Space

All Aboard the Starliner!

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Boeing’s Starliner capsule launched on Friday. Astrophysicist Paul M Sutter has everything you need to know about the Starliner and its mission.

2020: A Year of Big Leaps for Mankind

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Here are a variety of some amazing space launches to look forward to in 2020.

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Perseverance Right Over

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A few years ago, after the successful deployment of the Curiosity rover on Mars, the folks at NASA envisioned a bold new plan to send another mission to the red planet. The mission was scheduled to depart in the then-futuristic year of 2020.

SpaceX vs. the Universe

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Fans of space are having a tough time picking sides over a recent controversy between SpaceX and astronomers. But what's the big debate all about? Astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter digs into both perspectives.

Meet WASP-127b, the Fluffiest Planet in the Galaxy

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Take a planet with the mass of, say, Saturn. You know, pretty big, but not ridiculously big. Just…normal big.

Voyager 2 is Really Far Out There, Man

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Currently Voyager 2 is about 11 billion miles from the Earth, and has been traveling at speeds of tens of thousands of miles per hour since its launch in 1977. Read more to see where it is now and what we've learned.

NASA’s $10 Billion Space Telescope Hit by Micrometeoroid

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NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was recently hit by a micrometeoroid. One of the 18 golden mirror segments on the telescope was hit, causing some minor damage.

Billionaire Buys SpaceX Orbital Flight for a Good Cause

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Jared Isaacman, US billionaire and the founder of payment processing tech start-up Shift4 has purchased the first all-civilian mission to space with SpaceX--but it isn't just a joyride.

Why Charting the Most Extreme Objects in the Solar System Matters

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So the astronomers called it “FarFarOut”, which is mostly a joke because the last time they found such a distant object it they nicknamed it “FarOut”, and this new world is much, much, farther out.

Why Pluto Isn’t a Planet, but (Maybe) Should Be

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What, exactly, is a “planet”? For ancient astronomers it was pretty easy. When they stared up at the night sky, they saw a) the sun, b) the moon, c) a lot of fixed stars, d) a few wandering points of light. Those vagabonds were the planets. Indeed, our word planet comes from the Greek word for “wanderer”.

Jupiter Makes Its Closest Approach to Earth in Nearly 60 Years

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The last time Jupiter appeared this large and bright in the sky was in October 1963.

What Is a “Super Earth” and Why Do We Care?

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Super Earths are super cool, and you should really know about them. In short, they are planets slightly bigger than the Earth (hence the name). And the cool part? They might be a home for life, and they’re way easier to study than regular Earths.

The Best Planets are Rogue Planets

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We can debate the status of objects in the solar system all day long, arguing if little Pluto is a planet or not. But to tell you the truth, any planet in any solar system got the short end of the stick. The real winners of the galactic game are the travelers, the roamers, the rogue planets.

28 Billion Light-Years Away: The Most Distant Star Ever Discovered

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On Wednesday, NASA announced the Hubble telescope broke a new record– detecting the most distant star ever seen.

NASA’s Plan for Returning to the Moon

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NASA is planning to land the first woman and next man on the moon in 2024. Through a US government-funded human spaceflight program known as Artemis, there may be human footprints on the south pole region of the lunar surface in the very near future. From understanding the Artemis Program to the Gateway, let’s explore the lunar details.

Celebrate the I Heart Pluto Festival, An Ode to the Beloved Planet

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Yes, we said "planet." Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona during the month of February in 1930.Last year on the 90th Anniversary of the discovery, the observatory held its first I Heart Pluto Festival. This year you can be a part of the action.

Expedition 64 to Launch on October 14

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One NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts of Expedition 64 are scheduled to launch to the ISS on Wednesday, October 14 at 1:45AM ET for a six month stay. Let’s learn the details!

First US Commercial Crew Port Relocation to Air Live on NASA TV

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On Monday, April 5, another first will occur for commercial space flight. For a look back at Crew-1's initial journey to the ISS, catch up on SPACE LAUNCH LIVE streaming now on discovery+.