Space News
Northrop Grumman's MEV-2 life-extender successfully coupled with an active satellite
In an industry-first development that could potentially increase the active service life of satellites, renowned aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman successfully docked a life-extension vehicle to an operational satellite.
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin launches and lands New Shepard rocket
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin might be several steps behind Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight competitor SpaceX, but it's inching toward its first manned spaceflight.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter touches down on Mars
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has touched down on Mars after being dropped from the belly of its mothership, the Perseverance rover, the space agency announced on Saturday.
SpaceX will add 360-degree glass dome to Crew Dragon capsule
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule might have famously completed two International Space Station (ISS) missions, but it is also primarily designed to be SpaceX's vehicle for space tourism. To that effect, the space vehicle is getting an upgrade that's more touristy than space worthy.
Virgin Galactic unveils next-generation SpaceShip III commercial spaceflight vehicle
SpaceX competitor Virgin Galactic has unveiled the VSS Imagine, the latest in its fleet of spacecraft primarily designed for commercial tourism.
Event Horizon Telescope releases most detailed black hole image yet
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has recently published what is being touted as the most detailed image of a black hole to date.
ESA developing an autonomous robot for lunar cave exploration
The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing a spherical robot to explore lunar caves. The autonomous robot will be lowered into caves on the Moon's surface that could protect settlers from radiation, temperature extremities, and micrometeorites.
Russia submerges giant telescope in Lake Baikal to study universe
Russia has kicked its neutrino research endeavor into high gear by introducing a series of sophisticated sensors deep into Lake Baikal over the weekend. These sensors have been submerged between 2,500 and 4,300 feet within the lake and collectively form the Baikal-Gigaton Volume Detector (GVD).
ISRO set to offload most space activities to private players
The Indian Space Research Organisation intends to offload most of its space-related activities to industry and enhance focus on advanced research, its Chairman K Sivan has said, as the government opens up the sector to get private players on board.
SpaceX Falcon 9's latest Starlink mission completes record ninth launch
SpaceX has launched yet another 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Sunday. The satellites were deployed by the Falcon 9 rocket, which has made its record ninth launch to date.
ISRO launches RH-560 sounding rocket. What exactly does it do?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the RH-560 sounding rocket on Friday. The endeavor is intended to study attitudinal variations in neutral winds and plasma dynamics.
Russia snubs US, joins China to establish Moon base
Russia has snubbed the US to join forces with China to build a joint Moon base. The heads of Russian and Chinese space agencies signed an agreement to that effect yesterday.
Astronomers seeking giant black hole discover multiple smaller ones instead
Two astronomers from the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, who were reportedly searching for a giant black hole in the globular cluster NGC 6397 using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Earth-based telescopes, came across something they were not expecting at all.
ISRO launches Brazil's Amazonia-1, 18 satellites; first launch of 2021
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday launched the primary satellite Amazonia-1 of Brazil along with 18 co-passenger satellites.
NASA's Perseverance rover relays first audio, video clips from Mars
Yesterday, NASA's 2020 Perseverance rover relayed video and audio feeds from Mars. The rover had landed successfully on Mars' Jezero Crater on February 18. It has now sent footage of the landing and a brief audio recording of the sounds from the red planet.
Amid economic crisis, Turkish President announces space program, lunar mission
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a ten-year space program for his country. The program includes plans for missions to the moon, manned missions for Turkish astronauts, and development of "world-class" satellite systems.
Gaganyaan crewed mission delayed; Will miss 75th Independence-Day deadline
India's ambitious space initiative Gaganyaan will launch its second unmanned mission sometime in 2022-23 as per a statement by Union Minister Jitendra Singh. The actual human spaceflight module will be launched at an unspecified time thereafter.
Mock Space Shuttle Pathfinder lowered for restoration after 30 years
NASA's early mockup of the Pathfinder Space Shuttle orbiter was lowered from its outdoor display in Huntsville, Alabama on Monday. The model will undergo a multi-year, multi-million-dollar restoration.
Starship explosion prompts FAA to investigate SpaceX for license violations
Elon Musk's Mars mission has hit a regulatory hurdle. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a probe into the failed December landing of the Starship prototype.
Virgin Orbit sends 10 satellites to space with air-launched rocket
Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit launched 10 satellites into orbit on Sunday in a successful test of its key air-launched rocket.
Tamil Nadu's 18-year old S Riyasdeen creates world's lightest satellite
S Riyasdeen, a second-year Mechatronics engineering student from SASTRA University hailing from Karanthai in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur, won the global competition "Cubes in Space" for creating the world's lightest femto-satellite.
Jupiter, Saturn merging in night sky, closest in centuries
Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky on Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo's time in the 17th century.
China's spacecraft successfully brings home moon samples
China's Chang'e-5 probe successfully touched down on Earth in the early hours of Thursday, bringing home the first samples of the moon in over 40 years.
NASA wants an energy solution for lunar mission, announces challenge
NASA is gearing up to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon.
SpaceX slightly modifies its plan for Starship's first 'high-altitude' flight
SpaceX is inching closer to the first-ever 'high altitude' test flight of Starship, the rocket expected to fly to Mars one day, making humans a multi-planetary species.
Soon, Starship's SN8 prototype will fly up to 60,000 feet
SpaceX's next Starship prototype will soon be attempting a major high-altitude flight.
An AI just found 50 new planets: Here's how
In a major development, an AI algorithm has discovered as many as 50 new planets.
Pixxel: Bengaluru-based space tech start-up raises $5 million
In a major development, Bengaluru-based space tech start-up Pixxel has raised $5 million in seed funding.
SpaceX's Starship prototype flies, lands for the first time
After months of pressure tests and development efforts, the prototype of SpaceX's Starship deep-space rocket has gotten off the ground.
SpaceX is bringing NASA astronauts back: How to watch live
SpaceX has moved into the final phase of the "Launch America" mission - bringing NASA astronauts safely back to Earth in its Crew Dragon capsule.
NASA launches rover to find 'ancient Martian life'
In a major development, US space agency NASA has launched a robotic rover to Mars.
Two Indian girls just discovered a 'near-Earth' asteroid: Details here
In a major development, two Indian schoolgirls, hailing from the city of Surat, have discovered an asteroid.
China just launched a rover and orbiter to Mars
Merely days after the UAE, China has also started its journey to Mars.
A massive star just vanished in a distant galaxy. How?
In a strange development, a humongous (and turbulent) star sitting millions of light-years away from Earth appears to have vanished in thin air.
Why NASA has delayed launch of its next Mars rover
In an unexpected turn of events, NASA has delayed the launch of its next Mars rover.
NASA's contest: Design a 'lunar loo', win Rs. 26 lakh
NASA is going back to the Moon, with the hopes of landing the first woman and the next man there by 2024.
SpaceX plans to build floating spaceports for Moon, Mars missions
We all know the ambitions of Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Kathy Sullivan, America's first woman spacewalker, reaches ocean's deepest point
America's first woman spacewalker has now become the first-ever woman to reach the deepest known point in our planet's oceans.
New Earth-like planet found orbiting a Sun-like star: Details here
In a major development, a team of researchers has discovered an Earth-like exoplanet revolving around a Sun-like star.
Private firms allowed to access ISRO facilities, explore space travel
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced that the government will boost private participation in the space sector.