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.
The Cassini probe has bid farewell to Titan and is now on its way to a fatal encounter with Saturn. At 12:04 pm PDT (3:04 pm EDT), the unmanned orbiter flew by Saturn's largest moon, altering Cassini's trajectory so it will plunge into Saturn's atmosphere on September 15.
Continue Reading
Thousands of exoplanets have been spotted by looking for “transits” as light from the host star dips when a planet passes in front of it. Now scientists have examined whether Earth could be detected by other civilizations using the same technique, and 68 known exoplanets are in prime positions.
Continue Reading
In an Instagram post, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk released the full-view image of company's starkly futuristic spacesuit standing next to the Crew Dragon capsule with the comment, "Astronaut spacesuit next to Crew Dragon."
Continue Reading
Assembly of a new giant Canadian radio telescope that has no moving parts yet is capable of scanning half the sky in a single day has been completed. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment is composed of four 100-m-long metal troughs covering an area the size of five NHL hockey rinks.
Continue Reading
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially named 14 features on Pluto's surface. The various mountains, ridges and valleys have all been given titles that honor influential astronomers and spacecraft, or continue the underworld theme that began with Pluto’s naming in 1930.
Continue Reading
SpaceX entered the world of classified space flights this Thursday, as it launched the Orbital Test Vehicle 5 (OTV-5) mission at 10:00 am EDT atop a Falcon 9 booster from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the secret US Air Force X-37B spaceplane.
Continue Reading
The results of a new X-ray study suggest that the high-energy activity of Sun-like stars rapidly drops off following a tumultuous youth. The findings could have significant implications for the habitability of exoplanets orbiting these stars, including their ability to maintain an atmosphere.
Continue Reading
Last week, Earth was buzzed by asteroid 3122 Florence, the largest space rock NASA has seen come this close since it began tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs). NASA took the opportunity to study Florence close up, confirming its monster size and revealing that it has two tiny moons.
Continue Reading
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson's third stint living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has come to an end, with the celebrated station commander returning to Earth having spent more cumulative time in space than any US astronaut before her.
Continue Reading
The ESA’s Sentinel-5P satellite has arrived in northern Russia ahead of its scheduled launch in October. Once in orbit, the satellite will monitor air pollution over the entire planet every day, gathering environmental data and helping authorities make more accurate air-quality forecasts.
Continue Reading
See the stories that matter in your inbox every morning