India may land on the Moon this coming year, while Nasa will launch its new, powerful rocket farther into space than any other human rated spacecraft.
A photo taken from the International Space Station in 2014 shows the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft on the left and the unpiloted ISS Progress 57 cargo craft. Six years later, private players have joined the space race.
Picryl
Over the coming decade, the arrival of constellations of small satellites will reshape the space industry. It constitutes a paradigm shift, particularly in terms of data gathering and processing.
Mars 2020 Perseverance space mission launches from Kennedy Space Center.
CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EE
Humans have been living on the International Space Station for two full decades. So what comes next for this ailing technology, and what does it mean for future International ventures in space?
A partial lunar eclipse above the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire in 2019.
Peter Byrne/PA Archive/PA Images
Radio telescopes are incredibly sensitive to phone network interference.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is raised into a vertical position on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A.
NASA/Bill Ingalls
SpaceX’s launch of astronauts to the International Space Station will make it the first private company to launch humans to space. The effort has ramifications for NASA and spaceflight in general.
There is no shortage of ideas for how Australia can help NASA fly to Mars.
Mick Tsikas/AAP Image
From solar sail-powered spacecraft, to laser communications, to asteroid detection systems, there is no shortage of Australian ideas and expertise to help NASA explore the Moon and Mars.
This second era of space exploration will include a diverse corp of astronauts.
studiostoks/Shutterstock.com
The new era of space exploration is characterized by an emphasis on diversity and international cooperation. But there’s a lot of work to do before there’s gender equality in STEM fields and at NASA.
NASA is making a new effort to encourage women to pursue STEM careers.
Khakimullin Aleksandr/Shutterstock.com
NASA has made significant steps in making explicit appeals to women to support space exploration, but it might not be doing enough to gather needed political support.
Associate Professor at the Robotics Institute and Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology Sydney