Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station on Friday for a 6-1/2-hour spacewalk to replace aging batteries for the laboratory’s solar power system, an upgrade needed to keep the outpost running into the next decade. NASA via REUTERS Two ast... More »
This artist’s impression shows the planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri B, a member of the triple star system that is the closest to Earth in this image released on October 17, 2012. REUTERS/ESO/L. Calcada/N. Risinger The European Southern Observatory’s Ver... More »
Elon Musk in Hong Kong, China January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File Photo Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company has been cleared to resume flying following a launch pad explosion four months ago, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday. More »
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida April 8, 2016 in this handout photo provided by SpaceX. REUTERS/SpaceX/Handout via Reuters Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to resume flying rockets next week following an investigation into why one of t... More »
China’s President Xi Jinping looks on before meeting with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (not pictured) at the Great Halll of the People in Beijing, China December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Nicolas Asouri/Pool China’s space program must help protect the... More »
Israeli satellite operator Space Communications said on Wednesday it would launch a new telecommunications satellite in 2019 after losing a prior one in an explosion. More »
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Epsilon rocket carrying the satellite named Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) set off from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo December 20, 2016. ... More »
File Photo – NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is seen at the site from which it reached down to drill into a rock target called ‘Buckskin’ on lower Mount Sharp in this low-angle self-portrait taken August 5, 2015 and released August 19, 2015. REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Calte... More »
Eight small satellites, designed to improve hurricane forecasts by detecting the wind speeds within storms, blasted off on Thursday aboard an air-launched Pegasus rocket, a NASA TV broadcast showed. More »
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft image of the limb of dwarf planet Ceres shows a section of the northern hemisphere in this image on October 17, 2016. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/Handout via REUTERS The dwarf planet Ceres, an enigmatic rocky body inhabiti... More »
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveils his plans to colonize Mars during the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer By Irene KlotzCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – – Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been forced to delay... More »
An unmanned H-2B rocket blasted off from Tanegashima island in southern Japan on Friday to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station, a NASA TV broadcast showed. More »
Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX hopes to return its Falcon 9 rocket to flight on Dec. 16, said Iridium Communications Inc, which plans to have 10 of its satellites on board for launching. More »
A Russian Progress MS-04 space cargo ship with food and supplies for the International Space Station blasts off from the launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 1, 2016. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS An unmanned Russian cargo ship loaded wi... More »
A full-size model of the European ExoMars entry, descent and landing module, Schiaparell is seen during a press conference at the European Space Agency (ESA) Headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach – RTX2PNJ1 European space... More »
An illustration released by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the Schiaparelli EDM lander. A European space lander reached Mars on October 19, 2016 in what scientists hope will mark a major milestone in exploration of the Red Planet, but whether it touched... More »
An international crew of astronauts celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday with a special ‘spacegiving feast’ of rehydrated foods on board the International Space Station. More »
A giant poster of Tintin is seen inside the Centre Pompidou modern art museum in Paris December 19, 2006. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Belgian comic-strip hero Tintin helped popularize the 1950s Space Race with his iconic cartoon rocket- seven decades on ... More »
New Horizons spacecraft is seen transmitting data back to Earth in an undated artist’s illustration. NASA/Handout via REUTERS Scientists have found evidence that tiny, distant Pluto harbors a hidden ocean beneath the frozen surface of its heart-shaped central ... More »
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks after unveiling the Dragon V2 spacecraft in Hawthorne, California, U.S. on May 29, 2014. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo Private rocket launch service SpaceX is requesting government approval to operate a massive satellite network ... More »
Europe launched four more Galileo satellites on Thursday, moving a step closer to having its own navigation system and marking the first time it has sent up so many satellites at once. More »
The International Space Station (ISS) crew member Peggy Whitson of the U.S. is pictured before boarding spacecraft at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan 17 November 2016. REUTERS/Kirill Kudryavtsev/ Pool A multinational crew, including a U.S. astronaut who is... More »
The re-entry capsule of China’s Shenzhou-11 spacecraft is loaded on a truck, north of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, November 18, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS China’s Shenzhou 11 space capsule landed safely in the northern region of Inner Mongolia o... More »
An Atlas V rocket with NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R), lifts off at 6:42 p.m. EST at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, U.S., November 19, 2016. Courtesy Tony Gray & Tim Terry/NASA/Handout... More »
The super moon appears in the sky in Cairo, Egypt, in this file photo taken October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo The largest, brightest full moon in nearly seven decades will be on display in the coming days, promising Earth-bound sky-watche... More »
A Long March 5 carrier rocket is launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China November 3, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS China has launched its new Long March-5 heavy rocket, state media said, sending its payload into orbit... More »
