Missions

The latest news from the spacecraft helping us explore the cosmos, and the historical missions that paved the way.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo by Julian Leek/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

SpaceX Crew Dragon launches in historic first crewed flight

Earth from space: the Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia captured from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/ESA

Eye On The Sky Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast glimmers in International Space Station image

Earth, as seen by the Bepi Colombo spacecraft. Credit: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Eye On The Sky Bepi Colombo spacecraft's final glimpse of Earth

A mission to Uranus could teach us a lot, including about the early Solar System. Credit: Mark Garlick / Science Photo Library

Why we should send a spacecraft to explore Uranus

Astronomer Dr Savannah Jacklin. Backdrop: an artist's impression of the WFIRST telescope in operation. Credit: Savannah Jacklin / NASA

Interview How the WFIRST telescope will search for exoplanets

A mosaic of asteroid Bennu, as seen by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona.

Eye On The Sky OSIRIS-REx captures epic mosaic of asteroid Bennu

Story Musgrave during the first of five spacewalks to repair Hubble in 1993. Credit: NASA

‘How we fixed Hubble’: An interview with former astronaut Story Musgrave

Astronaut Story Musgrave prepares to be elevated to the top of Hubble to install protective covers on its pointing control system, during the mission to repair Hubble. Credit: NASA

What was wrong with Hubble’s mirror, and how was it fixed?

Listen to the latest podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine, in which we look back at 30 years of the Hubble Space Telescope

Radio Astronomy Podcast 30 years of the Hubble Space Telescope

Diagram of the Hubble Space Telescope from 1981. Credit: Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (Lockheed Martin).

How did the Hubble Space Telescope come about?

Astronaut Steven L. Smith, payload commander, prepares to use a 35mm camera during the final space walk of the STS-103 mission. Credit: NASA/ESA

Why did astronauts service the Hubble Space Telescope?

Astronaut Mike Massimino at the commander's station on Space Shuttle Atlantis. Credit: NASA

‘How we serviced Hubble’: astronaut Mike Massimino on fixing the famous space telescope

An artist's impression of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA

James Webb Space Telescope How will JWST observe the Universe?

The Hubble Space Telescope pictured following a successful service mission carried out via Space Shuttle Discovery Credit: NASA/ESA

Hubble at 30 Marking 3 decades of the famous telescope

Helen O Brien Imperial College

Scientists speak Space engineer Helen O'Brien on ESA's Solar Orbiter mission