Emerging Tech

What’s So Special About the Next SpaceX Launch

Elon Musk’s company is on the edge of a new era in American human spaceflight.

Policy

Legislative Hurdle Delays U.S. Space Command Stand-Up

Pentagon can’t move ahead until Congress repeals a provision in the 2019 defense authorization act.

Emerging Tech

Pentagon Wants Satellites That Can Dodge Incoming Fire

As China and Russia move to weaponize space, the U.S. military is working to give its constellations a “fighting chance.”

Policy

Trump Officially Directs Pentagon to Create Space Force, Within Air Force

If Congress approves, Space Force would exist like the Marine Corps within the Navy Department.

Emerging Tech

The U.S. Air Force Has Won Control of the Space Force

Six months ago, service leaders said they were being cut out of the planning process. Now they’re being put in charge of it.

Digital Government

Next-Gen Weather Satellite Operational Over Western U.S.

GOES-17 is operational and monitoring weather in the Pacific and western United States.

Emerging Tech

A Touch of Green in Outer Space

For humans to survive off Earth, we’ll need plants to grow there, too.

Emerging Tech

Will Space Force Boost Already-Rising Spending on Satellites?

Defense execs see increased sales as Pentagon upgrades orbiting gear to fend off attacks.

Emerging Tech

Trump's Space Ambitions Are Too Big for One President

The reality of space travel squashed his impulsive desire to reach Mars in his first term, rather than the 2030s.

Emerging Tech

The Chill of U.S.-Russia Relations Creeps Into Space

Bungled plans between the U.S. and Russia highlight how hot-and-cold international relations mess with space exploration.

Emerging Tech

NASA Hits Its New Year’s Target at the Edge of the Solar System

As partygoers downed champagne, a spacecraft swept past a mysterious object 4 billion miles from Earth.

Emerging Tech

Spacesuits for Spiders

And what they tell us about the difficulty of keeping people alive in space.

Emerging Tech

Software Glitch Adds to Issues for NOAA’s Newest Weather Satellite

Technicians have identified a software glitch in the GOES-17 weather satellite it launched in March.

Emerging Tech

Amazon’s Plan to Capture Space Data

Amazon launched a new service that can port data from commercial satellites directly into its cloud.

Digital Government

Did Slack Help NASA Land On Mars?

That’s one small step for Slack, and one giant leap for mankind.

Emerging Tech

Reefer Madness at NASA

The space agency has reportedly decided to review workplace culture at SpaceX and Boeing after Elon Musk smoked marijuana on a podcast.

Emerging Tech

Hawaii’s Mars Simulations Are Turning Into Moon Missions

The dome where crew members practiced red-planet missions will now be converted to a simulated moon base.