Is the US Air Force's Secretive X-37B Space Plane Headed for New Record?

By Leonard David

The secretive mission of the U.S. Air Force X-37B mini-space plane has winged past 670 days of flight – just 48 days shy from setting a long duration record for the program.

The Skylab Orbital Workshop experienced a failure that led to a replacement shield to protect against solar heating.

40 Years Ago, NASA's Skylab Space Station Fell to Earth

By Mike Wall

Apollo 11's 50th isn't the only big human-spaceflight anniversary this month.

An Arianespace Vega rocket carrying the FalconEye1 Earth-watching satellite for the United Arab Emirates, shown here at liftoff, suffered a major anomaly after launch, resulting the loss of the rocket and its payload on July 10, 2019.

Vega Rocket Suffers 'Major Anomaly' During Launch of UAE Satellite

By Elizabeth Howell

A European Vega rocket suffered a "major anomaly" while launching a satellite United Arab Emirates late Wednesday (July 10)

The asteroid Ryugu, as seen by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft during its sample-grabbing descent on July 10, 2019.

Boop! Japanese Spacecraft Grabs Second Sample from Asteroid Ryugu

By Meghan Bartels

It looks like Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has snagged its second souvenir from asteroid Ryugu, marking one of the last major milestones of the probe's visit.

A Vega rocket lifts off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana with the Sentinel-2B satellite on March 6, 2017. The launch vehicle is scheduled for another nighttime launch on July 10, 2019, when it will loft the FalconEye1 satellite into orbit.

Vega Rocket Launching Earth-Observing UAE Satellite Tonight: Watch Live!

By Hanneke Weitering

A European Vega rocket will launch a new Earth observation satellite for the United Arab Emirates today (July 10), and you can watch the liftoff live online!

A rendering of the ScopeSat spacecraft SatRevolution is developing as part of an Earth-observing constellation.

Polish Space Startup Puts First Nanosats Into Orbit, Eyes Constellation and Production Facility

By Jaroslaw Adamowski

Polish space startup SatRevolution successfully deployed its first two nanosats, the Swiatowid and the KRAKsat, into orbit from the International Space Station July 3.

PTScientists said it will continue to work on its lunar lander after filing for preliminary insolvency with a German court because of a funding shortfall.

German Lunar Lander Company Files for Bankruptcy Protection

By Jeff Foust

A German company that is developing a lunar lander has filed for insolvency, citing a shortfall in funding, but vows to continue development of its spacecraft.

Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket falls away from its carrier plane during the company’s first-ever drop test on July 10, 2019.

Virgin Orbit's Rocket-Launching 747 Jumbo Jet Nails 1st Drop Test (Video)

By Mike Wall

The Virgin Galactic sister company performed its first-ever drop test today (July 10), releasing a LauncherOne rocket from its Boeing 747 carrier plane over California's Mojave Desert.

An image of asteroid Ryugu captured by the Hayabusa2 during its second sampling attempt, on July 10, 2019.

Japan's Hayabusa2 Probe Will Sample Asteroid Ryugu Tonight! Here's How to Watch

By Meghan Bartels

A Japanese spacecraft is aiming to grab the first pristine sample of an asteroid to bring back to Earth tonight (July 10), and you can watch it approach the target now.

Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near a leg of the lunar module in this photo snapped by fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Google Launches New Apollo 11 'Experiences' to Celebrate Moon Landing's 50th

By Mike Wall

Google is launching a variety of new "experiences" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic moon mission, which put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.

Data from NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites revealed the immense size of a record-breaking algal bloom known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.

Satellites in Space Spot Largest Seaweed Bloom on Earth

By Passant Rabie

NASA's Earth observation satellites have spotted the largest seaweed bloom in the world, a belt of algae stretching 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.

An illustration of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, which will launch in April 2021 on a Falcon 9.

SpaceX Wins Contract to Launch NASA Small Astrophysics Mission

By Jeff Foust

NASA awarded a launch contract to SpaceX July 8 for the launch of a small astrophysics mission as the company offered a Falcon 9 at a lower price than a much smaller rocket.

<em>Sphingomonas desiccabilis</em>, one of three microbes chosen for the BioRock experiment, seen growing on basalt. Run by a research team from the University of Edinburgh, BioRock tests how altered states of gravity affect biofilm formation on the International Space Station.

Robotic SpaceX Cargo Mission Could Aid Space Settlement

By Mike Wall

The next SpaceX mission to the International Space Station (ISS) may be uncrewed, but it could nonetheless eventually help humanity extend its footprint far beyond low Earth orbit.

Vice President Mike Pence

Vice President Pence to Visit Vandenberg Air Force Base

By Sandra Erwin

Pence will meet with senior officials to discuss space launch activities, space traffic management and ongoing efforts to establish a U.S. Space Force.

Engineers at work on the LOFTID aeroshell system.

Mars Astronauts Could Tote Inflatable Heat Shield to Ease Landings

By Elizabeth Howell

Landing humans on Mars will require the heaviest payload ever sent to the Red Planet, which is why NASA plans to test out an inflatable decelerator in space in 2022.

NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins on a spacewalk in 2013.

Space Radiation Doesn't Seem to Be Causing Astronauts to Die from Cancer, Study Finds

By Rachael Rettner

That may be true for the short missions astronauts have gone on so far. But Mars will be a different story.

An artist's depiction of satellites that are paving the way for a lunar GPS system.

Lunar GPS? NASA Knows How to Help Astronauts Navigate

By Elizabeth Howell

When the next generation of crews lands on the moon's surface — which could happen as early as 2024 — NASA plans to use a lunar GPS to help astronauts find their way.