#space
- OSIRIS-REx Grabbed So Much of Bennu Its Sample Capsule Won't Fully Close
NASA says OSIRIS-REx collected so much asteroid material from Bennu that rocks are jamming its sample chamber door open.
- OSIRIS-REx Touches Bennu, Grabs NASA's First Asteroid Sample
NASA's OSIRIS-REx briefly touched down on asteroid Bennu and fired nitrogen gas to collect a sample, the first U.S. asteroid retrieval mission.
- SpaceX Launches Another 60 Starlink Satellites, Nails a Droneship Landing
SpaceX's third Starlink launch in two weeks pushed the constellation toward 800 satellites and marked its 70th straight successful mission.
- Mars Sample Return Gets a Technical Green Light
An independent review board says NASA and ESA's plan to bring Mars rock cores back to Earth is technically ready to proceed.
- Nobel Physics Prize Goes to Black Holes, and It's About Time
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics honors Roger Penrose's math and Genzel/Ghez's discovery of the Milky Way's central monster.
- Starship Testing Continues as SpaceX Juggles Two Programs
SpaceX keeps pushing Starship prototype testing at Boca Chica even as a Starlink launch sits grounded by weather.
- Starlink's Next Launch Is Stuck Waiting on the Weather, Again
SpaceX keeps pushing back its next Starlink batch as weather and recovery-ship conditions refuse to cooperate, even as the constellation tops 700 satellites.
- The Venus Phosphine Debate Begins
Days after the ALMA/JCMT phosphine announcement, astronomers are already pushing back on the data analysis behind it.
- Phosphine in the Clouds of Venus: A Tentative Biosignature Just Dropped
A team led by Jane Greaves detected phosphine gas on Venus using JCMT and ALMA, a molecule normally tied to anaerobic life or industry.
- Perseverance Is Quietly Cruising Toward Mars
Six weeks after launch, NASA's Perseverance rover is deep into its seven-month coast to Jezero Crater, targeting a February 18, 2021 landing.
- Starlink's Growing Megaconstellation Has Astronomers Worried
With over 700 Starlink satellites in orbit, astronomers are pushing SpaceX for fixes as bright streaks threaten sky surveys.
- SpaceX Ships Another 60 Starlink Satellites While Starship SN6 Hops Again in Texas
SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites and stuck the booster landing today, while the Starship SN6 prototype completed its second short test hop in Boca Chica.
- SpaceX Is on Pace for Its Busiest Launch Year Yet
SpaceX has already blown past its old cadence in 2020, and reusable boosters flying six times are the reason why.
- Hubble Says Betelgeuse's Great Dimming Was a Sneeze, Not a Death Rattle
New Hubble UV spectra suggest Betelgeuse's dramatic dimming was caused by an ejected plasma cloud that cooled into dust, not an imminent supernova.
- Perseverance Is a Few Weeks Into Its Long Cruise to Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover is now weeks into its 213-day journey to Mars, with trajectory corrections and instrument checkouts underway.
- The Solution to Ceres' Bright Spot Mystery: Salty Ghosts of an Ancient Ocean
New studies using Dawn orbiter data show Ceres' famous bright patches are salt deposits from brine welling up from a reservoir 40km down.
- Get Ready: The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week
The Perseids peak overnight August 11-12, with dark skies offering up to 75 meteors an hour — here's how to watch.
- SpaceX Notches Its 13th Falcon 9 Launch of the Year
SpaceX flew its 13th Falcon 9 mission of 2020, sending up Starlink satellites on a five-time-flown booster.
- NEOWISE Is Fading Fast — Catch It Now or Wait 6,800 Years
Comet NEOWISE has dimmed from a naked-eye spectacle to a binoculars-only target, and the window to see it is closing.
- Crew Dragon Comes Home: Demo-2 Ends With a Splash
SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour splashed down off Pensacola with Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the first crewed splashdown since Apollo-Soyuz.
- Perseverance Lifts Off: NASA's Next Mars Rover Is On Its Way
NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter launched to Mars today aboard a ULA Atlas V, bound for Jezero Crater.
- Get Ready: The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Next Month
The 2020 Perseids are ramping up toward a mid-August peak with dark skies and forecasts of 50-75 meteors an hour.
- Comet NEOWISE Fades After Its Closest Pass by Earth
NEOWISE made its closest approach to Earth on July 23 and is now dimming — your last easy chance to see it is closing fast.
- China Sends Tianwen-1 to Mars, Betting on Orbiter, Lander, and Rover in One Shot
China launched its first fully domestic Mars mission today, packing an orbiter, lander, and rover into a single spacecraft.
- Hope Rises: The UAE Launches the Arab World's First Mars Mission
The UAE's Hope orbiter launched atop a Japanese H-IIA rocket, kicking off the Arab world's first interplanetary mission and this July's Mars launch trio.
- Solar Orbiter Spots Tiny 'Campfires' Dotting the Sun's Surface
ESA and NASA release Solar Orbiter's first images, revealing miniature flares called 'campfires' that may help explain the Sun's mysterious hot corona.
- Solar Orbiter closes in on the Sun for its first big reveal
ESA/NASA's Solar Orbiter made its first close pass in mid-June, and its first imagery is due for release later this month.
- Three Countries, One Launch Window: The Mars Traffic Jam of Summer 2020
The UAE, China, and NASA are all racing to launch Mars missions within about two weeks of each other this July.
- How to Catch Comet NEOWISE Before It's Gone
A naked-eye comet is in our morning sky right now, and it won't be back for about 6,800 years — here's how to see it.
- Rocket Lab's Electron Hits Its First Snag After 12 Straight Wins
An upper-stage electrical fault destroyed Electron's payload on July 4, ending Rocket Lab's 12-launch streak of successes.