To date, we know of over 5,000 planets outside the solar system. And astronomers suspect that there may be *checks notes* around a trillion more in our galaxy alone. The search for exoplanets is one of the hottest topics in astronomy, with expensive telescopes and giant collaborations all searching for the holy grail of the 21st century: an Earth 2.0, a habitable world like our own.
Personally speaking, I feel like we’ve been focusing on Mars a little bit too much recently. Sure, the Red Planet is all sorts of awesome – so awesome it may have once been a home for life – but with more than half a dozen orbiters, landers, and rovers, it’s certainly got its due.
South Korea is launching its first lunar probe to the moon on August 4th. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) or Danuri, developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is being launched to study moon carters, magnetic fields, and surface weathering.
Blue Origin will attempt its next test flight of New Shepard on January 14 at 10:45A ET from Launch Site One in West Texas. Let’s learn more about Mission NS-14.
After a successful NASA and SpaceX Demo-2 Mission, the first operational mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon with four astronauts is targeted for November 15, 2020. Get ready to launch! Watch it live on SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: CREW-1 LIFT OFF starting at 5P ET on Discovery and Science Channcel or stream it live on Discovery GO.
As the year 2020 comes to close, it’s time to look ahead to 2021 and what’s to come in space exploration. From crewed launches to the ISS and Perseverance landing on Mars, it’s shaping up to be a busy year in space. Let’s take a look!
World Space Week is an annual event around the globe and observed in over 90 countries. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Satellites Improve Life.” Let’s take a look back at the early history of satellite launches!
NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched in a new Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket on November 15, 2020, at 7:27P ET from the NASA Kennedy Launch Complex 39A. After a 27-hour journey, the spacecraft docked with the ISS on November 16, 2020, at 11:01P ET. Let’s see what the astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission have been up to since their arrival to the station!
It’s like “Armageddon” but in real life.
Our little silicon friends have been exploring the harshest environments in the universe - space itself - in humanity’s name for decades. And while tales of their robotic exploits could fill an entire book, let’s count down the top five.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is developing a reusable transportation system for spaceflight to the Moon, Mars, and beyond our wildest space dreams.
NASA is planning to land the first woman and next man on the moon in 2024. Through a US government-funded human spaceflight program known as Artemis, there may be human footprints on the south pole region of the lunar surface in the very near future. From understanding the Artemis Program to the Gateway, let’s explore the lunar details.
Below are some exciting space exploration highlights!
After 196 days in space aboard the ISS, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anatoli Ivanishin, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner are coming home! Let’s learn the details of their return to Earth.
Jared Isaacman, US billionaire and the founder of payment processing tech start-up Shift4 has purchased the first all-civilian mission to space with SpaceX--but it isn't just a joyride.