Written by Noah Martin, Ph.D. student and Candice Bedford, Research Scientist at Purdue University While much of Perseverance’s work focuses on ancient rocks that record Mars’ long-lost rivers and lakes, megaripples offer a rare opportunity to examine processes that are ... Continue Reading »

As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, four crew members from three space agencies will launch no earlier than Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway ... Continue Reading »

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston closed 2025 with major progress across human spaceflight, research, and exploration. From Artemis II mission preparations to science aboard the International Space Station, teams at Johnson helped prepare for future missions to the Moon ... Continue Reading »

Just like your cellphone stays connected by roaming between networks, NASA’s Polylingual Experimental Terminal, or PExT, technology demonstration is proving space missions can do the same by switching seamlessly between government and commercial communications networks. Continue Reading »

NASA astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates electrostatic forces using charged water droplets and a knitting needle made of Teflon. This series of overlapping frames from Feb. 19, 2025, displays the unique attraction-repulsion properties of Teflon and charged droplets, similar to how ... Continue Reading »

Services Catalog Click here to view the FY25 Services Catalog The catalogs provide service description, chargeback rate, unit of measure, and service level indicators for each NSSC service. Service Level Agreement (SLA) Click here to view the Service Level Agreement ... Continue Reading »

A sideways spiral galaxy shines in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. Located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo (the Maiden), NGC 4388 is a resident of the Virgo galaxy cluster. This enormous cluster of galaxies contains ... Continue Reading »

In 2019, Betelgeuse dimmed in brightness, sparking speculation that it may soon explode as a supernova. While it likely won’t explode quite yet, we can preview its fate by observing the nearby Crab Nebula. Continue Reading »

Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Planning Date: Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 The weekend drive starting from the “Nevado Sajama” drill site brought Curiosity back into the “Monte Grande” boxwork hollow. We’ve been ... Continue Reading »

Whose Moon Mascot design will join the Artemis II astronauts on their historic voyage around the Moon in early 2026? Between March 7 and Jun. 16, 2025, NASA worked with crowdsourcing company Freelancer to seek design ideas from global creators ... Continue Reading »

She just became the first wheelchair user to travel to space  CNNNew Shepard Mission NS-37  Blue OriginParaplegic engineer becomes first wheelchair user to float in space  NBC NewsBlue Origin launches 1st wheelchair user to space and back (video)  SpaceBlue Origin sends person using a ... Continue Reading »

3I/ATLAS Ignores Earth  Avi Loeb – MediumNew X-ray images show interstellar comet as it makes closest approach to Earth  CNNFarewell, comet 3I/ATLAS! Interstellar visitor heads for the outer solar system after its closest approach to Earth  SpaceWhy Astronomers Are Excited About Comet 3I/ATLAS’ ... Continue Reading »

How to see the Ursids, the final meteor shower of 2025  YahooUrsid meteor shower: What to know and how to watch the peak  CNNHow to Watch the Ursids Winter Solstice Meteor Shower  The New York TimesThis Week's Sky at a Glance, December 19 ... Continue Reading »

Rocket Lab Sets New Launch Record with Historic ‘DiskSat’ Mission  The Daily GalaxyNASA’s DiskSat Technology Demo Launches to Low Earth Orbit  NASA (.gov)Rocket Lab launches 4 experimental 'DiskSats' for the US military  SpaceThese are the flying discs the government wants you to know ... Continue Reading »

Double Cosmic Explosion Gives Birth to Unprecedented ‘Superkilonova’  GizmodoStrange Cosmic Blast May Be First-Ever Superkilonova Observed  Scientific AmericanAstronomers may have spotted the 1st known 'superkilonova' double star explosion  SpacePossible "Superkilonova" Exploded Not Once But Twice  CaltechTwo neutron stars may have formed the first known ... Continue Reading »

Scientists spot 'unprecedented celestial event' around the 'Eye of Sauron' star just 25 light-years from Earth  Live ScienceFirst-of-its-kind cosmic collision spotted 25 light-years from Earth  Popular ScienceHubble sees asteroids colliding at nearby star for first time  ESA/HubbleAstronomers capture 1st direct images of collisions ... Continue Reading »

Space Development Agency awards roughly $3.5 billion to 4 companies for 72 missile tracking and warning satellites  Spaceflight NowU.S. Space Force awards $1.6 billion in contracts to South Bay satellite builders  Los Angeles TimesSpace Development Agency awards $3.5 billion in contracts for ... Continue Reading »

