Astronomy

Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison uncovered a critical flaw in how lunar and Martian rovers are tested on Earth. Simulations revealed that test results have been misleading for decades because researchers only adjusted rover weight to simulate low gravity—but ignored how Earth’s gravity affects the terrain itself. Using a powerful simulation tool called Chrono, the team showed that sandy surfaces behave very differently on the Moon, where they’re fluffier and less supportive.

Astronomers have detected a fast radio burst (FRB) from when the Universe was just 3 billion years old, a remarkable achievement that opens new windows into the early universe and the mysterious phenomena that shaped it.

A team of astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have achieved a breakthrough in understanding TRAPPIST-1, the famous red dwarf star hosting seven Earth sized planets. By analysing stellar flares, the team discovered that flares cause dark magnetic features on the star's surface to disappear, creating persistent brightening effects. This represents the first-ever measurement of magnetic feature spectra on an M8 dwarf star.

Lucy is already well on its way to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. But that doesn't mean that it can’t make some improvements to its trajectory along the way. A new paper suggests it might be possible to nudge Lucy into a slightly different orbit, allowing it to pass an as-yet-undiscovered asteroid sometime during its exploration of the L5 cloud of Trojan around Jupiter. If completed, it could lend an entirely new research target to Lucy’s repertoire and further define the differences between the two Trojan clouds.

As another world around TRAPPIST-1 shows no signs of an atmosphere, astronomers urge us not to give up hope for an Earth-like atmosphere on one of the other worlds in the system.

In sub-Saharan African youths diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, 65 per cent do not have antibodies or genetic risks associated with the disease, suggesting they have a novel non-autoimmune subtype of the disorder

In sub-Saharan African youths diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, 65 per cent do not have antibodies or genetic risks associated with the disease, suggesting they have a novel non-autoimmune subtype of the disorder

The U.S. Space Force's powerful new military radar system designed to detect and track objects in distant orbits above Earth has passed an initial key test.

A brain-computer interface has enabled people with paralysis to turn their thoughts directly into words, requiring less effort than older techniques where a physical attempt at speech had to be made

A brain-computer interface has enabled people with paralysis to turn their thoughts directly into words, requiring less effort than older techniques where a physical attempt at speech had to be made

The U.S. planetary science community is sounding the alarm about plans to discard a nuclear technology that has powered dozens of NASA missions over the past 50 years

Only a fraction of the size of the Milky Way, these galaxies have thus far been too faint for most telescopes to spot.

For a century, quantum theory has passed every experimental test, but physicists can’t agree on how to use it to paint a picture of our reality – or even whether that is possible

For a century, quantum theory has passed every experimental test, but physicists can’t agree on how to use it to paint a picture of our reality – or even whether that is possible

A new brain prosthesis can read out inner thoughts in real time, helping people with ALS and brain stem stroke communicate fast and comfortably

Blue Origin has used its Blue Ring spacecraft platform to develop the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, which the company says could aid future NASA missions to the Red Planet.

The executive order directs multiple federal agencies to streamline launch licensing, fast-track spaceport construction and better support emerging in-space industries.

Eleven International Space Station crew members gather inside the International Space Station's Unity module for a portrait on Aug. 3, 2025.

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Europe’s first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, weather satellite – which hosts the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission –  has launched aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from the European spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on 13 August at 02:37 CEST (12 August 21:37 Kourou time).

MetOp-SG-A1 is the first in a series of three successive pairs of satellites. The mission as a whole not only ensures the continued delivery of global observations from polar orbit for weather forecasting and climate analysis for more than 20 years, but also offers enhanced accuracy and resolution compared to the original MetOp mission – along with new measurement capabilities to expand its scientific reach.

This new weather satellite also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission to deliver daily global data on air pollutants and atmospheric trace gases as well as aerosols and ultraviolet radiation.

Ariane 6 is Europe’s heavy launcher and a key element of ESA’s efforts to ensure autonomous access to space for Europe’s citizens. Ariane 6 has three stages: two or four boosters, and a main and upper stage. For this flight, VA264, the rocket was used in its two-booster configuration.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida on Thursday morning (Aug. 14), carrying 28 Starlink broadband satellites into low Earth orbit.