
NASA is set to conduct a second wet‑dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System for Artemis 2 on Feb 19, loading over 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The first rehearsal was halted by an LH₂ leak at the tail service mast umbilical, prompting seal replacements and a filter fix. A confidence test on Feb 12 showed partial fill success despite ground‑support equipment issues, and the team now feels ready for the full countdown simulation. If the test proceeds without further leaks, Artemis 2 could launch as early as March 6.

The article presents a Roscosmos‑focused trivia quiz that highlights the agency’s Soviet heritage and its contemporary role in spaceflight. It notes that the modern Russian space agency was established in 1992 and that the Vostochny Cosmodrome was built to lessen...

President Trump’s push to expand U.S. presence in Greenland highlights the island’s emerging role as a strategic gateway for space operations. High‑latitude launch sites in Greenland enable efficient polar and sun‑synchronous orbits, making the territory attractive to private launch firms...

NASA launched two sub‑orbital sounding rockets from Alaska’s Poker Flat Research Range to investigate the electrical dynamics of auroras. The BADASS mission reached 224 miles altitude to study rare black auroras, while the GNEISS mission deployed twin rockets to 198...

ULA’s Vulcan Centaur will launch early on Feb 12 from Cape Canaveral on the USSF‑87 mission, carrying two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites for the U.S. Space Force. The payloads will monitor the crowded geostationary orbit, providing “neighborhood watch” data...

SpaceX’s Crew‑12 mission is set to launch ahead of schedule, adding four astronauts to the International Space Station’s thinly‑manned roster. The crew comprises two NASA astronauts, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, and a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut,...

In 1976 NASA’s Viking landers returned positive signals from three life‑detection experiments, but the onboard GC‑MS failed to find organic molecules, leading the team to declare Mars lifeless. Recent analysis by Ben Benner and colleagues argues that the GC‑MS actually detected...

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, drafted during the Cold War, now underpins a space sector transformed by cheap launches, megaconstellations and commercial lunar missions. Rapid orbital growth has exposed gaps in debris mitigation, traffic coordination and liability, prompting calls for...

The European Southern Observatory is advancing construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) on Chile’s Cerro Armazones, a 39‑meter primary mirror that will become the world’s largest optical instrument. The site, already home to the Very Large Telescope, positions the...

The Trump administration is moving to fragment the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a unique NSF‑funded hub that blends observation, supercomputing, and applied research. While Congress rejected outright budget cuts, the latest spending bill lacks language protecting NCAR as...

Private companies are reshaping the space frontier as launch costs fall, turning low‑Earth orbit into a bustling commercial marketplace. Meanwhile, the United States and China are locked in a geopolitical race to return humans to the lunar south pole by...

NASA announced plans to beam the Super Bowl LX live to the International Space Station, ensuring the three crew members—two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut—can watch the game in real time. Engineers are configuring a high‑bandwidth downlink to stream...

The FAA has cleared SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to resume flights, ending a four‑day grounding caused by an upper‑stage engine failure during a Feb 2 Starlink launch. With clearance secured, NASA’s Crew‑12 mission is set to lift off on Feb 11 from Cape Canaveral,...

The Nimoy‑Knight Foundation awarded Dr. Jessica Schonhut‑Stasik, known as “Girl Spock,” its Live Long & Prosper Tribute Award. Schonhut‑Stasik, an astrophysicist and neurodiversity advocate, aims to become the first openly autistic woman in space. The award celebrates Leonard Nimoy’s legacy of hope, logic,...

The UK government has announced a 30% reduction in funding for astronomy, particle and nuclear physics through the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The cuts arrive after a previous 15% reduction and follow a decline in the UK’s contribution to...

Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to create the most detailed dark‑matter map to date, covering a sky region 2.5 times the size of the full Moon in Sextans. By observing for roughly 255 hours with NIRCam as part of the...