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Just Spotted Something Massive On Mars, And NASA Has The Proof  The Daily GalaxyWind-Sculpted Landscapes: Investigating the Martian Megaripple ‘Hazyview’  NASA Science (.gov) Continue Reading »

New NASA director donating annual salary to Alabama space attraction  AL.comTrump’s NASA Pick Is Confirmed to Lead Space Program in Peril  The New York TimesEmbry-Riddle Alumnus Jared Isaacman Brings Space, Aviation Expertise as Next Head of NASA  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityNote To The NASA ... Continue Reading »

James Webb Spots First Ever Supermassive Black Hole to Be Yeeted Out of Its Home Galaxy  FuturismRunaway Black Hole Escapes Its Galaxy—and It’s Leaving Baby Stars in Its Wake  GizmodoJWST Confirms: First Runaway Supermassive Black Hole Tearing Through Space  ScienceAlertJames Webb Space Telescope ... Continue Reading »

Rocket Lab Surges on Trump’s New Moon Push  Yahoo FinanceTrump urges 2028 astronaut moon landing in sweeping space policy order  ReutersTrump Reinforces NASA’s Moon Plans, Eliminates Space Council  Bloomberg.comTrump Signs Space Superiority Executive Order  Payload SpacePresidential Executive Order: Ensuring American Space Superiority  NASA Watch Continue Reading »

NASA Just Mapped the Entire Sky in 102 Infrared Colors and Scientists Say it Could Explain How the Universe Began  ZME ScienceGet Lost in This Dazzling New Map of the Cosmos  Scientific AmericanWant to see what space really looks like? Scientists just ... Continue Reading »

A Starlink Satellite Is Tumbling Toward Earth After a Strange Anomaly in Orbit  GizmodoSpaceX loses contact with Starlink satellite after mishap  ReutersA SpaceX Starlink satellite is tumbling and falling out of space after partial breakup in orbit  SpaceA Starlink satellite seems to have ... Continue Reading »

Webb captures dwarf stars in a glittering sky  Phys.orgWebb: Dwarf stars in a glittering sky  European Space AgencyDay 19 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: The Sombrero Galaxy  The AtlanticWebb reveals Westerlund 2 in the Gum 29 nebula: fireworks of young stars, ... Continue Reading »

The shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere is this weekend. Here’s what to know  PennLive.comWinter Solstice marks the peak of nighttime hours — escaping darkness this time of year is still possible  SteamboatToday.comWinter solstice 2025 is Dec. 21. Is it the shortest ... Continue Reading »

The Sun Is Raining Giant Magnetic ‘Tadpoles’  Indian Defence ReviewIt’s Raining Magnetic 'Tadpoles' on the Sun  Universe TodayThe First-Ever Map of The Boundary of The Sun Has Just Been Revealed  ScienceAlertNASA's Parker Solar Probe mapped an unseen part of the sun at its ... Continue Reading »

Earth's Seasons Are Strangely Out of Sync, Scientists Discover From Space  ScienceAlert Continue Reading »

NASA is Blaming NASAWatch For Town Hall Web Issues  NASA Watch Continue Reading »

Texas natives selected as NASA astronaut candidates  Dallas News Continue Reading »

Will Starlink Finally Face Real Competition in 2026 or Are Its Rivals Still Catching Up?  PCMagAmazon Leo reveals plans for installation of more than 300 ground stations  Data Center DynamicsBezos vs. Musk: Is Amazon’s Kuiper the real Starlink killer? – Matt Sheahan  Yachting ... Continue Reading »

Blue Origin flew its final New Shepard suborbital mission of the year Dec. 20, carrying six people, including the first person who uses a wheelchair to travel to space. The post Blue Origin flies first wheelchair user to space appeared first ... Continue Reading »

NASA’s safety advisers are recommending that the agency reconsider its Artemis lunar landing architecture as well as how it handles incidents such as the flawed Starliner test flight. The post NASA safety panel recommends review of Artemis plans appeared first on ... Continue Reading »

L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab and Northrop Grumman won contracts to build 72 satellites The post Space Development Agency awards $3.5 billion in contracts for missile-tracking satellites appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

Hungarian communications provider 4iG has agreed to invest $100 million in U.S.-based space station developer Axiom Space, broadening its footprint in the space industry amid a broader push toward vertically integrated capabilities in the industry. The post Hungary’s 4iG commits to ... Continue Reading »

The European Space Agency expects to decide in February how to address a 20% funding shortfall in its exploration program. The post ESA weighing options to address exploration funding shortfall appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

