Space News

Bipartisan Senate bill would sharpen Space Force training for conflict with China

Sens. Cortez Masto and Britt propose expanded space wargaming and an unclassified assessment of China's commercial space sector

ASI Board Resigns to Allow for the Appointment of an Extraordinary Commissioner

Three members of the Italian Space Agency’s board of directors have resigned, resulting in the board’s dissolution. This clears the way for the appointment of an extraordinary commissioner to lead the agency following the death of its president, Teodoro Valente, on 16 July. ASI announced on 5 August that acting vice president Elda Turco Bulgherini […]

NASA’s Lunar Development and Test Facility Prepares Artemis Hardware for Moon

Before astronauts return to the Moon’s surface through NASA’s Artemis program, the hardware they depend on must first prove it can survive the unforgiving lunar environment. At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers at the Lunar Development and Test Facility are tackling one of exploration’s biggest challenges: Moon dust. Unlike sand on Earth, lunar dust is sharp, abrasive, and clings […]

APOD: 2026 August 7 – Rubin’s Cosmos Field

APOD: 2026 August 7 – Rubin’s Cosmos Field

Sensing the Poles’ Hidden Heat

New animations from NASA’s PREFIRE mission reveal two years of seasonal temperature swings at the Arctic and Antarctic.

Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion

The Aug. 5 update from Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp offered the first explanation for what caused the company’s 98-meter-tall (320 ft.) to explode at the pad on May 28.

Educators & Teens Get Hands-On With TEMPO Data to Help Investigate Local Air Quality

The NASA Science Activation Program’s Cosmic Storytelling with NASA Data (CosmicDS) project, led by Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, works to bring authentic NASA data into the hands of educators and learners. From July 27–29, 2026, the CosmicDS team partnered with the Smithsonian Institution’s BEST AQI (Breathing Easier: Supporting Teen Air Quality Investigations) project to […]

Blue Origin narrowing in on root cause of catastrophic rocket accident

"The anomaly originated at the main oxygen valve on one of the BE-4 engines."

NASA’s SkyFall Helicopters at Work (Artist’s Concept)

Description This artist’s concept depicts NASA’s three SkyFall Mars helicopters collecting data while flying over the surface of the Red Planet. The green frequency waves emanating from the helicopters’ large antennas depict collection of subsurface radar data. The red beams depict collect near-infrared imagery data from regolith (crushed rock and dust) and other surface features. […]

Antenna Testing for NASA’s SkyFall Mission

Description SkyFall ground-penetrating radar engineer Maya Román connects a coaxial cable to a test antenna in the Environmental Test Lab’s electromagnetic interference testing chamber at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The antenna was pointed up during test to minimize reflections and interferences with the antenna pattern during the measurement. Equipped with four instruments each, the […]

I Am Artemis: Tom Percy

As NASA sets its sights on long-term exploration of the Moon and Mars, the agency is increasing the cadence of its Artemis missions. Helping bring these plans to fruition is Tom Percy, manager of systems engineering and integration for NASA’s Human Landing System Program. Percy serves as a focal point in working with providers SpaceX […]