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Illustration of Starlink satellites in grid-like orbits over radio receiver array

Science and Space Policy

A New Hope? Taming the Satellite Swarm

Going by the paperwork, 1 million satellites are headed for the skies. The question is, how many of these are real? New policy may help stem the tide.

ISS

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

What's Next After the International Space Station?

NASA will end support for the International Space Station by 2030, transitioning low-Earth orbit to commercial operations.

Starlink globe

Science and Space Policy

Streetlights to Satellites: Taking Light Pollution to the United Nations

The United Nations' Office of Outer Space Affairs is considering issues of light pollution spanning from streetlights to satellites.

Apollo 11 photo of Earth with glare from Sun

Astronomy and Society

Did Astronomers See a Distant, Dying Star? Or an Earth-bound Satellite?

What seemed a lucky break — the discovery of a gamma-ray burst in the most distant known galaxy — might instead be the flash of passing space debris. As satellites fill low-Earth orbit, such events might become common.

Science and Space Policy

What's in the New NASA Budget Proposal

The latest NASA budget proposal would invest in science in a big way, including a large increase in funding for space exploration.

Mars Ascent Vehicle concept

Science and Space Policy

Mars Sample Return Program Forges Ahead

It's full steam ahead for the joint NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return, a complex plan to collect bits of Mars and — for the first time — send them to Earth.

SLS rocket

Science and Space Policy

What's in the New Proposed NASA Budget

The President's 2021 budget request for NASA would push hard for human lunar exploration at the expense of several key programs.

Starlink launch

Space Missions

SpaceX Launches Fourth Starlink Batch; Concerns Remain

Concerns about the night sky remain as the fourth batch of Starlink satellites — and the second one to be launched within the span of a month — takes flight.

NICER All-sky

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

NICER Maps the X-ray Sky

NASA's NICER instrument aboard the International Space Station is giving us a unique view of much of the X-ray sky.

Artemis

Science and Space Policy

NASA's Budget Gets a Boost for the Artemis Moon Initiative

As the White House requests an extra $1.6 billion for NASA's Artemis project, the agency moves forward with commercial partnerships.

Lunar Gateway

Science and Space Policy

NASA 2020 Budget Proposal Boosts Exploration, Downplays Science

NASA's Lunar Gateway and a return to the Moon are the big winners in the 2020 budget proposed for the agency; the futures of planetary and Earth science are less clear.

Science and Space Policy

Government Shutdown Creates Financial Woes, Uncertainty for Astronomers

Among its many effects, the U.S. government shutdown has created a struggling postdoctoral program, delays in NASA missions, and problems for government scientists trying to continue their research.

WFIRST

Science and Space Policy

NASA Budget Proposal Cancels WFIRST

The recent budget proposal for NASA dealt a blow to the astronomical community, putting several key missions — including WFIRST, a successor to Hubble — under the financial axe.

Vice President Mike Pence at the Kennedy Space Center

Science and Space Policy

Third Try at a National Space Council

What is the National Space Council and what will it do? A look back through history provides some possible answers.

NASA's boulder-retrieval mission

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

NASA Closes Out Its Asteroid Redirect Mission

Following the release of the 2018 budget, the space agency has ordered an “orderly closeout” for the Asteroid Redirect program.

SLS/Orion (artist's conception)

Science and Space Policy

NASA's Budget Gets a Boost

An unexpected omnibus spending package for fiscal year 2016 raises NASA's funding.

going to Mars

Solar System

NASA's Plans for Putting Humans on Mars

Scientists and engineers gathered together to figure out what would make a good Martian landing site and what hurdles they’ll have to overcome for a 2035 launch.

High-Definition Space Telescope (HDST)

Science and Space Policy

High Definition Space Telescope — Hubble’s Successor?

A proposal released earlier this month calls for a giant orbiting space telescope that may revolutionize astronomy.

Asteroids in the inner solar system

Science and Space Policy

Do We Need "Asteroid Day"?

Are we really doing enough to find asteroids, especially the smaller ones that could destroy a city? A private initiative urges a rapid ramp-up of the search effort — but not everyone agrees.

Orion test launch

Astronomy and Society

Test Flight Success for Orion Spacecraft

On December 5th, NASA successfully launched the first test flight of its Orion capsule. Scheduled to carry astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit in the 2020s, the spacecraft is NASA’s first deep-space people transporter since the Apollo days.