Science News

'Beautiful view' of Earth as crew of NASA's Artemis II historic mission heads towards the moon

07:58

Space exploration

'Beautiful view' of Earth as crew of NASA's Artemis II historic mission heads towards the moon

The 4-person crew in the Orion capsule on NASA's Artemis II space shuttle carried out a key thruster firing on Thursday, sending the ship past the main orbit of the Earth towards the moon, in the hope of beating Apollo 13's distance in 1970, as they took pictures using phones and cameras.

NASA launches four astronauts on world's first crewed lunar mission in half a century

07:39

Space

NASA launches four astronauts on world's first crewed lunar mission in half a century

Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.

20:48

NASA

Artemis II: NASA prepares for first crewed Moon mission in decades

NASA is preparing to launch Artemis II with four astronauts on a roughly 10-day mission around the Moon, marking its most ambitious human spaceflight in decades and a key step towards returning astronauts to the lunar surface ahead of China.

NASA prepares Artemis 2 mission as astronauts set for lunar slingshot

08:11

Space Mission

NASA prepares Artemis 2 mission as astronauts set for lunar slingshot

NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.

10:08

NASA

NASA Artemis II astronauts arrive in Florida for first crewed Moon mission in decades

The four astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission have arrived in Florida, entering the final phase of preparations for the first crewed journey towards the Moon in more than five decades

13:34

SPACE

NASA plans multibillion-dollar moon base and nuclear spacecraft in programme expansion

NASA announced on Tuesday it has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon's surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.

NASA's new discovery suggests Mars might have had flowing waters

13:01

Mars Exploration

NASA's new discovery suggests Mars might have had flowing waters

NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected what scientists believe may be the underground remains of an ancient river delta on Mars, offering some of the strongest evidence yet that water once flowed across the planet’s surface billions of years ago.

40,000-year-old artefacts in Germany may hint at early writing

17:04

Science News

40,000-year-old artefacts in Germany may hint at early writing

New research suggests 40,000-year-old carved objects from south-western Germany bear repeated marks arranged in organised sign sequences similar to early proto-cuneiform, although they are not regarded as a form of writing.

Astronomers observe a star that quietly transformed into a black hole

23:30

Formation of a black hole

Astronomers observe a star that quietly transformed into a black hole

The formation of a black hole can be quite a violent event, with a massive dying star blowing up and some of its remnants collapsing to form an exceptionally dense object with gravity so strong not even light can escape.

21:58

Jupiter

Juno data reveals Jupiter is marginally smaller than earlier estimates

New Juno measurements show Jupiter’s equatorial and polar diameters are slightly smaller than once believed, giving scientists a clearer understanding of the gas giant’s structure.

Iran unveils images from indigenous Paya remote-sensing satellite

12:04

Iran satellite

Iran unveils images from indigenous Paya remote-sensing satellite

Images from Iran's Paya (Tolu 3) Earth observation satellite have been officially displayed for the first time by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Universe grew up far more quickly than previously known

10:00

Cosmic discovery

Universe grew up far more quickly than previously known

Fresh observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal a massive galaxy cluster forming far sooner after the Big Bang than scientists once thought possible.

What was the 'perfect snack' 150 million years ago?

10:00

Jurassic study

What was the 'perfect snack' 150 million years ago?

The landscape was full of giants, but the “perfect snack” 150 million years ago came from the smallest steps on the ground.

Ancient hand stencil in Indonesia pushes back origins of rock art

11:37

Ancient rock art

Ancient hand stencil in Indonesia pushes back origins of rock art

A faint hand outline found in an Indonesian cave has been dated to at least 67,800 years ago, making it the oldest known example of rock art and offering new insight into early human migration across Southeast Asia.

Mars found to influence Earth’s long-term climate cycles

07:06

MARS INFLUENCES EARTH

Mars found to influence Earth’s long-term climate cycles

New modelling suggests Mars shapes some of Earth’s long-term orbital rhythms, including shorter eccentricity cycles and a 2.4-million-year pattern that vanishes without its gravitational pull.

Astronomers spot white dwarf star creating a colourful shockwave

10:41

Space

Astronomers spot white dwarf star creating a colourful shockwave

Astronomers have observed a white dwarf - a highly compact Earth-sized stellar ember - that is creating a colourful shockwave as it moves through space, leaving them searching for an explanation.

07:30

Trident Telescope

China tests deep sea trident telescope to trace cosmic neutrinos

Chinese scientists say they are moving closer to building one of the world’s most powerful neutrino telescopes, an underwater array known as the Tropical Deep sea Neutrino Telescope, or TRIDENT, that will sit around 3,500 metres below the surface.

Russia successfully launches military satellite from Plesetsk cosmodrome

18:13

Russia Space

Russia successfully launches military satellite from Plesetsk cosmodrome

Russia successfully launched a military satellite into space on Wednesday (November 26) from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, marking another milestone in the country's expanding space capabilities.

02:58

SpaceX

Blue Origin launches NASA Mars mission as Bezos challenges SpaceX

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has launched NASA’s twin ESCAPADE satellites to Mars on Sunday, marking the second flight of its New Glenn rocket, a mission seen as a crucial test of the company’s reusability ambitions and a fresh challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

17:11

Nexperia

China grants exemptions to export curbs on Nexperia chips for civilian use

China has announced exemptions to its export controls on Nexperia chips intended for civilian use, the commerce ministry said on Sunday, a move aimed at easing supply shortages affecting carmakers and automotive suppliers.