Space

Space as a Service: NASA and SpaceX Find a New Way of Putting People Into Orbit

The NASA astronauts assigned to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

SpaceX could be ferrying astronauts by April 2019.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz

NASA Is Running a 3D Printing Competition to Design Homes on Mars

The idea is to send a robot to Mars to autonomously print a habitat for the arrival of astronauts.

  • By Madis Kabash, Quartz
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis introduces Vice President Mike Pence during an event on the creation of a United States Space Force Aug. 9 at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis introduces Vice President Mike Pence during an event on the creation of a United States Space Force Aug. 9 at the Pentagon.

How The Space Force Took Over Washington

Blame a potent mix of national security concerns, space spectacle, and pork-barrel spending.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz
This multiple panel image shows a snapshot of the continental U.S. and surrounding oceans from some of the Advanced Baseline Imager channels at 2:02 p.m. EDT on July 29, 2018. This multiple panel image shows a snapshot of the continental U.S. and surrounding oceans from some of the Advanced Baseline Imager channels at 2:02 p.m. EDT on July 29, 2018.

NOAA Creates Workarounds for Malfunctioning Weather Satellite

The GOES-17 still isn’t working the way it’s meant to, but engineers believe they have a way to make it more functional than not.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Inside NASA's Cold Atom Lab

Astronauts are studying some very chilly atoms.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild
The Canadarm 2 reaches out to capture the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for docking to the International Space Station. The Canadarm 2 reaches out to capture the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft for docking to the International Space Station.

Cargo Bases in Space: Air Force General Wants Them Within a Decade

The service’s mobility chief is already talking with SpaceX and other companies about the possibilities of orbiting supply dumps.

  • By Paulina Glass, Defense One
In this Wednesday, July 18, 2018 photo, National Weather Service forecaster Marvin Percha reviews monitors that track satellite and Doppler radar images, as well as his colleagues' forecasts posted on social media, at the agency's operating center in Az. In this Wednesday, July 18, 2018 photo, National Weather Service forecaster Marvin Percha reviews monitors that track satellite and Doppler radar images, as well as his colleagues' forecasts posted on social media, at the agency's operating center in Az.

Satellite Imagery + Social Media = A New Way to Spot Emerging Nuclear Threats

A research team is training computers to find and fuse clues from wildly different rivers of digital data.

  • By Patrick Tucker, Defense One
Technicians lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Technicians lift the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope using a crane at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Who Should Pay for the Mistakes on NASA’s Next Big Telescope?

The space agency has always coughed up the extra cash, but some politicians wonder if the contractor responsible for major errors should pitch in.

  • By Marina Koren, The Atlantic

NASA Wants to Know If Space Travel Affects Plant and Animal Evolution

The agency is laying the groundwork for long-term human missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

  • By Jack Corrigan

NOAA’s Next-Gen Weather Satellite is Still Malfunctioning and May Not be Fixable

The second satellite in NOAA’s $11 billion GOES program continues to experience issues with its most important instrument and officials still aren’t sure what’s wrong.

  • By Frank Konkel
A mock-up of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner splashes down in 2016. A mock-up of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner splashes down in 2016.

A Toxic Fuel Leak on Boeing’s Spacecraft Will Ground U.S. Astronauts a Little Longer

Boeing believes it understands the cause of the leak.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz
The FEDOR robot is trained to shoot guns. The FEDOR robot is trained to shoot guns.

Russia May Put Androids in Orbit Next Year, State Media Says

The mission would be the latest for FEDOR, created for rescue work — and more recently given the ability to shoot guns.

  • By Paulina Glass, Defense One
This image made available by NASA shows an illustration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This image made available by NASA shows an illustration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

NASA Is Making Troves of Satellite Data More Accessible Than Ever

The open data and new toolkit could inspire a new crop of entrepreneurs.

  • By Jack Corrigan

SpaceX And Boeing Are Running Out of Time to Fly Astronauts Into Space

It's a safety issue.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz
James Morhard, pictured in Washington in 2011. James Morhard, pictured in Washington in 2011.

Donald Trump Nominated a Man With No Space Experience To Be NASA’s Second-in-Command

Trump is passing over Dr. Janet Kavandi, an astronaut and respected leader of one of the space agency’s research centers.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, left, testifies before Congress. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, left, testifies before Congress.

NASA’s Chief Wants Former Astronaut Janet Kavandi to Help Run Things. Trump Is Looking at the Senate’s Admin Guy

The wrong person in that job could create new problems for NASA.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz
The twin spacecraft of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission. The twin spacecraft of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission.

NASA Turns on the Lasers on a Pair of Climate Satellites

These lasers are the equivalent of a pair of walkie-talkies.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

International Space Station Welcomes Robot Crew Member

CIMON is here to help.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild
March 5, 2017. What, ... ] March 5, 2017. What, ... ]

Another Shocking Delay for NASA’s Next Big Telescope

If the James Webb Space Telescope wants to get off the ground, it will need a blessing—and more money—from Congress.

  • By Marina Koren, The Atlantic
In this photo provi, ... ] In this photo provi, ... ]

When a Mars Simulation Goes Wrong

A recent mission atop a Hawaiian volcano shows humans still have much to learn before they set foot on another world.

  • By Marina Koren, The Atlantic