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Outer Space

A SpaceX rocket carrying 125 miniature moon sculptures by Jeff Koons launched at 1:05 a.m. on February 15.

Art Meets Science

A Lunar Lander Carrying Jeff Koons’ Art Is Flying Toward the Moon

The spacecraft, which finally launched on February 15, is expected to touch down on February 22

University of Nebraska engineer Sean Crimmins loads the robotic arm into its case. A surgeon on Earth will remotely guide the robot through a surgical simulation while it is on the International Space Station.

This Remotely Controlled Robot Will Conduct a Simulated Surgery on the International Space Station

Robot surgeons could treat astronauts on long space missions—but they could also be used on Earth in places where surgeons aren’t present, such as rural areas or war zones

NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft captured this view of Venus. The world has blistering surface temperatures, crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of corrosive acid.

The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Venus

Our sister planet’s cloudy exterior gave it an aura of mystery—until humanity developed the technology to probe past the veil

Researchers pose with a fragment of asteroid 2024 BX1 they found in Germany. The rock is a very rare type of meteorite called an aubrite.

A ‘Very Rare’ Kind of Space Rock Fell in Germany—and Scientists Recovered the Pieces

Analyses revealed the asteroid was an “aubrite,” a classification that applies to only 80 of 70,000 previously found meteorite fragments

Saturn's moon Mimas has a giant impact crater, named Hershel, that stretches across a third of its surface and makes it resemble the "Death Star" from Star Wars.

An Icy Moon of Saturn May Be Hiding a Vast Ocean Under Its Crust, Surprising Astronomers

Researchers suggest a global ocean lies 15 miles beneath the surface of Saturn’s “Death Star” moon, Mimas—a shocking discovery that could redefine what a habitable world looks like

Io, Jupiter's third-largest moon, photographed by NASA's Juno spacecraft.

See Detailed New Images of Io From Another NASA Flyby of the Solar System’s Most Volcanic World

The stunning views show lava flows and volcanic plumes, as scientists seek to learn what causes such volatile conditions on the moon of Jupiter

The full moon, as seen from Granada, Spain. A new study suggests the moon is shrinking, causing moonquakes that could interfere with planned lunar missions.

The Moon Is Shrinking, Causing Moonquakes at a Potential NASA Landing Site, Study Finds

Though the risk to astronauts is low, the shaking could cause landslides and impact potential long-term settlements at the lunar south pole

Spiral galaxy NGC 628, located 32 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces, as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in near- and mid-infrared light. The red and orange spirals represent gas, while the small blue dots represent stars.

See Dazzling New Images of 19 Spiral Galaxies Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope

These detailed infrared views, which contain millions of stars, will help astronomers better understand star formation and the evolution of spiral galaxies

An artist's rendition of a LISA spacecraft.

This ‘Game-Changer’ Detector Will Hunt for Giant Ripples in Spacetime

Set to launch in 2035, the European Space Agency’s LISA mission will listen for gravitational waves created by colliding black holes and neutron stars—and some might date nearly to the Big Bang

An artist’s rendering of a pantheon of planets similar to Earth

This Planned NASA Telescope May Help Us Identify Worlds Like Our Own

The innovative Habitable Worlds Observatory will offer ways to detect signs of life on other planets

A photo of Ingenuity taken by the Perseverance rover in April 2023. The helicopter arrived on Mars attached to Perseverance in February 2021.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Has Taken Its Final Flight

Originally designed for up to five flights on Mars, Ingenuity performed 72 over three years, until one of its rotor blades was damaged during landing on January 18

The open canister with the sample collected from the asteroid Bennu inside. Scientists hope the sample can help them better understand planet formation and the origin of life on Earth.

NASA Finally Opens Canister Holding Asteroid Sample—See What They Found

It took several months for the researchers to remove two stuck fasteners, which required them to design new tools

An image of an odd radio circle called ORC 1. ORCs can be much wider across than the Milky Way galaxy and are large enough to surround entire galaxies.

Giant, ‘Odd’ Circles of Radio Waves in Space May Finally Have an Explanation

The mystifying orbs could be caused by galactic winds, propelled by a period of rapid star formation and death

Japan's X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) launched from Earth on September 7. SLIM took a fuel efficient route to the moon, touching down on the surface over four months later.

Japan Lands Spacecraft on the Moon

After a successful soft landing, the craft’s solar cells weren’t charging and it was running out of power

A photo from a camera on one of Peregrine's payload decks shows some of the spacecraft's payloads, as well as a sliver of Earth in the upper right.

Doomed Lunar Lander Will Burn Up in Earth’s Atmosphere on Thursday

Astrobotic, the company in charge of the mission, says its Peregrine spacecraft will not reach the moon, and burning it will ensure the lander doesn’t end up as space debris

A map of fishing vessels operating between Tunisia and Sicily reveals lots of untracked activity.

These Satellite Maps Reveal Rampant Fishing by Untracked ‘Dark Vessels’ in the World’s Oceans

Using satellite imagery and A.I., a new study finds about 75 percent of industrial fishing is not publicly tracked, and clandestine ships enter marine protected areas

The United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8, carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander.

American Moon Mission Suffers Fuel Leak, Has ‘No Chance’ of a Soft Landing

Launched early Monday, the Peregrine spacecraft started losing propellant almost immediately, and the mission, which is carrying NASA scientific instruments, has been derailed

I thought I saw more red foliage this fall. Is that related to climate change?

Does Climate Change Affect Leaves’ Fall Colors? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

An image of the moon taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on December 7, 1992. Payloads on next week's commercial mission to the surface include NASA scientific instruments, as well as human remains and DNA launched by private companies. 

Navajo Nation President Asks for Delay of Moon Mission Carrying Human Remains

The commercial launch, scheduled for January 8, is slated to carry human remains to the lunar surface, which the Navajo Nation president calls a “desecration of this sacred space”

A view of Jupiter's moon Io captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft on December 30, 2023.

NASA Captures Stunning Images of Jupiter’s Moon Io on Closest Flyby in 20 Years

The Juno spacecraft’s instruments will help scientists better understand volcanic activity on the volatile moon’s surface

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