On this day in space: Feb. 25, 1982: Western Union launches Westar 4 communications satellite.

On Feb. 25, 1982, the Western Union company launched a communication satellite called Westar 4. Western Union was the first American telecommunications company to have a fleet of its own satellites. Westar 4 was twice as big as the first three Westar satellites and had four …

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NASA Artemis II Rocket Returns for Repairs.

NASA will roll its Artemis 2 moon rocket off the launch pad on Wednesday (Feb. 25) to deal with a glitch, and you can watch the long trek live. Artemis 2's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped by the Orion spacecraft, will start rolling off Kennedy Space Center's…

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NASA just fueled up its Artemis 2 moon rocket in 2nd critical test.

NASA's second attempt to fuel up its Artemis 2 moon rocket appeared to go well on Thursday (Feb. 19), potentially keeping the mission on track to launch as soon as early March. The space agency wrapped up the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal (WDR) — a two-day-long practice …

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Feb. 20, 1962: John Glenn becomes 1st American to orbit Earth.

On Feb. 20, 1962, NASA launched an astronaut into orbit around the Earth for the first time. John Glenn was the third American to launch into space and the third human to orbit Earth. Two Soviet cosmonauts had orbited Earth before him. He blasted off from Cape Canaveral in a…

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Night sky for tonight and the weekend: Catch fleet-footed Mercury shining above the western horizon.

There is so much to see in the night sky tonight, here's what you can look forward to. A good telescope or pair of binoculars will help you see some of the night sky’s fainter objects. However, the unaided eye is enough to learn its stars and constellations, watch the mo…

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On this day in space: Feb. 19, 1986: Russia's Mir space station launched into orbit.

On Feb. 19, 1986, the Soviet Union launched the Mir space station. While this wasn't the first space station launched into orbit, it was the first one that had to be assembled piece-by-piece in space. Mir enabled the first long-duration human spaceflight missions. The cur…

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Why solar and lunar eclipses come in pairs — and what an eclipse season really is.

We tend to hear about solar and lunar eclipses only in the days before they happen, often with the impression that they are unfolding in far-off or exotic parts of the world. For months, the sky follows the familiar rhythm of new and full moons, and then — seemingly out of …

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Ukraine's officials to boycott Paralympics over Russian flag decision.

Ukrainian officials will boycott the Paralympic Winter Games, Kyiv said Wednesday, after the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian athletes to compete under their national flag. Ukraine also urged other countries to shun next month's Opening Ceremony in Vero…

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NASA will fuel up its Artemis 2 moon rocket for the 2nd time on Feb. 19.

NASA will take another crack at fueling up its huge Artemis 2 moon rocket this week. The agency plans to load more than 700,000 gallons (2.65 million liters) of liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) into Artemis 2's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on Thursday (F…

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On this day in space: Feb. 18, 1930: Pluto discovered by Clyde Tombaugh

On Feb. 18, 1930, the American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto ! Before he discovered Pluto, another astronomer named Percival Lowell had spent over a decade trying to find it. He had theorized that a ninth planet existed based on wobbles seen in the orbits of Ura…

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Why don't more Tatooine-like exoplanets exist in our Milky Way galaxy? Astronomers might have an answer.

It's one of the most instantly recognizable scenes in cinematic history: Luke Skywalker gazes at a double sunset to the haunting melody of a mournful French horn. And while "Star Wars" may take place in a galaxy far, far away, planets orbiting binary stars act…

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A 'ring of fire' just appeared in the sky over Antarctica. Here's what happened during today's annular solar eclipse.

A magnificent annular solar eclipse just swept over Antarctica, putting on an impressive display of orbital mechanics as the moon passed in front of the sun at the perfect distance from Earth to create a fiery halo in a darkened sky  —  at least for the few souls lucky enou…

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SpaceX sends Starlink satellites into orbit on launches from California and Florida.

SpaceX added a 53 satellites to its Starlink megaconstellation over the course of two launches in as many days. First up was a Valentine's Day (Saturday, Feb. 14) liftoff of 24 satellites (Group 17-13) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force…

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'Fully unlocking the orbital economy': This California company will fly astronauts to the space station in 2027.

A California startup will operate its first astronaut mission next year, if all goes according to plan. NASA announced on Thursday (Feb. 12) that it has picked Long Beach-based Vast to conduct the sixth private astronaut flight to the International Space Station (ISS), which…

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Europe's most powerful rocket launches for 1st time, carrying 32 Amazon internet satellites to orbit.

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket just notched another milestone. The most powerful version of the Ariane 6 — known as the 64, because it sports four strap-on solid rocket boosters — lifted off for the first time ever today (Feb. 12). The Ariane 64 launched from Europe's S…

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Vulcan Centaur rocket launches 'neighborhood watch' satellites for the US military.

A Vulcan Centaur rocket launched a pair of space surveillance satellites for the U.S. military early Thursday morning (Feb. 12). The Vulcan Centaur lifted off Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 4:22 a.m. EST (0922 GMT), kicking off the USSF-87 mis…

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Figure Skater Wins Olympic Medal After Surviving 'Scary' Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis.

Canadian skater Piper Gilles cried and jumped with joy when she won a bronze medal in ice dance at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, a triumph that came just three years after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She said she never could have envisioned the moment wh…

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Artemis 2 rocket photobombs SpaceX Crew-12 | Space photo of the day for Feb. 13, 2026.

Two crew-worth spacecraft appear to sit side by side on their rockets in this NASA picture captured at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, one bound for low-Earth orbit and the other for the far side of the moon. Why is it amazing? The photo was captured on Feb. 11, as Space…

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Did the Viking missions discover life on Mars 50 years ago? These scientists think so.

NASA's Viking missions to Mars may have discovered evidence for life on the Red Planet after all, according to scientists who are seeking to correct what they believe to be a 50-year-old mistake that has led everybody to think that Mars is lifeless. Viking 1 and Viking 2…

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Launches to International Space Station.

Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST Friday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a Dragon spac…

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