When Space.com opened its doors to the world on July 20, 1999, humanity knew about fewer than 30 exoplanets. Today, as you read this article, that number shoots well beyond 5,000. 

NASA will perform its own re-authorization of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 before the rocket launches its next astronaut crew or cargo mission, the agency confirmed Wednesday (July 17).

Humans have occupied low Earth orbit (LEO) over the past half century thanks to the Salyut, Skylab, Mir and Tiangong programs and, of course, the International Space Station (ISS). Aside from providing incredible views of Earth, these space stations have proved that humans can live and work in space while bringing unique lessons about microgravity and the cosmos. They have taught us about the challenges of living in microgravity and the fragility of life beyond our planetary cradle. 

With crewed Artemis launches on the horizon, NASA is searching for sustainable solutions for waste management during long-term missions on the moon. 

GOLDEN, Colorado – Sent moonward over two years ago, NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment — shortened to CAPSTONE — is busy as ever, presently trial-running techniques to enhance spacecraft operations in cislunar space.

HELSINKI — The upper stage of China’s Long March 6A rocket appears to be creating numerous pieces of space debris, adding to the growing issue of orbital debris.

BUSAN, South Korea — NASA has canceled a robotic lunar rover mission that would have searched for ice at the south pole of the moon, citing development delays and cost overruns.

WASHINGTON — A House spending bill for fiscal year 2025 would cut funding from the administration’s request for science and education programs at NASA.

WASHINGTON — Orbit Fab, a Colorado-based startup developing hardware for in-space satellite refueling, announced a successful test of its fueling nozzle known as GRIP (Grapple, Reposition, and Interface Payload) which is intended to dock with satellites and transfer propellant.

TAMPA, Fla. — Europe must improve how it allocates capital for the space industry to avoid missing out on the fruits of rising early-stage investments, the head of Luxembourg-based private equity firm NewSpace Capital has warned.

One of the most enduring achievements of spaceflight has been the partnership for the International Space Station. For more than three decades, the United States has worked with Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia to build and operate the station, overcoming technical and policy challenges to create a space station that has been permanently occupied for over 20 years.

WASHINGTON — As NASA pushes ahead with a crewed lunar landing on the Artemis 3 mission in September 2026, the agency’s own analysis estimates a nearly one-in-three chance the lander will be at least a year and a half late.

TAMPA, Fla. — European microsat specialist EnduroSat announced plans July 3 to build Botswana’s first satellite in partnership with a university from the landlocked country in Southern Africa.

HELSINKI — Chinese commercial satellite maker MinoSpace has secured more than $137 million to further its design and production aspirations.

NASA has a backup astronaut standing by for the first human moon mission in more than 50 years, which will lift off no earlier than 2025.

SpaceX launched yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida in the wee hours of Wednesday morning (July 3), following a two-hour delay.