Space

Hayabusa2 Captures Stunning Image of Two-Headed Asteroid Torifune 100 Million Kilometers from Earth Date: 2026-07-07 Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe has beamed home a remarkable image of asteroid Torifune, revealing it as a contact binary : two distinct lobes fused together in a peanut shape : captured during a high-speed flyby 100 million kilometers (62 million miles) […]

Two Nations, Two Debut Rockets: China’s Long March 10B and India’s Vikram-I Set for Historic Launches Featured image: [Renderings of the Long March 10B (left) and Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-I (right); credit: CASC/Chinarocket (left), Skyroot Aerospace (right)] A rare double debut in orbital spaceflight is unfolding this week. China’s partially reusable Long March 10B and India’s […]

Hayabusa2 Captures Stunning Image of Two-Headed Asteroid Torifune 100 Million Kilometers from Earth Date: 2026-07-07 Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe has beamed home a remarkable image of asteroid Torifune, revealing it as a contact binary: two distinct lobes fused together in a peanut shape, captured during a high-speed flyby 100 million kilometers (62 million miles) from Earth […]

Webb Unveils Millions of Stars in Centaurus A, Resolving a Galaxy Shaped by Cosmic Collision Featured image: [Webb NIRCam and MIRI composite image of Centaurus A (NGC 5128), showing millions of individually resolved stars and the galaxy’s distinctive dust lane; credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI] The James Webb Space Telescope has resolved millions of individual stars in the […]

Shoebox-Sized Superconducting Thruster Demonstrates Fuel-Free Maneuvering in First Orbital Test Date: 2026-07-07 Featured image: [Diagram of the Z01 Supertorquer superconducting magnet system showing coils and heat pump assembly; credit: Zenno Astronautics] A shoebox-sized superconducting thruster that generates acceleration without consuming propellant has completed its first in-orbit test, marking the first time a superconducting device has […]

Chinese Researchers Design Reusable Net-Membrane That Folds Itself Up for Multiple Space Debris Captures Featured image: [Diagram of the hybrid net-membrane capture system showing deployment sequence; credit: Yu et al., Space: Science & Technology 2026] A team of Chinese researchers has proposed a new approach to one of the most stubborn problems in orbital debris […]

Katalyst’s Link Spacecraft Begins Pursuit of NASA’s Swift Observatory in First Commercial Satellite Rescue Featured image: [Artist’s rendering of the Katalyst Link spacecraft approaching NASA’s Swift Observatory in orbit; credit: Katalyst Space Technologies] A shoebox-sized spacecraft built in under nine months is now racing against time to rescue NASA’s Swift gamma-ray burst observatory before its […]

Two Nations, Two Debut Rockets: China’s Long March 10B and India’s Vikram-I Set for Historic Launches Featured image: [Renderings of the Long March 10B (left) and Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-I (right); credit: CASC/Chinarocket (left), Skyroot Aerospace (right)] A rare double debut in orbital spaceflight is unfolding this week. China’s partially reusable Long March 10B and India’s […]

Once-in-a-millennium Apophis flyby in 2029 will be visible to billions On Sunday, April 13, 2029, an asteroid the size of the Empire State Building will pass within 31,000 kilometers (19,000 miles) of Earth, closer than geosynchronous satellites and roughly one-tenth the distance to the Moon. At its brightest, the asteroid 99942 Apophis will be visible […]

China’s Tianwen-2 arrives at asteroid Kamoʻoalewa, returns first image China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft has arrived at the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and returned its first image of the target, revealing a small, elongated rocky body. The milestone marks the beginning of a survey campaign that will culminate in the collection of roughly 100 grams (3.5 ounces) […]