Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and their ilk are changing the rhetoric around space and the public's relationship to it.
Jul 13, 2021 - Science"I became more of an environmentalist when I went into space," NASA's Bill Nelson said.
May 25, 2021 - Energy & EnvironmentThe new consortium represents a potential leap forward in the effort to hold polluters accountable.
Apr 15, 2021 - Energy & EnvironmentNations around the world are shoring up their military capabilities in space.
Dec 1, 2020 - ScienceNASA might get to stay the course, but would have to compete with other spending priorities.
Oct 27, 2020 - ScienceSpace junk could threaten humanity's future in the stars.
Oct 20, 2020 - ScienceThe Great Red Spot seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo: NASA/ESA/STScI
The winds of one of the most recognizable storms in the solar system — Jupiter's Great Red Spot — are speeding up.
Why it matters: This weather report for another world is possible because the Hubble Space Telescope has been keeping a close eye on the storm for more than 10 years.
A Blue Origin booster coming in for a landing in 2019. Photo: Blue Origin
A letter signed by 21 current and former employees of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin accuses the company of mishandling harassment allegations and raises questions about its culture.
The big picture: Blue Origin is trying to compete with SpaceX and others for lucrative government contracts but it's facing employee attrition rates as high as 20%, according to a report from CNBC.
From left: Actor Yulia Peresild, cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and director Klim Shipenko. Photo: Roscosmos Press Service/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A Russian director and an actor blasted off into space on Tuesday to film the world's first movie in orbit, AP reports.
State of play: Director Klim Shipenko and actor Yulia Peresild took off to the International Space Station along with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov. They are set to stay in orbit for 12 days filming segments for their movie, "Challenge."
Photo Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: SpaceX via Flickr
The new era of private spaceflight — heralded by the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew — is at risk of lacking the transparency of missions led by NASA and other space agencies.
Why it matters: Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are trying to woo more customers in the coming years to help bring about their vision for humanity in space. Bringing in new customers hinges on those people having a clear picture of the risks of space travel.
William Shatner. Photo: Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
Actor William Shatner will be launched to space in the upcoming Blue Origin tourist spaceflight, the company announced on Monday.
Why it matters: The 90-year-old actor, best known for playing Captain Kirk in the television series "Star Trek," will become the oldest person to fly to space.
The Ariane 5 launch vehicle with the BepiColombo space probe on board is about to launch at the Kourou spaceport in 2018. Photo: Janne Kieselbach/picture alliance via Getty Images
A European-Japanese spacecraft has returned its first close-up pictures of Mercury in a long-awaited flyby.
Why it matters: The European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the BepiColombo mission to Mercury in 2018, and the two spacecraft should make it into orbit around the innermost planet in 2025.
Photo: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared Virgin Galactic to return to spaceflight operations after concluding an investigation into the company's July trip to suborbital space, Virgin Galactic said in a statement Wednesday.
Why it matters: The high-profile flight, carrying billionaire Richard Branson, was seen as a step forward for the company to begin commercial services in the near future.
A side-by-side of the Inspiration4 crew and a shot of their capsule on the way back to Earth. Photo: SpaceX
The all-civilian Inspiration4 crew is back on Earth after their three-day mission in orbit.
The big picture: The launch and landing of this fully amateur, private space crew marks a changing of the guard from spaceflight being a largely government-led venture to being under the purview of private companies.
Photo: Neil Mockford/GC Images via Getty Images
The all-civilian SpaceX crew called actor Tom Cruise on Friday, giving him a glimpse into their experience in orbit two days after the successful Inspiration4 launch.
Don't forget: NASA announced last year that it would work with Cruise on a film aboard the International Space Station — though it's unclear where that currently stands.
A screenshot of the rocket launching. Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX's all-civilian Inspiration4 mission made history Wednesday night when it launched into orbit.
Why it matters: It's the first time a crew of amateurs has launched to orbit without a professional astronaut onboard. The mission also signals the start of a new era in space — one defined by an industry pushing to launch many more private people to orbit in the coming years.