Spaceflight

a drone's eye view of a rocket taking from its launch pad

Blue Origin launches 1st New Zealander to reach space, 5 others on latest New Shepard suborbital flight (video)

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

Blue Origin completed its 12th human spaceflight today (May 31), flying six passengers on a 10-minute trip beyond the Karman Line and back.

Private Spaceflight
Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicles launches on the uncrewed NS-27 suborbital mission on Oct. 23, 2024.

How to watch Blue Origin launch 6 tourists to suborbital space today

By Samantha Mathewson published

Blue Origin plans to launch its 12th human spaceflight mission today (May 31), and you can watch the action live here at Space.com.

Private Spaceflight
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Science & Astronomy

Night sky map

New moon of April 2025 sees Venus and Saturn join up in the sky this weekend

By Jesse Emspak published

The new moon occurs April 27, and a day later Venus and Saturn will make a close approach to each other (known as a conjunction) in the predawn sky.

The moon
An image of Mars

Mars is covered in evidence of ancient lakes, rain and snow — but scientists aren't sure how that's possible

By Victoria Corless published

Valleys on Mars suggest the Red Planet was once covered in flowing water — but it's still a mystery how that could have been.

Mars
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Meet the team

Search For Life

Scientists question possible signs of life on exoplanet K2-18b in new study: 'We never saw more than insignificant hints'

By Victoria Corless published

The skepticism continues over recent claims of possible hints of alien life on exoplanet K2-18b.

Search for Life
Could interspecies two-way communication with dolphins provide clues about how to communicate with intelligent aliens?

Could deciphering dolphin language help us communicate with ET?

By Leonard David published

There are creatures here on Earth that may give us clues about how to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence — dolphins, which are famously social and smart.

Search for Life
NASA's Phoenix Mars lander undergoes a test before its August 2007 launch.

Not-so-clean rooms: Scientists discover 26 new microbe species in NASA spacecraft facility

By Stefanie Waldek published

Scientists have discovered 26 previously unknown bacterial species in the clean rooms that were used to prep NASA's Phoenix Mars lander for its 2007 launch.

Search for Life
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Skywatching

Northern lights may be visible in these 23 US States tonight

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Pennsylvania as Earth reverberates from the impact of a speedy solar storm.

Auroras
a graphic of the night sky with a starry sky background. A black circle is in the center with Night Sky written in white. There is a white telescope beneath the text. In the top left corner it says Space.com in cooperation with Starry Night.

Night sky, June 2025: What you can see tonight [maps]

By Chris Vaughan last updated

Reference Find out what's up in your night sky during June 2025 and how to see it in this Space.com stargazing guide.

Reference
Northern lights erupt over a lake in Minnesota in a dark sky overhead shining rainbow of Aurora light as the sun sets on the horizon

Northern lights may be visible in these 20 US States tonight [updated]

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Connecticut as speedy solar winds and an incoming CME fuel geomagnetic storm conditions.

Auroras
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Entertainment

The face looks familiar, but who's the other Time Lord in 'Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine'?

By Richard Edwards last updated

A brief flashback in this Nigeria-set episode dives deep into the Doctor's past.

Space Movies & Shows
This Week in Space podcast 163 — The Trials of Starship

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 163 — The Trials of Starship

By Space.com Staff published

On Episode 163 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss Starship's recent test flight with reporter Mike Wall.

Space Movies & Shows
a cylindrical spacecraft approaches a blue and white planet

Why is the European Space Agency beaming a waltz at NASA's Voyager 1 probe this weekend?

By Jeff Spry published

Saturday's celestial concert salutes ESA's 50th anniversary and 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II.

Entertainment
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References

a graphic of the night sky with a starry sky background. A black circle is in the center with Night Sky written in white. There is a white telescope beneath the text. In the top left corner it says Space.com in cooperation with Starry Night.

Night sky, June 2025: What you can see tonight [maps]

By Chris Vaughan last updated

Reference Find out what's up in your night sky during June 2025 and how to see it in this Space.com stargazing guide.

Reference
Tom Baker, Ncuti Gatwa, David Tennant, and Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who

Who is the best Doctor? Every 'Doctor Who' ranked

By Richard Edwards published

Reference We step inside the TARDIS to rank every Doctor so far, from William Hartnell through to Ncuti Gatwa.

Reference
Image of the Martian surface with movie posters for Mission to Mars and Red Planet superimposed onto it.

25 years ago, 'Mission to Mars' and 'Red Planet' had a bad Martian movie showdown. Was there a winner?

By Jeff Spry published

Two Hollywood Mars films celebrate their 25th birthday this year. Which one takes the cake?

Space Movies & Shows
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