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveils his plans to colonize Mars during the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Friday his space launch company is aiming to return it... More »
A full-size model of the European ExoMars entry, descent and landing module, Schiaparell is seen during a press conference at the European Space Agency (ESA) Headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Images taken by a NASA Ma... More »
A Russian Soyuz MS space capsule stands on the ground shortly after its landing with International Space Station (ISS) crew members Kate Rubins of the U.S., Anatoly Ivanishin of Russia and Takuya Onishi of Japan, as a rescue helicopter lands nearby, outside th... More »
The recovered first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is transported to the SpaceX hangar at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 14, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper A proposal by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to fuel its rockets while astr... More »
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, October 17, 2016. Bill Ingalls/NASA/Handout via REUTERS An unmanned Antares rocket owned by Orbital ATK Inc blasted off fro... More »
The Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft carrying the crew of Shane Kimbrough of the U.S., Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Russia blasts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the launchpad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, October 19, 2016. REUTERS... More »
Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft carrying astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong blasts off from the launchpad in Jiuquan, China. China Daily/via REUTERS China’s Shenzhou 11 manned spacecraft has successfully docked with China’s Tiangong 2 space lab, and two astro... More »
An illustration released by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the Schiaparelli EDM lander. ESA/Handout via REUTERS A European space lander reached Mars on Wednesday in what scientists hope will mark a major milestone in exploration of the Red Planet, but w... More »
An artist’s rendering depicts NASA’s Juno spacecraft above Jupiter’s north pole in this undated handout image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout via Reuters/File photo NASA’s Juno spacecraft lost its main computer and science instruments shortly before it was due to ma... More »
An illustration released by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the Schiaparelli EDM lander. A European space lander reached Mars on October 19, 2016 in what scientists hope will mark a major milestone in exploration of the Red Planet, but whether it touched... More »
The Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft carrying the crew of Shane Kimbrough of the U.S., Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Russia blasts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the launchpad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, October 19, 2016. REUTERS... More »
A full-size model of the European ExoMars entry, descent and landing module, Schiaparell is seen during a press conference at the European Space Agency (ESA) Headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Images taken by a NASA Ma... More »
Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks on Mars inferred to have been formed by contemporary flowing water are seen in an image produced by NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the University of Arizona. Scientists have found the first evidence that brin... More »
The ExoMars 2016 spacecraft composite, comprised of the Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli, is transfered to the launch vehicle adapter (LVA), with the conical shaped LVA seen in the foreground, at the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, in this handout photo rel... More »
Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong wave at a news conference before China launches the Shenzhou 11 manned spacecraft, in Jiuquan, China, October 16, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS China will launch a two-man space mission, Shenzhou 11, on Monday,... More »
Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft carrying astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong blasts off from the launchpad in Jiuquan, China, October 17, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS China launched its longest manned space mission on Monday, sending two astronauts into orbit... More »
The New Shepard booster rocket, owned by Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin, is shown at the moment of separation during the escape module testing in Culberson County, West Texas, U.S., October 5, 2016. Blue Origin/Handout via REUTERS A rocket owned by Jeff... More »
A composite image shows suspected plumes of water vapor erupting at the seven o’clock position off the limb of Jupiter’s moon Europa in a NASA Hubble Space Telescope picture taken January 26, 2014 and released September 26, 2016. NASA/ESA/W. Sparks (STScI)/USG... More »
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveils his plans to colonize Mars during the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, September 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer SpaceX is developing a massive rocket and capsule to transport large numbers of people and carg... More »
Artist’s impression of Rosetta spacecraft shortly before hitting Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on September 30, 2016. ESA/ATG medialab/Handout via REUTERS The Rosetta spacecraft ended its historic mission on Friday, crashing on the surface of the dusty, icy ... More »
Journalist sit below a scale model of the Rosetta spacecraft at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski The European Space Agency said the Rosetta spacecraft has crash-landed on a comet a... More »
Technical problems have prompted Russia’s space agency to postpone the launch of its next manned Soyuz spaceship to the International Space Station (ISS) which was scheduled for Sept. 23, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. More »
Rosetta, the European Space Agency’s cometary probe with NASA contributions, is seen in an undated artist’s rendering. REUTERS/ESA/NASA/Handout After 12 years chasing a comet across more 6 billion km of space, European scientists will end the historic Rosetta ... More »
CEO of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos arrives for the world premiere of ”Star Trek Beyond” at Comic Con in San Diego, California U.S., July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake Jeff Bezos on Monday unveiled a heavy-lift reusable rocket expected to compete against Elon Musk’s S... More »
