Stories by Alexandra Witze

The huge watery cloud spurting from Enceladus could carry the ingredients for life farther into space than previously known

TRAPPIST-1b is probably an airless rock, but the same may not be true for its six Earth-sized siblings

New studies have revealed the spacecraft’s final moments and the remarkable aftermath of its impact

SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, is deploying machine-learning algorithms that filter out earthly interference and spot signals humans might miss

An investigation by agency historian finds no evidence explicitly linking former director James Webb with anti-LGBT+ actions

As the InSight lander reports the largest-ever meteorite strikes on Mars, scientists wish it a fond farewell

Revised calibrations for the James Webb Space Telescope’s instruments are bedeviling researchers studying the distant universe

The celestial crash between NASA’s DART spacecraft and the asteroid Dimorphos is yielding spectacular pictures and data

NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected four rock samples from an ancient river delta where organisms might have thrived

Smoke from burning cities would engulf Earth after a nuclear war, causing worldwide crop failures and starvation, models show

Rolling up an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, the rover starts crucial rock sampling.

SpaceX and other companies are still struggling to make their satellites darker in the night sky

NASA and the German space agency ground the telescope on a plane, citing the astronomy community’s concerns over cost and productivity

An influential panel’s recommendation makes the ice giant a likely destination for a flagship space mission

The ambitious observatory has arrived at its home—near a gravitationally stable spot called L2—for a premier view of the universe

The observatory has flawlessly unfurled its mirrors and sunshield—although more steps are needed before the science can begin

The Parker Solar Probe has passed through a boundary and into the Sun’s atmosphere, gathering data that will help scientists better understand stars

The radio signal seemed to originate from the star Proxima Centauri and provided a helpful drill for future searches

The NASA spacecraft will loop past the never before explored Trojan asteroids during a 12-year journey

The agency found no evidence that the flagship observatory’s namesake was involved in anti-LGBT+ activities, but some say that Webb bears responsibility

The mission is living up to its name, drilling and storing a Martian rock after a misstep in August

A volunteer network helps to monitor aftershocks and illuminate the country’s earthquake hazards

Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully hovered for 40 seconds in Mars’s thin atmosphere