Missions
The latest news from the spacecraft helping us explore the cosmos, and the historical missions that paved the way.
A Mars rover just saw Earth dance with a Martian Moon – then disappear behind it
NASA's Perseverance rover saw Earth disappearing behind Mars's biggest moon from the surface of the Red Planet.
The physics secrets that dictate where NASA launches its rockets from (and why we don’t launch rockets from mountains)
The best places to launch rockets from and why some places on Earth are better for rocket launches than others
Sex in space could be trickier than we think. Here's what science says about close encounters between astronauts
Two astronauts embrace – but how practical is sex in space, and how might the lack of gravity affect human reproduction?
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This Japanese spacecraft is on its way to an asteroid – but could it be about to encounter a lost Soviet spacecraft instead?
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is on its way to rendezvous with comet 1998 KY26. Could it be unwittingly chasing and old Soviet Mars probe?
NASA has just released a jaw-dropping video of a spacecraft's view as it zoomed past Mars. You've got to see this
Views of Mars captured by NASA's Psyche mission
Debunked! Critics say glass of water proves China faked space station video. Science says otherwise
A video released by the Chinese space agency in 2021 showed a glass of water at rest on the space station, here's why the video is real.
Phew! 8 times astronauts diced with death and got away with it – showing just how dangerous spaceflight really is
These space missions turned into catastrophes but their astronauts survived. This is how they lived to tell the tale
We get humans to Mars. What then? Here's what we'll really do on the Red Planet – and why it could solve the greatest mystery in science
NASA-backed study has revealed the realities of humanity’s first crewed missions to Mars. It starts with simply surviving the day…
"Turn the sound on for the full experience" - you need to see this mesmerising aurora video captured from space
A European Space Agency astronaut has filmed aurora from the Space Station
Strange 'space balls' found on Australian beaches could be debris from rocket launches
Discovered rocket debris could be part of a growing trend, say experts
Space elevators could one day exist, transporting us off-Earth with the push of a button. Here's how they would work
We look at the science behind building an elevator to take us into space
Humans will evolve differently on Mars. This is how science says our bodies will transform on the Red Planet
Scott Solomon is an evolutionary biologist. We spoke to him about what our descendants in future settlements on the Red Planet might look like
The Moon is a death trap: These are the life-threatening dangers awaiting astronauts on the lunar surface
If we’re ever going to build a base on the Moon, we’ll need to be able to manage a range of threats to human life
Artemis II is already changing what we know about the Moon. I'm a geologist – this is how the mission science is unlocking key lunar secrets
What Artemis II’s mission to the Moon could reveal about our lunar companion
NASA has announced the Artemis III crew. Here's what we know about the next stage in America's return to the Moon
Meet the crew of Artemis III
US space firm Blue Origin just extracted oxygen from Moon dust. Here's why it could transform spaceflight
Blue Origin's Air Pioneer device can extract oxygen from Moon dust – a development with the potential to revolutionise crewed spaceflight
Clear skies on Mars – NASA rover captures one of the sharpest panoramas of the Red Planet ever taken
Region could be some of oldest terrain the rover has ever explored
This is the radical new rocket tech that will put the whole Solar System within humanity's reach
A hundred years on since the first liquid-fuelled rocket, more advanced propulsion systems are on the drawing board to take us further into space than we’ve ever been
Blue Origin rocket explodes during test
On 28 May 2026, a New Glenn rocket built by Blue Origin exploded on its launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
A Moon base, Moon buggies, hopping rovers... NASA just revealed a stack of ambitious plans to send astronauts and spacecraft to the Moon
NASA reveals plans to build a Moon base and send rovers and drones to survey the lunar South Pole for future Artemis missions
China launches astronauts on a year-long mission. The new Moon race just took a huge leap forward
China eyes Moon with new launch. Latest mission includes a planned year-long stay in orbit and dozens of scientific experiments
A NASA satellite used the full Moon to fine-tune its instruments – and accidentally created a beautiful piece of modern art
A view of the full Moon of January 2026 – the Wolf Moon – captured by the Landsat 9 satellite as part of instrument calibration
NASA's Voyager 1 probe is about to reach a distance of 1 light-day from Earth. Here's why this cosmic milestone is so huge
Voyager 1 is about to reach a huge milestone
Amazing new images of Mars captured by a spacecraft zooming past on its way to the asteroid belt
Beautiful images of the Red Planet captured by a spacecraft on its way to the asteroid belt
