MASCOT Deploys from Hayabusa-2, Lands on Ryugu
The boxy robotic lander MASCOT delivered photos and other data from asteroid Ryugu during a brief 17-hour stay on the asteroid's surface.
Touchdown: Hayabusa 2 Deploys Rovers to Explore Ryugu
The Japanese Hayabusa 2 spacecraft dispatched the first of a set of smaller missions that will explore asteroid 162173 Ryugu.
Dawn Probes Role of Cryovolcanism on Ceres
A recent analysis of data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft reveals the role of cryovolcanism past — and likely present — on the giant asteroid Ceres.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA's Cassini Sees Saturn's Towering Polar Hexagon
Cassini's legacy sheds more light on the strange mystery of Saturn's northern polar hexagon.
Osiris-REX's First Views of Asteroid Bennu
NASA's Osiris-REX asteroid sample return mission spies target Bennu for the first time. Now the spacecraft is setting up for its close approach in December.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe Launches to "Touch the Sun"
The unique Parker Solar Probe launched on Sunday, August 12th, set to fly faster and come closer to the Sun than any spacecraft before it.
HaloSat: A Small Satellite for a Big Question
HaloSat, a mini-satellite recently deployed from the International Space Station, is on the hunt for the universe's missing matter.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Planet-Protection Policies: Due For Revision?
A new National Academies study assesses NASA's efforts to protect neighboring worlds from contamination and recommends ways the space agency could do a better job.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Nautilus Expedition Recovers Possible Seafloor Meteorites
The expedition off the coast of Washington state performs a first, recovering meteorite fragments from a documented fall.
Hayabusa 2: Welcome to Ryugu
We got a peek at a new worldlet in the inner solar system this week, as the Japanese Aerospace Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa-2 gave us our first good looks at the tiny asteroid 162173 Ryugu.
NASA's Dawn Probe Reaches Its Low, Final Orbit
NASA's Dawn spacecraft has entered a new and final orbit that will take it less than 30 miles above the surface of asteroid Ceres.
Apollo Astronauts Warmed the Moon
A new study sheds light on an old mystery surrounding anomalous readings from the Apollo landing sites.
Curiosity Rover is Drilling Again
An innovative technique has allowed NASA's Curiosity Rover to resume drilling Martian rocks. But the partially successful test shows that more work remains to be done.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Radio Experiment Launches With China's Moon Orbiter
A Dutch radio astronomy experiment hitched a ride today with China's relay satellite for the upcoming Chang'e 4 mission.
Antares Launch to Light Up Sunday Morning Sky
The Cygnus OA-9 mission launching from Wallops Island early Sunday morning could put on quite a show along the East Coast.
Helicopter to Hitch a Ride with Mars 2020 Rover
A small helicopter will be the first mission to fly through the skies of Mars.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Mars-bound CubeSats Launch With NASA's InSight
The Mars Cube One mission — the first to send CubeSats into interplanetary space — will test revolutionary relay technologies as it accompanies Mars Insight to the Red Planet.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Pluto's Moon Charon Receives Formal Names
The International Astronomical Union has approved names for features on Pluto's largest moon, Charon.
ARIEL: Next-Decade Exoplanet Mission Selected
The European Space Agency's ARIEL mission will seek to analyze the atmospheric composition and true nature of distant worlds.
Tiangong 1's Remote Reentry
China's first space station reentered Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific after almost seven years in space.