Missions

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

The first sample tube deposited on Mars by Perseverance rover, 21 December 2022. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

How Perseverance rover’s Mars samples could discover life beyond Earth

NASA Skylab space station. Credit: NASA

The story of the Skylab space station

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover image of a hill named 'Pinestand' showing tall sedimentary layers could have been formed by a deep, powerful river. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

NASA Perseverance rover may have found signs of a powerful ancient river on Mars

Artist's impression of NASA's Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Perseverance NASA's Perseverance rover lands safely on Mars

The ‘last man on the Moon’ Eugene Cernan takes part in an extra vehicular activity during Apollo 17, December 1972.

How astronauts survive the extreme conditions in space

SpaceX Starship on the launchpad ahead of the flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

SpaceX Starship launch fails due to "rapid unscheduled disassembly"

Artist's impression of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube just before impact at the Didymos binary system. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

DART impact mission shows we could deflect Earth-bound asteroid

The European Space Agency's JUICE mission

ESA’s JUICE mission successfully launches on its way to Jupiter

Illustration showing the SpaceX Starship human landing system design on the Moon. Credits: SpaceX

NASA is on track to put the first woman on the Moon with Artemis III

Artist's impression of the JUICE mission exploring Jupiter's moons. Credit: ESA/ATG Medialab, Getty Images

How the JUICE mission will explore Jupiter and its icy moons

A James Webb Space Telescope image of Uranus, captured on 6 February 2023. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

James Webb Space Telescope See the latest images

The ancient Greek space programme pioneered the use of steam pigeons. Credit: Kate Evans / Folio

Ancient astronauts and the very, very early Space Race

Artemis II crew stand in Orion capsule mockup. Credit: NASA/James Blair

Artemis 2 mission Crew announced

Lance Bass looks at spacecraft equipment

Podcast Lance Bass

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