Space
Mercury may be shrinking faster than scientists expected
A new study shows that little, wrinkly Mercury — our solar system’s smallest and innermost planet — may be shrinking faster than scientists previously thought.
SpaceX and other rocket companies may soon be exempt from key environmental rules
The FAA wants to waive some environmental requirements for space companies like SpaceX. Critics worry they won’t be held accountable for damaging property or ecosystems.
A near-total lunar eclipse will be visible across the U.S. Thursday night
Two weeks after a total solar eclipse wowed skywatchers in Europe, a near-total lunar eclipse is in store Thursday for people in North and South America.
The universe, unlocked: NASA to launch a space telescope that could transform our view of the cosmos
NASA is poised to launch its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Sunday. Scientists say it will revolutionize our understanding of the universe and rewrite astronomy textbooks.
SpaceX to build major spaceport in Louisiana for Starship rocket launches
SpaceX plans to build a Starship rocket launch complex in southern Louisiana, a $100 billion effort poised to transform coastal wetlands into a base for the company’s AI satellite launch ambitions.
20 years after Pluto was made a dwarf planet, some still can’t let go
Monday marks 20 years since Pluto was considered a full-fledged planet in our solar system. Debate over its reclassification rages on.
China is about to launch an ambitious moon mission to hunt for ice in one of the solar system’s coldest places
China is poised to launch Chang’e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, in search of frozen water near the moon’s south pole.
Scientists are certain a wayward SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon as predicted
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported.
A defunct SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon
A defunct SpaceX rocket part is on course to hit the moon within days. It would be just the second known instance of a human-made object unintentionally colliding with the lunar surface.
SpaceX plan to launch 1 million data center satellites could turn atmosphere into a ‘fire pit,’ scientists say
A SpaceX proposal to launch up to 1 million data center satellites has scientists concerned that Earth’s atmosphere could wind up full of vaporized spacecraft material.