Space Science

SpaceX capsule with world's first all-civilian orbital crew splashes down off Florida

The quartet of newly minted citizen astronauts comprising the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission safely splashed down in the Atlantic off Florida’s coast on Saturday (Sept 18), completing a three-day flight of the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit.

What life is like aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule

The first space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday and the four crew members -- a billionaire and three other Americans -- have already seen more than 25 sunsets and sunrises. SpaceX has released few details about their adventure since they reached an orbit that is more distant than that of the International Space Station. Here's what we know about their life on board:

SpaceX capsule with world's first all-civilian orbital crew set for splashdown

The quartet of newly minted citizen astronauts comprising the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission were due to splash down in the Atlantic off Florida on Saturday, completing a three-day flight of the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit.

Mars rocks collected by Perseverance boost case for ancient life

Both samples, slightly wider than a pencil in diameter and about six centimeters long, are now stored in sealed tubes in the rover's interior.

NASA confirms Perseverance Mars rover got its first piece of rock

NASA confirmed Monday that its Perseverance Mars rover succeeded in collecting its first rock sample for scientists to pore over when a future mission eventually brings it back to Earth.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sues NASA over Moon lander contract

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sued the U.S government over NASA's decision to award a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract to Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Bezos offers NASA $2 billion in exchange for moon mission contract

Fresh off his trip to space, billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos on Monday offered to cover up to $2 billion in NASA costs if the U.S. space agency awards his company Blue Origin a contract to make a spacecraft designed to land astronauts back on the moon.

Chinese researchers propose deflecting 'Armageddon' asteroids with rockets

Chinese researchers want to send more than 20 of China's largest rockets to practice turning away a sizable asteroid - a technique that may eventually be crucial if a killer rock is on a collision course with Earth.

Lunar eclipse 2019 marks Moon landing's 50th anniversary

Fifty years to the day since mankind launched the first mission to set foot on it, the Moon is set to treat Earthlings to a partial lunar eclipse on Tuesday.

India’s second lunar mission called off due to technical glitch

India's second unmanned mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, has been called off due to a technical glitch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) says.

Israeli spacecraft crashes during moon landing

Israel's attempt at a moon landing fails at the last minute when the craft suffered an engine failure as it prepared to land and apparently crashed onto the lunar surface.

The woman behind first black hole image

The first-ever photo of a black hole is unveiled, and we have Katie Bouman to thank for that.

Hayabusa2 made history with manmade crater attempt on asteroid

Space explorer Hayabusa2’s successful operation to create a crater by striking the asteroid Ryugu with a lump of copper, when confirmed, is to mark the first such achievement in the world.

Super snow moon, 2019's biggest supermoon, lights up the sky today

February's full moon will brighten the skies as the biggest supermoon of the year. The supermoon occurs during this full moon because it will be closest in its orbit to Earth. The super snow moon as it is being called will cross the skies today (Tuesday).