SpaceX | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/spacex-1/RSS feed for SpaceXenFri, 07 Aug 2026 21:26:02 +0000A SpaceX Rocket Part Just Slammed Into the Moon, Creating a Dust Plume and Crater. Here's What Some Scientific Instruments Sawhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-spacex-rocket-part-just-slammed-into-the-moon-creating-a-dust-plume-and-crater-heres-what-some-scientific-instruments-saw-180989299/The Korea Aerospace Research Institute captured before-and-after images of the impact site, and a telescope in Chile detected signs of the plume. However, no one was able to watch the collision liveFri, 07 Aug 2026 21:26:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-spacex-rocket-part-just-slammed-into-the-moon-creating-a-dust-plume-and-crater-heres-what-some-scientific-instruments-saw-180989299/A SpaceX Rocket Part Is Expected to Smack Into the Moon in August, Highlighting the Growing Problem of Space Junkhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/A-spacex-rocket-part-is-expected-to-smack-into-the-moon-in-august-highlighting-the-growing-problem-of-space-junk-180989173/The unintended event also creates an opportunity for scientists and skywatchers to witness lunar impact dynamics in real time, although the debris will hit a sunlit portion of the moon from the perspective of Earth, making it hard to seeWed, 22 Jul 2026 19:44:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/A-spacex-rocket-part-is-expected-to-smack-into-the-moon-in-august-highlighting-the-growing-problem-of-space-junk-180989173/Strange Spheres Washed Ashore on an Australian Beach. Authorities Say They're Probably 'Space Balls'—Empty Fuel Vessels From a Rockethttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-spheres-washed-ashore-on-an-australian-beach-authorities-say-theyre-probably-space-balls-empty-fuel-vessels-from-a-rocket-180989082/The shiny objects—each roughly twice the size of a basketball—began to appear on July 3. Authorities initially worried that they were hazardous but have since determined that they're likely safe bits of space junkTue, 07 Jul 2026 21:15:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-spheres-washed-ashore-on-an-australian-beach-authorities-say-theyre-probably-space-balls-empty-fuel-vessels-from-a-rocket-180989082/See a Stunning View of the Southern Lights Dancing Across the Earth Captured by a NASA Astronauthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-stunning-view-of-the-southern-lights-dancing-across-the-earth-captured-by-a-nasa-astronaut-180988960/Jessica Meir, commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission, shared photos and videos of a green aurora she shot while sheltering in a capsule outside the International Space StationTue, 16 Jun 2026 16:04:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-stunning-view-of-the-southern-lights-dancing-across-the-earth-captured-by-a-nasa-astronaut-180988960/