Articles

Alejandro Soto

A team of scientists recently traveled to rural Argentina in the hopes of catching New Horizons' next target—Kuiper Belt object MU 69—crossing in front of a distant star.

Emily Lakdawalla

Curiosity has had a busy eight weeks, driving south from the Bagnold Dunes toward Vera Rubin Ridge. The path has steepened and the rover is now rapidly climbing upward with every meter traveled. It's been a productive time for arm instruments, but the drill is still not working.

Jason Davis

Scientists have found what appears to be a 250-kilometer-wide crater near the Falkland Islands. Is it ground zero for Earth's largest-ever extinction event?

Jason Davis

SpaceX lost rockets in both 2015 and 2016. But an analysis of Falcon 9 launch data shows the company continues to gain momentum, while making giant strides forward in reusability.

Anatoly Zak

In March, NASA officials revealed updated plans for a small space station near the Moon called the Deep Space Gateway. Anatoly Zak reports the plans threw a monkey wrench into years-long planning efforts by NASA’s international partners.

Sridhar Narayanan

The first operational launch of the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 3 rocket, or GSLV-MK3, developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), was successfully conducted on Monday.

William Blume

Planetary scientist Michael A’Hearn passed away on Monday, May 29, leaving a remarkable legacy in cometary science—but even more importantly in the careers of many younger scientists who flourished with his encouragement and mentorship.

Casey Dreier

NASA’s robotic Mars Exploration Program is on a troubling path of decline—and decisions must be made now in order to stop it. A new report by the Society explains why.

A.J.S. Rayl

In another dynamic demonstration of what can be achieved when a team works together, Opportunity cruised to the top of Perseverance Valley, shot the moon, and drove into her 160th month of surface operations in May.

Jason Davis

Georgia Tech's Prox-1 spacecraft has arrived at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where it will be integrated with LightSail 2. The SmallSats will ride to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in December 2017 or later.

Sridhar Narayanan

The countdown has begun for the first fully operational flight of the Indian Space Research Organization’s most powerful rocket to date: the Geostationary Launch Vehicle Mark 3, or GSLV-MK3.

Jason Davis

NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft will repeatedly dive through the Sun's corona, giving scientists their first-ever up-close look at our star.

Marc Rayman

On the other side of the solar system, invisible by virtue both of the blinding glare of the sun and by the vastness of the distance, Dawn is continuing its remarkable cosmic adventure.

Kate Howells

It’s an exciting time for Canada in space. It’s also an exciting time for Canadian space advocacy, as The Planetary Society's Global Community Outreach Manager Kate Howells describes.

Adam Block

Award-winning astrophotographer Adam Block brings us more of his stunning images of the universe—this time of cosmic dances through space.

Jason Davis

The White House's 2018 federal budget request includes $19.1 billion for NASA, which is a 3 percent drop from 2017. We broke down the details.

Jason Davis

Company officials say they have no plans to retire Antares, which has secured its first mission order under the second round of NASA's commercial cargo flights, known as CRS-2.

Jason Davis

Rocket Lab's Electron, a light-lift launcher for small satellites, is ready to make its debut test flight from a peninsula in New Zealand.

Larry Crumpler

Opportunity has arrived at the head of Perseverance Valley—a possible water-cut valley.

Emily Lakdawalla

Emily shares another of her popular size comparisons of solar system bodies, taking advantage of Cassini's recent views of Saturn's tiniest moons.