Paris, December 2025 — The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology of the Sultanate of Oman (MTCIT) and Novaspace announce the second Edition of the Middle East Space Conference […] The post Middle East Space Conference 2026 Returns to Muscat ... Continue Reading »

The modern space economy is increasingly powered by dual-use satellites that support both civilian services and national security needs. These assets deliver critical capabilities, from communications to Earth observation, but they also face growing risks. Protecting them, along with the ... Continue Reading »

Astrobotic said Dec. 19 it has won $17.5 million in NASA and military contracts to develop three new reusable suborbital vehicles for technology demonstrations and other applications. The post Astrobotic secures contracts for suborbital vehicle development appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

The White House issued a sweeping executive order on space policy Dec. 18 covering topics from NASA’s exploration plans to space security. The post Trump signs sweeping executive order to assert U.S. dominance in space appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

A recently issued Executive Order revises how the government implements Space Policy Directive-3, removing the longstanding expectation that basic space situational awareness (SSA) services, including conjunction warnings, would be provided without charge. This decision marks a departure not only from ... Continue Reading »

New constellation would provide security for NATO’s eastern flank, German brigade in Lithuania The post Germany awards $1.9 billion SAR satellite deal to Rheinmetall-Iceye venture appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

Deal backed by $150 million Series E equity and debt round The post HawkEye 360 expands defense footprint with acquisition of Innovative Signal Analysis appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

At a time when space is unmistakably a contested warfighting domain, the United States risks slowing its own progress not because of a lack of technology or talent, but because Congress has failed to act on renewing authority for critical ... Continue Reading »

In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss talks with Dr. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo about what he calls "almost a watershed year" for the Space Development Agency. The post 2025 was “almost a watershed year” for the Space Development ... Continue Reading »

Recent analysis by Reeves in the Mitchell Institute’s “Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative” identifies the need for centralized command and control (C2) of counterspace capabilities under U.S. Space Command to ensure unity of effort. However, Reeves’s ... Continue Reading »

The space community welcomed the confirmation of Jared Isaacman as NASA’s next administrator, expressing hope he can lead the agency forward and relief that a long confirmation process is over. The post Space community celebrates Isaacman confirmation appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

NASA is at an inflection point. 2026 will now begin with a newly-confirmed Jared Isaacman as a NASA Administrator with the White House directive to beat China back to the moon with astronauts. On the science side, we hope that ... Continue Reading »

The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator Dec. 17, concluding arguably the most unusual effort to select a leader in the space agency’s history. The post Senate confirms Isaacman as NASA administrator appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

Denver-based Lux Aeterna announced plans Dec. 17 to land its debut reusable satellite at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, shortly after launching on a SpaceX rideshare mission in early 2027. The post Lux Aeterna to land first reusable satellite ... Continue Reading »

In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss moderates a timely panel discussion at the Spacepower conference on how commercial space capabilities are reshaping national security, civil space, and military decision-making. The post Speed, risk, and the future of national ... Continue Reading »

Max Space, a startup developing expandable module technologies, plans to build a commercial space station that could launch on a single Falcon 9 rocket. The post Max Space unveils plans for commercial space station appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

Germany’s first national space security strategy was unveiled last month to much fanfare. And who’s surprised? It was long overdue, and puts into plain language a simple but vital truth: space is now a theatre of power. With Russia and ... Continue Reading »

An Ariane 6 rocket placed two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit Dec. 17. The post Ariane 6 launches Galileo navigation satellites appeared first on SpaceNews. Continue Reading »

Luxembourg-based OQ Technology said Dec. 17 it has connected a commercial IoT chipset directly to one of its LEO satellites, using internally developed software based on 3GPP mobile standards. The post OQ Technology links commercial IoT chipset to LEO satellite appeared ... Continue Reading »

Ministerial Council 2025 Continue Reading »

Video: 00:05:30 On 17 December 2025, two new Galileo satellites lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. This was the 14th launch for Europe’s satellite navigation operational satellite programme, reinforcing Europe’s resilience and autonomy. The flight, VA266, was the first launch ... Continue Reading »

On 14 January 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) will hold an online post-CM25 industry event for all ESA industrial partners. Continue Reading »

ESA Impact 2025 - October-December Welcome to ESA Impact, your interactive gateway to the most captivating stories and stunning visuals from the European Space Agency, now in a mobile-friendly format. Continue Reading »

Week in images: 15-19 December 2025 Discover our week through the lens Continue Reading »

