Astronomy / Space

NASA and its partners are preparing to launch a resupply mission that will carry over 11,000 pounds (about 5 metric tons) of supplies. Among these supplies are materials for research that could revolutionize several aspects of science, including cancer treatment.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples from the small asteroid Bennu. Scientists traced the samples to the pre-solar system era to discover how and from what the sample matter was formed.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper has shown it can reach gigabit speeds in real-world testing, hitting 1,289 Mbps through its enterprise-grade terminal. With more than 100 satellites already in orbit and plans for thousands more, Amazon is racing to meet regulatory deadlines and close the gap with SpaceX’s Starlink.

JetBlue has partnered with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Starlink’s rival, to bring satellite-powered Wi-Fi to its flights. The airline will be Kuiper’s first customer in aviation, with service beginning in 2027 and full deployment by 2028.

Thanks to Axiom Space and Red Hat, edge computing is now making its way to space. Known as AxDCU-1, the first orbital data center prototype is now being tested on the International Space Station. Instead of transmitting data to Earth for analysis, it crunches numbers locally and only sends down the results.

A team of Chinese researchers has proposed a solution to dirty laundry in space — a compact washing machine that uses an ultra-fine mist and ozone to clean clothes. This new device could reduce the weight of clothing needed for missions by over 60%.

Hubble’s image of NGC 7456 is the latest Hubble Picture of the Week. The galaxy has a lot going on in and around it, and Hubble has captured these activities in detail.

Starlink is carrying over some of the multiple promos it introduced earlier in the quarter, such as the 50% dish price reduction, into the month of September. It is also currently enticing former subscribers to come back to the satellite Internet service with free subscription offer.

The SpaceX undertaking of Elon Musk is winning the federal government's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program allocation with its offer of free Starlink Standard Kit. A recent change in broadband service definitions for rural areas paved the way for Starlink's federal subsidy success.

Using data from NASA’s InSight lander, researchers have discovered structures deep inside Mars’ interior. These giant lumps are serving as a time capsule to show us what happened to the planet 4.5 billion years ago.

Asteroid Apophis is projected to fly past Earth at close range in 2029. ESA, in collaboration with JAXA, is making preparations to observe Apophis’ reaction to Earth’s gravity and tidal forces as it passes by.

The James Webb Space Telescope has zoomed in on IRAS 04302+2247’s protoplanetary disk, about 525 light-years away from Earth. Scientists are using this observation to study the dust grains within the disk and how they can eventually give rise to planets.

NGC 6302 — also known as the Butterfly Nebula or Caldwell 69 — is known for having an elusive core, thanks to the warm dust cloud blocking it. Webb’s latest look at the nebula’s structure has helped scientists pierce into that cloud.

Google's Pixel 10 series and the 2025 crop of Samsung foldables have become the first phones to officially use the X app for sending messages without cellular coverage. Besides Google's Pixel phones, the first Starlink-powered tweeting is also available on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7.

NASA is calling for ground station operators to help track the crewed Artemis II Moon mission, a voluntary collaboration designed to test and understand commercial tracking capabilities for future deep space exploration.

The latest Hubble Picture of the Week shows the star formation process in the Messier 96 galaxy. Scientists will use data gathered from the image to learn more about star formation in these sorts of surroundings.

The Sun is in full activity, as shown by this incredible photograph from a researcher showing two unique events. And one of them measures more than ten Earths stacked on top of each other.

NASA is sending supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The cargo spacecraft is not only loaded with crew supplies, but also contains materials for experiments that could advance both space and Earth science.

Besides the newly announced Google Pixel 10 series, a lot of T-Mobile phones from Samsung, Apple, or Motorola will be able to take advantage when the T-Satellite Starlink data service launches. T-Mobile has listed them all, along with the Google apps already optimized for Starlink data because of the Pixel 10's Starlink data exclusivity.

According to a study published at the beginning of this year, the Milky Way is believed to be home to more than 10 billion exoplanets that could be able to harbor life. And new studies must be conducted to unravel this mystery.

NASA’s DART collided with the asteroid Dimorphos three years ago. Scientists sent a small satellite to take images of the scene close-up so they could analyze the impact. Understanding the impact of this collision will be helpful in planetary defense efforts.

The Psyche spacecraft took a beyond-eagle-eye look back home. From 180 million miles (290 million kilometers) away, the spacecraft’s imager was able to capture Earth and its moon.

A Caltech professor and his former graduate student have successfully created miniature solar flares in a lab. The researchers discovered and mathematically modeled a new, stable double-helix structure that explains plasma behavior from small lab scales to giant nebulae.

A team of scientists just detected the brightest fast radio burst ever documented — a millisecond-long flash from a nearby galaxy that has given astronomers an unprecedentedly clear view of these cosmic phenomena.

New MIT research is challenging the water-centric search for life, showing that ionic liquids — stable non-evaporating fluids — can form naturally from common planetary material and could provide a viable solvent for life on warm, water-depleted worlds.

Ceres is known as a cold dwarf planet — too cold to support any life. But recent digging into its past reveals that it may have had conditions favorable for life. The studies hint at a planet that once had conditions comparable to Earth's.

