16th November 2020

UK government to research space-based solar power

The UK government has commissioned new research into space-based solar power systems. These would use very large orbiting satellites to beam the Sun's energy to ground-based receivers.

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14th November 2020

New technology could turn Moon dust into oxygen and useful metals

British firm Metalysis has won a European Space Agency contract to develop technology to turn Moon dust and rocks into oxygen, leaving behind metal powders for use in construction.

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29th October 2020

Apophis asteroid may be heading for Earth in 2068

Observations of the near-Earth asteroid, Apophis, have already ruled out a collision with our planet in 2029 and 2036. However, the discovery of a new orbital characteristic suggests that a collision in the year 2068 remains a possibility.

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26th October 2020

Water discovered on sunlit surface of Moon

Astronomers report, for the first time, the detection of molecular water on the sunlit surface of the Moon at concentrations of up to 412 parts per million.

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23rd October 2020

Betelgeuse is smaller and closer than previously thought

A new study finds that the red supergiant star Betelgeuse is 530 light years away, about 25% closer than previously thought. Additionally, its estimated size has been revised downwards.

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13th October 2020

Stunning video tour of asteroid's surface revealed by NASA

NASA's first asteroid sample return mission will soon be touching down on the surface of Bennu. The space agency has released a stunning video tour of this tiny world, based on data and imagery gathered so far.

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26th September 2020

First candidate extragalactic planetary system identified

Astronomers report evidence, for the first time, of an exoplanet in a system outside the Milky Way galaxy.

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22nd September 2020

NASA publishes Moon landing plan for 2024

Following a series of contract awards and hardware milestones, NASA has shared an update on its Artemis program – including the latest Phase 1 plans to land the first woman and next man on the surface of the Moon in 2024.

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14th September 2020

Possible biosignature detected on Venus

The detection of phosphine in the clouds of Venus is reported by astronomers. This may indicate a biosignature.

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5th September 2020

Largest known black hole merger is confirmed

Astronomers have confirmed the largest known black hole merger, which also provides the first clear evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole, estimated at 142 solar masses.

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11th August 2020

Ceres confirmed to be water-rich world

The dwarf planet Ceres is confirmed to be a water-rich body, containing a deep reservoir of brine – based on analysis of gravity data and other measurements from the Dawn mission.

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30th July 2020

NASA launches Mars 2020 rover mission

The next Mars rover mission, Perseverance, is on its way to the Red Planet to look for signs of ancient life and collect samples for return to Earth.

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29th July 2020

Virgin Galactic reveals SpaceShipTwo cabin interior

British aerospace and space travel company Virgin Galactic today revealed the cabin interior of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle – VSS Unity.

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2nd July 2020

Fastest-growing black hole identified

Astronomers report that J2157, discovered in 2018, is now known to have 34 billion solar masses and is consuming the equivalent of nearly 1 solar mass every day, making it the fastest-growing black hole in the Universe.

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8th June 2020

Possible Earth-like planet found around Sun-like star

Astronomers report that Kepler-160, a Sun-like star already known to host two planets, likely has a rocky third planet with orbit and light levels very similar to Earth.

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16th May 2020

Astronomers find nearest known black hole

A team at the European Southern Observatory reports finding what is likely a black hole about 1,120 light years away in the two-star HR 6819 system.

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4th May 2020

New study examines which galaxies are best for intelligent life

Spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way are more likely to harbour intelligent, technologically advanced civilisations, a new paper argues.

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2nd May 2020

First results from NASA's ICESat-2 mission

New data from cutting-edge satellite technology shows that melting in Antarctica and Greenland has contributed 14 mm (0.55 in) of global sea level rise since 2003.

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2nd May 2020

NASA selects companies to develop landers for human Moon missions

NASA has announced the selection of three U.S. companies – Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX – to design and develop human landing systems (HLS) for the Artemis program, one of which is planned to deliver the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

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19th April 2020

First private lunar lander gets target site for 2021

Engineers at private aerospace company Intuitive Machines (IM) have confirmed a launch date and landing site for their upcoming IM-1 mission.

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16th April 2020

Earth-sized exoplanet found in habitable zone

NASA reports the discovery of Kepler-1649c, an exoplanet that is closer to Earth in size and temperature than any other world yet found in data from the Kepler space telescope.

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10th April 2020

NASA selects early-stage technology concepts

The latest NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts have been revealed. Many futuristic technologies are presented – including a way of directly viewing exoplanets in detail.

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9th April 2020

Extraction of space resources encouraged by Trump

This week, President Trump signed an executive order to spur the future long-term commercial exploitation of various celestial bodies and the mining of lunar resources.

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12th March 2020

Astronomers find exoplanet where it rains molten iron

Researchers using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) report the discovery of WASP-76b, an exoplanet with temperatures of 2,400°C (4,352°F) that rains molten iron.

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5th March 2020

Protein discovered in meteorite?

Scientists have published details of what they believe is the first known meteorite to contain a protein. The molecule has been named hemolithin.

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1st March 2020

Freeman Dyson, 1923–2020

Freeman Dyson, one of the 20th century's greatest theoretical physicists, died this week aged 96. He is known for popularising the Dyson Sphere – a hypothetical megastructure that could surround an entire star.

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