CubeSats, as depicted in this illustration, make it affordable for universities and private companies to launch a satellite into space.
Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
CubeSats have already visited the Moon and Mars and are key components of upcoming deep space missions.
The minimoon 2020 CD3 orbited Earth between 2018 and 2020.
International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/G. Fedorets
A large space rock will be temporarily captured by Earth’s gravity throughout October and November.
As companies develop satellite constellations as shown in this illustration, they’ll need to repair satellites in orbit.
NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld
The space missions of the future will need to coordinate multiple satellites and spacecraft − and figure out how to refuel, repair and even replace them in orbit.
Disturbances in the Atlantic may be nothing, or they could be the seeds of a destructive hurricane.
NOAA GOES
New techniques are helping forecasters spot potentially dangerous storms earlier than ever.
NASA GSFC
New US legislation could force Nasa to include enhanced cybersecurity for all its spacecraft.
Space junk was found on a farm in southern Saskatchewan in April.
(Shutterstock)
As the number of satellites and rocket launches increases, so does the amount of discarded rockets and components. This space junk risks falling to Earth, as it did in Saskatchewan this spring.
Complex space systems like the International Space Station could be vulnerable to hackers.
NASA
Sabotaged space stations, falsified space probe data and faked alien contact are just a few of the scenarios a report on space cybersecurity outlines.
NicoElNino / Shutterstock
Cyberattacks are a growing threat to government and commercial spacecraft.
Covering the ground with rocks is actually a good way to grow some crops in poor soil.
Carl Lipo
Satellite data shows the amount of food the residents of the tiny Pacific island have grown over time, pointing to a small but stable population.
A schematic shows a perovskite solar cell being irradiated with a damaging (red) and a healing (green) proton beam.
Ahmad Kirmani using Blender
Spacecraft exteriors that automatically heal from radiation damage would change the game − one material shows promise.
ESA
Burnt-up satellites could dump hundreds of tonnes of aluminium in the stratosphere every year. An atmospheric chemist explains what that might mean
A military artist’s concept of an anti-satellite missile being launched from an F-15 Eagle aircraft.
Everett Collection/Shutterstock
Fears are growing that Russia may be trying to put a nuclear weapon into orbit.
NASA
Solar storms can play havoc with electrical grids, satellites and railway lines.
Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels
China’s Change'6 is going to explore the Moon’s far side and bring back precious lunar soil for scientists to study.
Artist’s impression of a fireball.
Triff / Shutterstock
The amount of space junk will increase as we continue to launch objects into space, but there are ways to curb damage on the ground.
A super-emitter methane leak in Iran captured by satellite.
NASA JPL-Caltech
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that can leak from oil and gas wells, pipelines and landfills. Satellites can spot the releases fast enough to get them fixed and help protect the climate.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 18, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Four private astronauts make their way to the International Space Station.
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
Space exploration is not a waste of resources, but a source of technological and medical advances, a tool for climate monitoring and a source of educational inspiration for youth.
metamorworks/Shutterstock
The Starfish Prime test in 1962 showed how dangerous it would be to detonate a nuclear weapon in space.
An artist’s rendition of the eclipse over a city.
(Shutterstock)
The sky is becoming more cluttered with satellites and space junk. This is affecting astronomical study, but will only have a minor effect — if any — on the viewing of the solar eclipse.
Existing models have over-estimated the role of north Africa as the primary source of global dust emissions for nearly 30 years.
GizemG/Shutterstock
New research reveals our understanding of dust’s role in the environment is far from settled.