Spacecraft

The moon was imaged by Mars Express during the probe's 20,076th orbit of the Red Planet

Space

European spacecraft captures rare movie of Martian moon Phobos

ESA's Mars Express spacecraft has captured a rare movie of the Martian moon Phobos. The moon is set to be the target of an international mission to survey the Red Planet’s two natural satellites, and return a surface sample to Earth.

Space

Boeing's Starliner stacked atop launcher ahead of first flight

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has been stacked atop its United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launcher in preparation for its December 17, 2019 liftoff. It will undergo final tests before transport to the Space Launch Complex-41 launch pad.

Space

ESA studies impact of hibernating astronauts on space missions

ESA is delving into how astronaut hibernation would affect space missions. The study suggests that using hibernation on a Mars mission would reduce the mass of the spacecraft by a third and cut the amount of consumables by about the same amount.

Render of Cassini in orbit around Saturn

Space

Into the great unknown: Cassini, a bold mission to study Saturn

In this week's edition of "Into the great unknown," the spacecraft built to study Saturn and its surroundings in one of our most ambitious space missions to date.

Space

Insight lander sends back eerie noises from Mars

NASA has released a symphony of sounds captured by InSight on Mars including quakes, howling winds, metallic “dinks and donks” and other eerie sounds.

Space

Elon Musk says Starship will fly in a matter of months

Elon Musk has given an update on SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft & booster, stating that a crewed launch could occur next year.

A partial view of the mosaic, which showcases the complexity of the Martian terrain

Space

ESA spacecraft captures mosaic of Mars from orbit

ESA has released a breathtaking mosaic of the Red Planet, stitched together from images taken by the Mars Express spacecraft.

Space

Virgin Galactic's next spacecraft takes shape

Virgin Galactic's second commercial spacecraft has passed an important milestone. The fuselage, cabin, and wing assembly of the next SpaceShipTwo have been joined together, and the two tail booms have been mated to the rear feather flap assembly.

Space

NASA switches on rugged Deep Space Atomic Clock

NASA has confirmed that a miniaturized, ultra-precise mercury-ion atomic clock currently in low-Earth orbit has been switched on.

Chandrayaan-2 pictured lifting off atop a GSLV MK-III rocket

Space

India's Chandrayaan-2 mission achieves lunar orbit

India's ambitious Chandrayaan-2 mission, which is comprised of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover, has successfully made orbit around the Moon.

Comet Interceptor will be used to fly by comets that have never visited the inner solar system before

Space

ESA announces triple-spacecraft mission to intercept an incoming "dynamically new" comet

ESA has given the green light to launch a mission designed to make the first flyby of a comet visiting the inner solar system for the first time. The "Comet Interceptor" mission will be set in a standby orbit, where it will wait for the discovery of an incoming comet to intercept.

Space

NASA gives go-ahead for mission to explore ancient planet core in asteroid belt

NASA has given its approval to begin construction of a spacecraft that will one day explore the metallic asteroid Psyche, which may represent the exposed metallic core of what was once a Mars-sized planet.