China will launch its second experimental space laboratory late on Thursday and another manned space mission next month, the government said, part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. More »
China’s second experimental space laboratory lifts off from the launch pad in Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, September 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer China launched its second experimental space laboratory on Thursday, part of a broader plan to have a permanent m... More »
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft which will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and bring a sample back to Earth for study into the origins of life. NASA/Handout via Reuters A... More »
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, U.S. in... More »
The Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft capsule carrying International Space Station (ISS) crew, comprised of Jeff Williams of the U.S. and Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin of Russia, lands near the town of Zhezkazgan (Dzhezkazgan), Kazakhstan, September 7, 2016. REUT... More »
An explosion on the launch site of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is shown in this still image from video in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. September 1, 2016. U.S. Launch Report/Handout via REUTERS An explosion destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket belonging to Elon Musk’s Spa... More »
Two U.S. astronauts sailed through a seven-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Thursday to pack up a spare cooling radiator and tackle other maintenance, a NASA TV broadcast showed. More »
The recovered first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is transported to the SpaceX hangar at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 14, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo Elon Musk’s SpaceX has signed its first customer to ... More »
A curious radio signal picked up by a Russian telescope is probably not a transmission from an extraterrestrial civilization, but astronomers in California are taking a second look anyway, the SETI Institute said on Tuesday. More »
The planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Solar System, is seen in an undated artist’s impression released by the European Southern Observatory August 24, 2016. ESO/M. Kornmesser/Handout via Reuters Scientists h... More »
Concept portrayal of China’s Mars rover and lander released on August 23, 2016 by lunar probe and space project center of Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence. China Daily/via REUTERS China has showed off its fi... More »
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft which will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and bring a sample back to Earth for study is seen in an undated NASA artist rendering. NASA/Ha... More »
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams works inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) attached to the International Space Station in this still image from NASA TV taken June 6, 2016. NASA/Handout via Reuters Two NASA astronauts completed a six-hour spacewalk... More »
World’s first quantum satellite is launched in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, China, August 16, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS China on Tuesday launched the world’s first quantum satellite, which will help it establish “hack-proof” communications between space and th... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A Florida-based company won U.S. government permission on Wednesday to send a robotic lander to the moon next year, the firm’s founder said, marking the first time the United States has cleared a private space mission to fly beyond Earth&r... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Apollo astronauts who ventured to the moon are at five times greater risk of dying from heart disease than shuttle astronauts, U.S. researchers said on Thursday, citing the dangers of cosmic radiation beyond the Earth’s magnetic field. The... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Scientists have long wondered why Jupiter’s upper atmosphere has temperatures similar to those of Earth, even though the biggest planet in the solar system is five times farther away from the sun. The answer may be The Great Red Spot, an e... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. An unmanned SpaceX rocket blasted off from Florida early on Monday to send a cargo ship to the International Space Station, then turned around and landed itself back at the launch site. The 23-story-tall Falcon 9 rocket, built and flown by... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Elon Musk’s SpaceX will make a second attempt on Monday to deliver one of two docking rings to the International Space Station, a crucial step in enabling U.S. commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the orbiting lab, NASA said on Su... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla/CHICAGO Given her background in researching some of the deadliest pathogens on Earth, including Ebola, colleagues of newly arrived astronaut Kate Rubins had expected her to want to do “crazy science fiction” on the International Space Stati... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Astronomers have discovered a planet unlike any other ever found, one that loops widely around one star that is locked in a gravitational embrace with two others in a triple-star system, creating a curious celestial ballet. The findings, p... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA’s Juno spacecraft capped a five-year journey to Jupiter late Monday with a do-or-die engine burn to sling itself into orbit, setting the stage for a 20-month dance around the biggest planet in the solar system to learn how and where i... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA’S Juno spacecraft capped a five-year journey to Jupiter on Monday with a do-or-die engine burn that looped it into orbit to probe the origins of the biggest planet in the solar system and how it impacted the rise of life on Earth, the... More »
DARMSTADT, Germany Dreaming of a trip to Mars? You’ll have to wait at least 15 years for the technology to be developed, the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) said, putting doubt on claims that the journey could happen sooner. “If there was enough money ... More »
FRANKFURT Britain’s first official astronaut said on Tuesday he would join another trip to the International Space Station “in a heartbeat” and would love to explore the moon. Tim Peake was one of three astronauts to return to earth on Saturday after spending ... More »
