Special Report

Future of Space Exploration

From groundbreaking launches of new telescopes to missions to the sun and other planets, Smithsonian Magazine details upcoming efforts to understand the universe.

An artist's concept of the ESA's Solar Orbiter and NASA's Parker Solar Probe as they undertake missions to explore the sun

Solar Orbiter: ESA / ATG medialab; Parker Solar Probe: NASA / Johns Hopkins APL

Groundbreaking Efforts

Construction of multiple telescopes has begun on Saishiteng Mountain—near the town of Lenghu in the Qinghai province of China. The site could be China’s first major observatory, on par with those in Hawaii, Chile, and the Canary Islands.

Why the Tibetan Plateau Might Be the Ideal Spot for the Telescope of the Future

Webb’s 18 mirror segments can lock into the largest telescopic mirror humankind has ever built.

The Five Big Ways the James Webb Telescope Will Help Astronomers Understand the Universe

This will be the first NASA mission to Venus since 1990.

With Two New Missions, NASA Announces Return to Venus by 2030

Space Travel

The massive 170,000-pound Discovery measures 122 feet long by 58 feet tall with a wingspan of 78 feet.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Following the 1986 and 2003 Shuttle Disasters, 'Discovery' Launched America Back Into Space

The habitat 3D printed by the construction technology company ICON, and designed by the architecture firm, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, includes separate rooms for each crew member, two bathrooms, a kitchen, areas for fitness and recreation, and a space to grow crops.

NASA Is Recruiting Candidates for Year-Long Mars Simulation

Elizabeth Gamillo

The ascent module (pictured) may still be orbiting the moon—or it exploded. According to the new calculations, the space junk never crash-landed onto the moon's surface as previously expected.

Part of the Apollo 11 Spacecraft May Still Be Orbiting the Moon

The researchers flew their fridge on parabolic flights to simulate a microgravity environment.

The Quest to Build a Functional, Energy-Efficient Refrigerator That Works in Space

Robert McCurdy, Untitled, Jeffrey P. Bezos, 2019, oil on canvas

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Jeff Bezos Gifts Historic $200 Million to the Smithsonian

Beth Py-Lieberman