Space

In a development that could help slow the proliferation of space junk, the orbit of a communications satellite has for the first time been altered using solid iodine as a propellant.

SpaceX's has set a new record for the most spacecraft launched by a single rocket at one time, deploying 143 CubeSats and microsats, including another 10 Starlink communication satellites, during the first of its SmallSat Rideshare Program missions.

Researchers at the Paris Observatory's Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation have found that the unusual tilt of Saturn's axis is due to the periodic gravitational pull of its moons over the last billion years.

Home to oceans of liquid methane, Saturn’s moon Titan is one of the most fascinating bodies in the solar system. Now scientists have used radar to probe the depth of its largest sea, Kraken Mare, and estimated it to be at least 300 m deep.

Mars may have experienced up to 20 ice ages in the past 300 to 800 million years, according to the results of a new study. Glaciers formed during the cooling periods represent fascinating targets for future exploration missions.

WASP-107b was already a very weird exoplanet, with the density of cotton candy. On closer inspection, astronomers have now found that its density is even lower than previously thought, defying our current understanding of how gas giants even form.

It was the second time's a charm as Virgin Orbit's airdropped LauncherOne rocket put 10 NASA payloads into orbit on the second attempt in less than eight months, sending 10 NASA CubeSat payloads into low-Earth orbit under the Launch Services Program.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft will take a Cassini-like approach to exploring the Jovian system when it begins its latest mission extension in August this year at which point it will make passes of Jupiter’s rings and moons, and explore key surface features.

After fears that it might require disassembly, Lockheed Martin has completed work on the Artemis I Orion spacecraft and has formally transferred possession to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA and DLR have officially called it quits on InSight's "mole." The instrument was designed to drill deep into the Martian soil, but soon hit a snag and has now been abandoned after almost two years of troubleshooting failed to resolve the issue.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket has successfully completed its 14th flight. On January 14, 2021, at 11:20 am, mission NS-14 lifted off on a suborbital trajectory with an improved crew capsule containing a dummy astronaut named Anakin Skywalker.

The International Space Station (ISS) is getting a major upgrade starting this year, as Boeing is tapped to deliver six new solar arrays. They will provide the orbital laboratory with up to 30 percent more electricity for research and commercial applications.