The dawn is breaking on a new era of space exploration, with moon bases and Mars colonies potentially only decades away. Live Science tracks the researchers, companies and countries setting their sights on the stars to bring you the biggest stories in space. Whether it's reporting on concerns that alien organisms could hitch a ride on our spacecraft and contaminate Earth, explaining what 11 billion people means for space travel, sharing a glorious photo of Earth during a total solar eclipse snapped by Japan's lunar lander, or compiling a list of the weirdest things we have launched into space, our expert writers and editors will ignite your sense of interstellar adventure with the latest space exploration news, features and articles.
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Latest about Space Exploration
China now has a 'kill mesh' in orbit, Space Force vice chief says
"That capability gap is significantly narrowed, and we've got to change the way we're looking at space, or that capability gap may reverse and not be in our favor anymore."
Dying SpaceX rocket triggers giant spiral of light above UK and Europe during secret mission
A giant whirlpool of light, known as a "SpaceX spiral," was recently spotted swirling across the night sky over Europe as a Falcon 9 rocket prepared to reenter Earth's atmosphere after deploying top-secret cargo.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 286 days stuck in space — is that a new record?
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams spent 286 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth empty. Is their extended spaceflight record-setting?
Futuristic, 'alien-like' nuclear fusion rockets developed in total secret could revolutionize space travel — if they actually work
U.K. start-up Pulsar Fusion has unveiled plans to build a fleet of reusable nuclear fusion-powered rockets, known as Sunbirds, that could cut journey times across the solar system in half. But not everyone is convinced.
NASA reveals a sunset on the moon in high definition for the 1st time
During its final hours on the lunar surface, the Blue Ghost spacecraft captured stunning photos of a lunar sunset.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were carried away on stretchers after return from space. Here's why that's normal.
When astronauts return from a prolonged visit to space, they are often carried out of their capsules and placed on stretchers. The 'stranded' astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were no exception. Here's why.
'Welcome home!': NASA astronauts who spent 9 months in orbit finally back on Earth
After nine months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have splash-landed off the coast of Florida.
When will the 'stranded' NASA astronauts return to Earth?
After spending more than nine months in space, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally coming home. NASA is targeting a Tuesday evening (March 18) splashdown for the returning astronauts, if weather conditions remain favorable.
Finally! NASA and SpaceX launch Crew-10 mission to bring 'stranded' ISS astronauts back to Earth
Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams have spent nine months aboard the International Space Station following the failure of Boeing’s Starliner mission. Their rescue rocket has finally been launched.
Liftoff! NASA launches SPHEREx telescope — an infrared observatory that will help JWST solve the mysteries of the universe
NASA's newly-launched SPHEREx space telescope will offer a complementary 'panoramic' view to the JWST's high resolution infrared snapshots, enabling astronomers to study some of the universe's biggest mysteries.
