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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
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.

SCIENCE

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.

SCIENCE

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.

SMART NEWS

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

Artist's rendering of

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

From Floating Cities to Biodegradable Burial Pods and Flying Cars, the Smithsonian Envisions a Multitude of Futures

Space Travel

Sacha Jafri's We Rise Together—With the Light of the Moon is designed to endure on the moon’s surface.

SMART NEWS

One Small Step for Space Art

Molly Enking

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie with some of the sample tubes it left on the Red Planet's surface using the camera at the end of its robotic arm.

SMART NEWS

Perseverance Rover Completes Depot of Mars Rock Samples

Sarah Kuta

NASA has 42 current astronauts to select from for a possible mission to the moon.

SCIENCE

How NASA Is Selecting the Next Astronauts to Walk on the Moon

Brendan Byrne

A camera mounted on the Orion spacecraft captured the moon just in frame on December 4, 2022. NASA plans to use Orion as part of a mission to return astronauts to the lunar surface.

SCIENCE

How Space Radiation Threatens Lunar Exploration

Mrigakshi Dixit, Supercluster

A photo of the International Space Station taken by a crewmember aboard the space shuttle orbiter Discovery in 2001. 

SMART NEWS

Space Station Astronauts to Receive New Spacecraft After Coolant Leak

Will Sullivan

Exploring Mars

SMART NEWS

Perseverance Rover Completes Depot of Mars Rock Samples

February 1, 2023


SMART NEWS

See the Chilling Beauty of Winter on Mars

January 4, 2023


SMART NEWS

What NASA's Retired InSight Lander Taught Us About Mars

December 21, 2022

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