Category: Space
Astronauts arrive safely on International Space Station
Soyuz took off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan just after 11.31am GMT (NASA/PA) The latest batch of astronauts to take up residence on board the International Space Station (ISS) have arrived safely following a six-hour flight. Astronauts Anne McClain from American space agency NASA, David Saint-Jacques from the Canadian Space…
Astronauts blast off to ISS less than two months after failed launch
Astronauts have blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS) less than two months after the previous Soyuz mission failed. Astronauts Anne McClain from American space agency NASA, David Saint-Jacques from the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos left aboard the Russian spacecraft from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan just…
NASA employees celebrate InSight Mars probe landing with elaborate handshake!
NASA's latest probe, InSight, made a successful landing on the red planet on Monday afternoon, triggering delighted celebrations across the globe. When the announcement was made that InSight had landed and the mission was a success, NASA employees were obviously thrilled, with two mission controllers launching into an impressive handshake to celebrate. The uplifting moment…
InSight Mars probe sends selfie back to Earth
NASA has released the first image of the spacecraft InSight from the surface of Mars, after it successfully reached the planet after almost seven months travelling through space. The Mars Odyssey orbiter relayed images of the spacecraft from its landing site, known as Elysium Planitia, at 1.30am GMT. The US space agency tweeted one photograph, showing part…
Tesla’s Elon Musk says there’s a ‘70% chance’ he will go to Mars
Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk has reiterated his hopes of personally travelling to Mars, claiming there is a “70% chance” he will go to the red planet. In a new interview for the Axios on HBO documentary series, he said a “recent number of breakthroughs” had been made that excited him, and which he…
Russia space agency chief aims to verify US moon landings
The head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency has said that a proposed mission to the moon will be tasked with verifying that the American moon landings were real. “We have set this objective to fly and verify whether they’ve been there or not,” said Dmitry Rogozin in a video posted on Twitter. Mr Rogozin was…
Life on Mars? InSight probe hurtles towards red planet to study deep interior
A simulated view of Nasa’s InSight probe about to land on the surface of Mars (NASA/PA) A spacecraft hurtling towards Mars will be the first to study the deep interior of the planet if it lands safely. The InSight probe is scheduled to land on Martian soil at around 8am…
First images from British NovaSAR satellite
The Great Pyramids and Sydney Harbour at night have been captured in the debut images released by the first all-British radar satellite. Launched into orbit in September, the NovaSAR spacecraft can take pictures of the Earth’s surface in all weather conditions including heavy cloud, day or night. The satellite, which looks a little like a…
Happy 20th Birthday International Space Station! See our video celebration below
The International Space Station is celebrating 20 years since being launched into orbit. On November 20 1998, Zarya was the first piece of the ISS, carried into space by a Russian Proton rocket. The station was unmanned until nearly two years later, when American astronaut William M (Bill) Shepherd along with Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev…
Elon Musk’s Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) to be renamed Starship
Elon Musk has announced the renaming of SpaceX’s biggest and still-to-be-built rocket, revealing it will now be known as Starship. Until now, the rocket booster has been known as Big Falcon Rocket or BFR – although some believe the F in the name stood for something a little swearier! The two-stage ship is designed to…
