Emerging Tech

The Mysterious Exploding Asteroid

A NASA spacecraft reached a space rock and found it orbited by tiny moons—a phenomenon that “has never been seen before in any solar-system object.”

Emerging Tech

What Would a Dog Do on Mars?

New art from NASA imagines a rosy but unrealistic future of canines on the distant planet.

Emerging Tech

NASA Could Go to the Moon Next Year

The agency is willing to ditch its own billion-dollar rocket in favor of a commercial one, to meet a very tight deadline.

Emerging Tech

On the Brink of a New Era of Spaceflight

After years of relying on Russia to get to space, NASA astronauts might soon fly on American-made launch systems.

Emerging Tech

What’s So Special About the Next SpaceX Launch

Elon Musk’s company is on the edge of a new era in American human spaceflight.

Digital Government

NASA Is Rushing to the Moon

In the agency’s most ambitious dreams, it will be testing moon-landing systems within the next five years.

Emerging Tech

A Touch of Green in Outer Space

For humans to survive off Earth, we’ll need plants to grow there, too.

Emerging Tech

Trump's Space Ambitions Are Too Big for One President

The reality of space travel squashed his impulsive desire to reach Mars in his first term, rather than the 2030s.

Emerging Tech

The Chill of U.S.-Russia Relations Creeps Into Space

Bungled plans between the U.S. and Russia highlight how hot-and-cold international relations mess with space exploration.

Emerging Tech

NASA Hits Its New Year’s Target at the Edge of the Solar System

As partygoers downed champagne, a spacecraft swept past a mysterious object 4 billion miles from Earth.

Emerging Tech

Spacesuits for Spiders

And what they tell us about the difficulty of keeping people alive in space.

Emerging Tech

Reefer Madness at NASA

The space agency has reportedly decided to review workplace culture at SpaceX and Boeing after Elon Musk smoked marijuana on a podcast.

Emerging Tech

Hawaii’s Mars Simulations Are Turning Into Moon Missions

The dome where crew members practiced red-planet missions will now be converted to a simulated moon base.

Emerging Tech

Trump's Space Force Faces an Uncertain Fate

Congressional lawmakers, including Republicans, were skeptical of the idea long before the midterms.

Emerging Tech

The Moon Is Open for Business

Commercial companies are proposing lunar missions at a pace the world hasn’t seen since the Apollo program.

Emerging Tech

NASA’s Beloved Mars Rovers Are Having a Rough Year

One was felled by a dust storm. And now the other has been sidelined by a technical glitch.

Emerging Tech

Launching Rogue Satellites Into Space Was a ‘Mistake’

Sara Spangelo says she isn’t rebellious by nature. So why did she defy federal regulators?

Digital Government

Who Should Pay for the Mistakes on NASA’s Next Big Telescope?

The space agency has always coughed up the extra cash, but some politicians wonder if the contractor responsible for major errors should pitch in.