Space

Space missions have long exemplified humankind's indomitable spirit and boundless ambition. Once the reserve of nations, space is fact opening up to commercial enterprises and could soon be the must-go destination for tourists – provided the accumulation of debris doesn't turn Earth's orbit into a no-go zone. All this comes as missions beyond the Moon provide greater insights into our solar system and more powerful telescopes give us a glimpse at exoplanets light years away. New Atlas keeps you up to date with the latest space news and fantastic images from all corners of the Universe.

Space

Boeing CST-100 Starliner completes hot-fire thruster tests

David Szondy May 25, 2019

At NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, Boeing recently completed live-fire tests of the complex array of thrusters that will be used to guide the seven-passenger spacecraft in orbit and provide propulsion for the emergency abort system.

Artist's concept of the CST-100 Starliner

Space

Mars 2020 mission goes to Death Valley to test landing cameras

David Szondy May 25, 2019

Technology that will guide NASA's Mars 2020 mission to a landing on the surface of Mars began testing recently in the skies over Death Valley in California. The tests are to demonstrate the device's ability to collect and analyze images of the mountainous landscape for landing navigation purposes.

The LVS was mounted on a helicopter for the tests

Space

SpaceX launches first bunch of satellites for its Starlink mega-constellation

Nick Lavars May 24, 2019

The first of SpaceX's functional Starlink satellites have been launched into space, with the company successfully putting the first pieces in place for what it hopes will be a vast network blanketing the entire globe in high-speed broadband internet.

Falcon 9 on the launchpad ahead of the Starlink mission

Space Audio available

New algorithm digs up 18 Earth-like exoplanets from old Kepler data

Michael Irving May 23, 2019

Another 18 exoplanets have been added to the haul, but the difference this time is that all of them are roughly Earth-sized – much smaller than the Neptune-sized average found so far. The discovery was made in old data, using a new and more sensitive algorithm.

An artist's impression of an Earth-sized exoplanet

Space Audio available

Watery ancient Venus could have been rendered uninhabitable by its own oceans

Michael Irving May 22, 2019

Studies have shown that billions of years ago Venus might have been just as habitable as Earth. So what happened? New research has found that if ancient Venus was home to vast oceans, tidal drags may have slowed down the rotation of the planet and let it bake into the lifeless world we know today.

Simulations suggest that if ancient Venus had an ocean, tidal forces may have slowed the planet's ...

Space

Most of Earth's water came from a cosmic collision that formed the Moon

David Szondy May 22, 2019

According to research by planetologists at the University of Münster, the collision with a Mars-sized planetoid that formed the Moon 4.4 billion years ago brought with it almost all the water that makes our planet habitable.

Isotope analysis indicates that Earth's water may have arrived when the Moon was formed

Space Audio available

NASA invites you to put your name on the Mars 2020 rover

Anthony Wood May 22, 2019

Members of the public can now sign up to have their name accompany NASA’s much anticipated Mars 2020 rover as it unravels the secrets of the Red Planet. The names will not be stored digitally within a chip, but instead etched upon one by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Artist's impression of the Mars 2020 rover on the surface of the Red Planet

Space Audio available

Bizarre celestial object spotted is one of the rarest in the galaxy

Michael Irving May 21, 2019

The cosmos is full of strange things, like planets made of diamond, mysterious radio bursts and quasars that shine like 600 trillion Suns. Now astronomers have spotted a bizarre star that may prove to be one of the rarest objects ever, with maybe as few as five or six of them in the galaxy.

A white dwarf star, which is at the heart of the strange new object

Space Audio available

Arthritic astronaut mice suggest space travel is bad for your joints

David Szondy May 21, 2019

An examination of the tissues of rodents that orbited the Earth in a Russian spacecraft revealed that the reduced load on their joints caused the breakdown of cartilage and signs of arthritis-like degradation.

Based on mice studies, damage to joint cartilage may be added to the list of health ...

Space Audio available

How a huge impact may have given the Moon two faces

Michael Irving May 21, 2019

Observations have shown that the “back” of the Moon has a thicker crust and an extra layer of material compared to the side that faces Earth. Now, simulations have revealed one possible, explosive explanation – an impact with a huge object early on in the Moon’s life.

An illustration of a collision between two huge celestial bodies, similar to that now theorized to ...