Aloft Sensing has developed a compact radar system that will observe changes in the Earth's surface down to the millimeter level. Detecting such minute changes in the Earth's surface could help us better prepare for natural disasters like volcanic eruptions.

ESA's latest picture of the week shows the NGC 2835 galaxy in great detail. NGC 2835 is a spiral galaxy that lies 35 million light-years away. Data gathered from this observation will help astronomers understand how stars affect their birth surroundings.

Pixel 10 buyers on T-Mobile will be the first to access app support through the carrier’s Starlink-powered T-Satellite service. Instead of waiting until the October 1 rollout, they can start using Google Maps, Google Messages, and Find Hub over satellite as soon as the phones launch on August 28. The service offers basic but practical connectivity in areas without cell towers, with speeds suited for navigation, messaging, and device tracking rather than heavy data use.

Astronomers have discovered a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus using the James Webb Space Telescope. The new moon which is yet to be named is just 10 kilometers wide, and now brings the total number of Uranus' satellites to 29.

In the search for habitable worlds beyond our planet, Webb has taken a look at TRAPPIST-1 d, a planet orbiting a red dwarf star. Results from the study showed the planet lacks an Earth-like atmosphere, making it unlikely to host life.

All is set for NASA’s TOMEX+ — a sounding rocket mission that will create the clearest-ever-seen 3D view of the turbulence in Earth’s mesopause. Scientists will analyze the data to gain a better understanding of phenomena like high-altitude cloud formation, satellite drag, and even atmospheric processes on other planets.

NASA has developed a new metal alloy called GRX-810, which it claims is over 1,000 times more durable at extreme temperatures compared to existing materials. This breakthrough could lead to more efficient jet engines and affordable high-performance rocket parts.

The most distant star ever observed may turn out to be another stellar object. And further studies conducted with the James Webb space telescope are needed to discover the true nature of this mysterious stellar object.

Hubble just observed something ultra-rare — an ultra-massive white dwarf star formed from a white dwarf merging with another star, instead of the usual process of white dwarf formation. Findings from this study raise questions about the origin of the currently known white dwarfs.

Nicole Ayers, a NASA astronaut, caught a spectacular moment on camera. From the International Space Station (ISS), the astronaut captured a rare form of Transient Luminous Event (TLE) called a gigantic jet.

Artificial intelligence managed to observe, for the first time, a star exploding during its encounter with a black hole. And this is a major advance for the field of astronomy and AI.

A space probe has been sent into space with the aim of discovering potential traces of life on Jupiter's satellites. But we will need to be patient, because his journey has only just begun.

Space exploration continues to gain momentum, and many people want to travel to other star systems. And to meet this need, researchers have designed the ideal spaceship for such missions.

The latest Hubble's Picture of the Week winner from ESA is NGC 45, located 22 million light-years away from Earth, in the constellation of Cetus (the Whale). It is an elusive type of galaxy, notorious for its dimness.

Space is becoming increasingly crowded with debris. In a bid to avoid collisions in the future, ESA has stepped up with the CREAM project — a project that will automate the risk analysis and development of collision avoidance measures.

A team of astronomers used NASA's IXPE to measure X-rays from black hole IGR J17091-3624, also known as the Heartbeat Black Hole. The results challenge what we currently know about black holes and their interaction with their surroundings.

SpaceX has offered to cut Virginia’s bill for high-speed internet by 90 percent. The company is proposing a $60 million Starlink solution instead of the state spending $613 million to connect the unconnected.

A team of students from the University of Calgary has built a SmallSat and are looking to launch it into the Earth's orbit early 2026. The satellite is expected to orbit the earth at a distance of about 317 miles (510 kilometers) for a total of 10 years.

The Falcon 9's upper stage was on track to deploy its satellite payload about an hour after launch. In a planned maneuver, the rocket's first stage, identified as Booster 1093, completed its fifth mission. It landed successfully on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship in the Pacific Ocean. The launch was the company's 98th Falcon 9 mission in 2025 and the 452nd reuse of a Falcon 9 first stage.

The new paid Starlink Standby Mode is being forced upon Roam plan customers with a Mini dish they rarely use, as well as on Residential plan subscribers who can't opt out without cancelling their service. The free Starlink pause option is being deprecated, and the unlimited Standby Mode speeds are really low.

A team of astronomers has discovered a black hole that possibly dates back as early as 13.3 billion years ago — only 500 million years after the Big Bang. This discovery could provide insight into the early universe and the formation of black holes.

Starlink is lowering the monthly subscription fee for its satellite Internet service rather significantly in the US. While in certain areas it is becoming $1,000 more expensive to sign up, in others, Starlink is fighting for customers.

ESA’s Hera, on a mission to advance planetary defense techniques, successfully passed two tests on short notice. The spacecraft captured images of two asteroids — (1126) Otero and (18805) Kellyday — on separate occasions, demonstrating its ability to quickly identify faint, distant space objects — an essential ability for planetary defense missions.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has produced one of the clearest images yet of the Martian terrain. The image, showing a float rock and sand ripples, could help scientists learn more about the Red Planet.