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World Space Week 2026 celebrates a year of rocket launch milestones

World Space Week 2026 celebrates a year of rocket launch milestones

World Space Week couldn't come at a better time amid a year when Artemis astronauts ventured near the moon and SpaceX's Starship reached orbit.

NASA Seeks New Flight Directors for Artemis and Future Mars Missions

NASA Seeks New Flight Directors for Artemis and Future Mars Missions

NASA is actively recruiting its next class of flight directors at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. These new leaders will be instrumental in overseeing upcoming missions, including those in low Earth orbit, the Artemis missions to the Moon, and eventual human expeditions to Mars. The role demands exceptional technical expertise, decisive leadership, and the ability to maintain composure under high-pressure situations where every second is critical. Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics, and possess professional experience involving high-stress, high-risk decision-making. Previous flight controller experience is not a prerequisite for application.

NASA's SunRISE Mission Targets Mid-2027 Launch to Study Solar Radio Bursts

NASA's SunRISE Mission Targets Mid-2027 Launch to Study Solar Radio Bursts

NASA's Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission is now targeting a launch no earlier than mid-2027. This heliophysics mission will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, serving as a rideshare payload sponsored by the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command. The SunRISE mission consists of six small satellites, each about the size of a toaster oven, designed to operate in formation as a single, large radio telescope. These SmallSats will be positioned slightly above geosynchronous orbit, approximately 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) in altitude. Their primary objective is to track radio bursts originating from the Sun's atmosphere, or corona, which are generated by accelerated particles leaving the Sun. The assembly and testing of these SmallSats have been completed at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, where they will be stored until their shipment to Florida prior to launch.

Sputnik 1 Was a 184-Pound Sphere That Changed the Space Race Forever

Sputnik 1 Was a 184-Pound Sphere That Changed the Space Race Forever

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, into an elliptical low Earth orbit. This event, orig...

NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Striking Martian Dawn Image

NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Striking Martian Dawn Image

NASA's Curiosity rover has captured a striking image of dawn on the Martian surface, showcasing sunlight illuminating jagged, wind-carved crags. The image was taken by the rover's Mastcam camera approximately an hour after sunrise, revealing a landscape of yardangs on Mount Sharp. These crags are believed to have formed from wind-blown sediment, possibly sand or volcanic ash, that hardened into rock about 3 billion years ago. Planetary scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory noted the unique appearance of this rock layer compared to others the rover has traversed. The Curiosity rover, which landed in 2012 in Gale Crater, has been steadily climbing Mount Sharp since 2014, gaining over 0.6 miles in elevation. Its mission involves studying Mars' geology and climate to determine if the planet once harbored conditions suitable for microbial life. The rover is expected to reach the yardang layer in 2027 or 2028 to conduct further geological analysis.

Texas Engineer Lori Magruder Joins Leadership Team for New United States Space Academy

Texas Engineer Lori Magruder Joins Leadership Team for New United States Space Academy

Lori Magruder, an aerospace engineering professor and director of the Center for Space Research at The University of Texas at Austin, has been appointed to a leadership team tasked with establishing the new United States Space Academy in Texas. This academy, announced recently and to be led by NASA, aims to train future generations of space professionals. Magruder's selection is partly due to her role on the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium (TARSEC) executive committee, where she represents the UT System. The consortium unites leaders from higher education and industry across Texas to advance its interests. The team also includes Nancy Currie-Gregg, director of the Texas A&M Space Institute and former NASA astronaut; Heather Wilson, president of The University of Texas at El Paso and former U.S. Air Force secretary; Evan Loomis, Texas Space Commission Board of Directors member; Robert Ambrose, associate director of the Texas A&M Space Institute; and Jack Fischer, senior Vice President ...

Axiom Space Orbital Missions Priced at $55 Million Per Seat for 10-14 Day Stays

Axiom Space Orbital Missions Priced at $55 Million Per Seat for 10-14 Day Stays

Axiom Space Orbital Missions Priced at $55 Million Per Seat for 10-14 Day Stays

NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Unusual Light-Toned Rocks on Mars, Suggesting Deep Crustal Origins

NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Unusual Light-Toned Rocks on Mars, Suggesting Deep Crustal Origins

NASA's Perseverance rover has encountered a vast field of unusual light-toned rocks scattered across a hillside in the 'Lac de Charmes' region, located beyond the western rim of Jezero crater on Mars. This discovery, made after six months of exploration in the area, has piqued the interest of the Science Team because light-colored rocks are a rare sight on Mars, which is predominantly covered by dark basaltic rocks. Initial data from Perseverance's investigations into the composition and textures of these rocks indicate that many are igneous rocks called gabbro. Gabbro is rich in iron and magnesium minerals and typically forms from the slow cooling and crystallization of magma deep within a planet's crust. The rover has spent the past week examining a patch of possible bedrock between these boulders and loose regolith, which appears to be a breccia—a rock composed of angular fragments. Scientists are exploring the possibility that the light-toned boulders eroded out of this breccia.

NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Striking Martian Dawn Image, Continues Mount Sharp Ascent

NASA's Curiosity Rover Captures Striking Martian Dawn Image, Continues Mount Sharp Ascent

NASA's Curiosity rover has captured a striking image of dawn on the Martian surface, showcasing sunlight illuminating jagged crags formed billions of years ago. The image was taken by the rover's Mastcam camera approximately an hour after sunrise, revealing wind-carved cliffs in the distance. Since its landing in Gale Crater in 2012, Curiosity has been ascending Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall mountain. Planetary scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained that the bright, craggy peaks are a distinct rock layer, believed to be ancient wind-blown sediment that hardened into rock and was subsequently carved into ridges called yardangs. This yardang layer likely formed around 3 billion years ago and spans about 10 miles across Mount Sharp's northwestern reaches. The rover has climbed over 0.6 miles (1 km) in elevation, a record for Mars. Curiosity continues its mission to study Mars' geology and climate, investigating past conditions that might have supported microbial life. It is one o...

Lack of transparency in what space weapons nations are pursuing and even on what's already in orbit

Lack of transparency in what space weapons nations are pursuing and even on what's already in orbit

The United States military recently confirmed that the U.S. has deployed weapons in space

Next Artemis mission on track for 2027, but anything can happen, astronaut says

Next Artemis mission on track for 2027, but anything can happen, astronaut says

By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The next mission under NASA's Artemis moon program could still launch next summer as planned, but "anything can happen" given the remaining development work for the two lunar landers needed for the mission, one of the Artemis III astronauts told Reuters

NASA hasn't given up on Boeing Starliner. Here's what's next

NASA hasn't given up on Boeing Starliner. Here's what's next

The infamous Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which has not flown since a June 2024 mission ended in near-disaster, could fly again before the end of 2026.