
China’s First Reusable Rocket Fails, but the Race Is Just Beginning
A partially successful test of China’s Zhuque-3 rocket shows that other countries are rapidly catching up with the U.S in the race for reusable rocketry

China’s First Reusable Rocket Fails, but the Race Is Just Beginning
A partially successful test of China’s Zhuque-3 rocket shows that other countries are rapidly catching up with the U.S in the race for reusable rocketry

NASA Recruits Mars Perseverance Rover to Monitor Sun’s Activity
Mars is passing behind the sun, giving NASA's Perseverance rover a view of the star’s far side


China to Launch Rescue Shenzhou-22 Spacecraft for Stranded Astronauts
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft is set to launch November 25

This Mars-Bound Spacecraft Will Test Jared Isaacman’s Vision for NASA
NASA’s presumptive next leader wants to outsource more of the space agency’s interplanetary science. The newly launched ESCAPADE mission to Mars offers a sanity check for those plans

Stranded Chinese Astronauts Return to Earth, but Space Junk Threats Remain
The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft was too damaged to bring its crew home from China’s Tiangong space station. Those astronauts have now returned via the Shenzhou 21 craft, leaving its crew without a return ride until the nation sends a new spacecraft to the station

China’s Stranded Astronauts Are Safe—For Now. But How Will They Get Home?
There are six people living on the Chinese space station Tiangong at the moment, and the plan to bring three of them back is in progress

China’s Stranded Astronauts Show the Dangers of Space Junk
Three Chinese astronauts will likely return safely to Earth after a reported space-junk strike. But the incident highlights the growing risk of orbital debris

Our Milky Way’s warped disk keeps getting weirder
Observations show the disk of our galaxy is not flat but warped and waving. Astronomers are still working out the reasons why

NASA Administrator Nominee Would Shift Future of Space Exploration
Ahead of Jared Isaacman’s renomination for the position of NASA’s administrator, a dispute between him and its acting chief Sean Duffy spilled into the open, with potentially profound consequences for the U.S. space agency

It’s Nearly Time to Say Goodbye to the International Space Station. What Happens Next?
Humans have been in space onboard the ISS continuously for 25 years. As the station nears its end, new commercial habitats are lining up to take its place

The Race to Study an Interstellar Comet from Deep Space
Astronomers are hustling to use interplanetary spacecraft to study the interstellar comet dubbed 3I/ATLAS while the sun is hiding it from Earth

NASA’s Moon Race Looks like a Losing Bet
Former NASA officials warn that the U.S. looks poised to lose its self-declared race to beat China to the moon