Athena, Next U.S. Commercial Moon Lander, Is Set for Spectacular Lunar Science
In partnership with NASA, the Intuitive Machines lander Athena will send a water-seeking drill, a pogo-sticking crater probe and other novel technologies to the moon
To Find Life on Mars, Make Microbes Wiggle
Could tiny swimming microbes help us unlock the mysteries of extraterrestrial life?
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Why Elon Musk’s ‘Fork in the Road’ Is Really a Dead End
Elon Musk’s Fork in the Road isn’t just a sculpture—it’s a monument to the tech world’s obsession with civilizational survival, which has its roots in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
Nearby Habitable-Zone Exoplanet May Be a World of Fire and Ice
A newly confirmed exoplanet around a nearby sunlike star might be astronomers’ best chance yet to look for life beyond the solar system—but it’s still no place like home
Trump Asks SpaceX to Return NASA’s ‘Stranded’ Astronauts to Earth ASAP
Despite a recent request from Trump, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were already scheduled to return to Earth on a Crew Dragon capsule this spring
Why 2025 Is an Exciting Year in Heliophysics
From space weather to science missions, there’s a lot to be excited about in heliophysics this year.
Why We Need to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in Space
Orbital junk will become a crisis if we don’t act soon
Everyone Who Has Ever Been to Space, Charted
Space traveler demographics have shifted over time
SpaceX Starship Explosion Likely Caused by Propellant Leak, Elon Musk Says
The seventh test flight of SpaceX’s Starship ended with a successful landing of the rocket’s first stage but also the loss of the Starship vehicle
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Was Never Meant to Look at the Sun. Astronomers Tried It Anyway
A little-known chapter of the Hubble Space Telescope’s history is a reminder of the risks of looking at the sun
Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Finally Takes Flight
The heavy-lift New Glenn rocket soared to success, reaching orbit on its highly anticipated inaugural flight but failing to land its booster on an ocean barge
Blue Ghost, a Private U.S. Lunar Lander, Launches to the Moon
A Texas-built lander named Blue Ghost marks another test of NASA’s new lunar delivery initiative