MOJAVE, Calif. A space launch company bankrolled by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder Paul Allen intends to compete with space entrepreneurs and industry stalwarts by launching satellites into orbit from the world’s biggest airplane. Stratolaunch Systems, a u... More »
ZHEZKAZGAN, Kazakhstan A soyuz capsule bringing back three astronauts from the International Space Station, including the first to represent the British government, made a safe parachute landing on the steppe near the Kazakh city of Zhezkazgan on Saturday. The... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The universe is expanding faster than previously believed, a surprising discovery that could test part of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, a pillar of cosmology that has withstood challenges for a century. The discovery that the uni... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday carrying about 3,700 pounds (1,680 kg) of experiment results and cargo from the International Space Station, NASA said. It was the first return load from the station i... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Astronomers have discovered 1,284 more planets beyond our solar system, with nine possibly in orbits suitable for surface water that could bolster the prospects of supporting life, scientists said on Tuesday. The announcement brings the to... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Tiny Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet, sailed across the face of the sun on Monday, a celestial dance that occurs about once every decade as Earth and its smaller neighboring planet align in space. The journey, which astronomer... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Stargazers will have a rare opportunity on Monday to witness Mercury fly directly across the face of the sun, a sight that unfolds once every 10 years or so, as Earth and its smaller neighboring planet come into perfect alignment. The best... More »
BEIJING China will launch a “core module” for its first space station some time around 2018, a senior official told the state-run Xinhua news agency on Thursday, part of a plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. Advancing China’s ... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on a NASA cargo run to the International Space Station on Friday, and its reusable main-stage booster landed on an ocean platform minutes later in a dramatic spaceflight first. The successf... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Orbital ATK is pressing U.S. lawmakers to end a 20-year ban on using decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) for launching commercial satellites and the effort has raised concern among companies that have invested million... More »
SEATTLE Jeff Bezos’ space transportation company Blue Origin successfully launched and landed for the third time a suborbital rocket capable of carrying six passengers, taking another step on its path in developing reusable boosters, the company said on Saturd... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying a NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station on Friday, ending a nearly six-hour flight, a NASA TV broadcast showed. U.S. astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Ole... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The most detailed look at Pluto’s surface to date has revealed an unexpected range of mountains, glacial flows, smooth plains and other landscapes, according to studies released on Thursday. The unprecedented window into the so-called dwar... More »
BERLIN A spacecraft is due to set off for Mars next week on a mission that scientists hope will help answer one of the most burning questions of spacefaring times: Is there life on other planets? The craft, part of the European-Russian ExoMars program, is to l... More »
NASA plans to repair a Mars spacecraft that was grounded in December because of a leak in its primary science instrument, putting the mission back on track for another launch attempt in 2018, the U.S. space agency said on Wednesday. The spacecraft, a satellite... More »
KENT, Wash. Privately owned Blue Origin is years ahead of competitor Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Ltd (AJRD.N) in developing a rocket engine to replace now-banned Russian engines used on rockets launching U.S. military missions, company founder Jeff Bezos said ... More »
KENT, Wash. Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin expects to begin crewed test flights of its reusable suborbital New Shepard vehicle next year and begin flying paying passengers in 2018, Bezos told reporters on Tuesday. Bezos’ remarks, made during the first e... More »
WASHINGTON Orbital ATK Inc on Monday said it hopes to announce within the next six to eight weeks its first contract for a new “in space” service aimed at extending the life and uses of aging commercial satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Tom Wilson, vice pres... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. At the last second, Elon Musk’s SpaceX scrubbed plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday, again delaying an attempt to put an satellite into orbit and then land the vehicle’s first stage intact on a sea platform, a step that may eventua... More »
BEIJING China will put a second space laboratory in orbit in the third quarter of this year, state news agency Xinhua said on Sunday, part of the country’s plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. Advancing China’s space program is... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX on Thursday called off its second attempt in as many days to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a satellite-delivery mission because of a technical difficulty, a launch commentator said. The rocket was less than two minutes from liftoff fr... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who returns next week after nearly a year aboard the International Space Station, said on Thursday the secret to enduring the longest U.S. spaceflight is marking individual milestones, not ticking days off the c... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX on Wednesday postponed for at least 24 hours the scheduled Florida launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on a satellite-delivery mission and attempted return-landing at sea to allow extra time to chill the rocket’s propellant, the company sai... More »
SYDNEY An Australian telescope used to broadcast live vision of man’s first steps on the moon in 1969 has found hundreds of new galaxies hidden behind the Milky Way by using an innovative receiver that measures radio waves. Scientists at the Parkes telescope, ... More »
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. Satellite operator SES SA is interested in buying a used Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, for a future launch, the chief technology officer for SES said on Tuesday. “SES would have no problem in f... More »
