NASA Selects Blue Origin as Mars Telecommunications Network Provider

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Credit: NASA NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for current and future Mars missions. The firm-fixed-price contract has a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA no later than Dec. 31, 2028. Blue Origin will design, develop, integrate, launch, and operate the network as a part of the agency’s broader space communications and navigation infrastructure. The architecture will consist of…

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Two astronauts replace ISS camera and docking aid on 6th-ever all-female spacewalk (video)

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Two astronauts replaced a spacecraft docking aid and a video camera during a successful spacewalk outside of the International Space Station on Tuesday (Sept. 1). NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot got through most of the tasks set out for them even in light of Adenot’s spacesuit developing a mobility issue late in the extravehicular activity (EVA), which lasted six hours and 49 minutes. After beginning the spacewalk from the U.S. Quest airlock at 8:40 a.m. EDT (1240 GMT), Meir and Adenot set about…

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Scientists trace 7 stages of a meteorite’s life, from hurtling space rock to Earth’s surface

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Studying 75 meteorites falling to Earth, scientists have identified the seven stages a space rock goes through as it crashes through our atmosphere, each of which is determined by different physical processes. The research found that there are more factors than mere evaporation that determine how fragments of asteroids and comets lose mass and speed passing through the atmosphere before slamming into the ground as meteorites. As well as just “burning up” in the atmosphere, space rocks also go through periods of melting and fragmentation that occur at different altitudes.…

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What’s Up: September 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

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Skywatching Skywatching Home What’s Up Meteor Showers Eclipses Daily Moon Guide More Tips & Guides Skywatching FAQ Night Sky Network Brilliant Venus and a Harvest Moon Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot, spot brilliant Venus, welcome the equinox, and see the Harvest Moon near Saturn and Neptune. Skywatching Highlights Sept. 14-20: Use the Moon to find Antares and the Teapot; dark skies may reveal the Milky Way center Sept 18: Venus reaches peak brilliance for this evening appearance Sept. 22: September equinox; fall begins in the Northern…

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Artemis III RS-25 Engine Processing: #3 Lift

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Technicians prepare to transfer the #2 RS-25 SLS (Space Launch System) rocket engine (front) to the work stand with the #3 engine (back) for integration with the Artemis III core stage rocket on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During Artemis III, the four RS‑25 engines will launch the Orion spacecraft and its crew of four into low Earth orbit, generating more than two million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

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Historic Engines Take Their Place on Artemis III

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NASA/Clayton Rougelot On Aug. 24, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began installing the four RS‑25 engines in the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will carry the Artemis III crew into low Earth orbit in 2027. Each RS‑25 engine has a unique serial number that records its detailed flight history. The four engines assigned to Artemis III — E2054, E2057, E2048, and E2052 — previously powered multiple space shuttle missions. Engine 2048 helped launch NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik’s earlier mission aboard space…

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‘Orbitals’ is a co-op sci-fi adventure that recaptures the magic of Saturday morning cartoons

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Growing up, the best Saturday morning cartoons were the ones we re-enacted with our friends on the playground. Whether it was screaming at the top of our lungs to go Super Saiyan like in Dragon Ball Z, or sleuthing around the school as Darkwing Duck. In the years since our childhood, we’ve often bonded with both strangers and friends over memories of Saturday morning cartoons, remembering the quaint stories and characters that influenced our lives in surprisingly profound ways. Those stories have a unifying power, and that’s at the heart…

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Watch 2 astronauts take 6th-ever all-female spacewalk today

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Two astronauts will conduct history’s sixth all-female spacewalk today (Sept. 1), and you can watch it live. NASA’s Jessica Meir and Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) at around 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) on an excursion expected to last about 6.5 hours. You can watch it here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the agency. Coverage will start at 7:00 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT). NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and the European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot work together inside…

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APOD: 2026 September 1 – A Plane Lunar Eclipse

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APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 1 – A… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. A Plane Lunar Eclipse Explanation: Did you need to be on the right side of this airplane to see this eclipse? No. Lunar eclipses are routinely seen from the half of the Earth facing the Moon when the eclipse occurs, making…

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Ice Island Survives Run-In With Joe Island

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Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Ice Island Survives Run-In… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search   AUGUST 24 AUGUST 23 A satellite view shows the iceberg after it pivoted out of the fjord into Nares…

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