Image: This week Earth from Space features a wintery image: a red and white sphere that, if seen from a distance, resembles a festive decoration. Continue Reading »

Image: Dwarf stars in a glittering sky Continue Reading »

Video: 00:00:00 Watch the replay of the media information session in which ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and ESA Council Chair Renato Krpoun (CH) update journalists on key decisions taken at the ESA Council meeting, held at ESA Headquarters in Paris on ... Continue Reading »

It has been a busy year for the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission. The satellite duo has already created more than 50 artificial solar eclipses in orbit since the mission operations began less than a year ago. The resulting data ... Continue Reading »

As Avatar: Fire and Ash makes its cinematic debut, here's James ... Continue Reading »

On Episode 190 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and ... Continue Reading »

Hated rivals Dennis Quaid and Lou Gossett Jr. find brotherhood on ... Continue Reading »

Does the universe notice that we're paying attention to a quantum ... Continue Reading »

Show the space enthusiast in your life that you love them ... Continue Reading »

Are you behind on your holiday shopping or holding out for ... Continue Reading »

"The sheer amount of radiated energy from these bursts is so ... Continue Reading »

The 3,600-piece Lego Icons Star Trek USS Enterprise is Lego's first-ever ... Continue Reading »

"We do not know with certainty that we found a superkilonova, ... Continue Reading »

Odin Space and Arkisys are teaming up to provide customers with ... Continue Reading »

Ubisoft's ambitious open-world game remains the best way to immerse yourself ... Continue Reading »

A photographer in Italy captured an ultra-rare elve and red sprite ... Continue Reading »

Whether you're buying for yourself or hunting for a gift for ... Continue Reading »

"Virgil has two personalities, its 'good' side – a typical young ... Continue Reading »

"There is a lot to keep us busy." ... Continue Reading »

If you're a Pandora-loving moviegoer who can't get enough of the ... Continue Reading »

Astrophotographer Josh Dury has captured the beauty of the Geminids in ... Continue Reading »

A VPN provides vastly improved online security for your device and ... Continue Reading »

A VPN is a great tool for online safety and streaming, ... Continue Reading »

The South Korean startup Innospace will attempt its first orbital launch ... Continue Reading »

3I/ATLAS has now made its closest approach to the sun and ... Continue Reading »

For one, it came down to timing. ... Continue Reading »

On Thursday (Dec. 18), President Donald Trump issued an executive order ... Continue Reading »

Convert your TV into a smart TV with a streaming stick ... Continue Reading »

They're not part of a vast, Marvel-style universe, and neither is ... Continue Reading »

One of SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites suffered an anomaly in orbit ... Continue Reading »

"It's like looking back in time in a sense, to that ... Continue Reading »

Interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS is travelling away from the sun on its ... Continue Reading »

Satellites would likely begin colliding with each other or space junk ... Continue Reading »

A rare interstellar comet has been caught in X-rays by two ... Continue Reading »

2025 was another busy year on the sun. But how did ... Continue Reading »

This 3D rendering of our planet was part of France's Festival ... Continue Reading »

Find out what you can see in the night sky for ... Continue Reading »

NASA JPL pinpoints the moment the interstellar visitor passes closest to ... Continue Reading »

After testing and reviewing countless star projectors over the years, we're ... Continue Reading »

Totally transform a kid’s bedroom into a hub of space exploration ... Continue Reading »

"The forces that are needed to dislodge such a massive black ... Continue Reading »

Ten years on from 'The Force Awakens', we look back at ... Continue Reading »

More than a year after his initial nomination, the U.S. Senate ... Continue Reading »

Blue Origin launched wheelchair user Michi Benthaus and her NS-37 five ... Continue Reading »

Rocket Lab launched four "DiskSats" for the U.S. Space Force just ... Continue Reading »

The HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just notched a ... Continue Reading »

Back in December 2015, the Force awakened in Star Wars, but ... Continue Reading »

SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying Starlink satellites, from ... Continue Reading »

"We're not certain if having widespread liquid pockets instead of a ... Continue Reading »

We've rounded up the best Fallout gifts across the wasteland ahead ... Continue Reading »

The livestream will now begin Friday at 11 p.m. EST, Dec. ... Continue Reading »

The Soyuz launched on Nov. 27, 2025 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome ... Continue Reading »

The California startup Vast has opened a call for scientific research ... Continue Reading »

Friday, Dec. 19, 2025: Your daily feed for the holiday flyby ... Continue Reading »