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SpaceX launching 45 satellites to orbit early May 3: Watch it live

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 25 Starlink satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on April 26, 2026. It was SpaceX's 50th launch of the year. (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX will launch 45 satellites to orbit from California early Sunday morning (May 3), and you can watch the action live.A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday during a 37-minute window that opens at 2:59 a.m. EDT (0659 GMT; 11:59 p.m. PDT on May 2 California time).SpaceX calls the mission CAS500-2, after the primary payload going up — the CAS500-2 Earth-observation satellite, which was developed by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute.South Korea's CAS500 ("Compact Advanced Satellite 500") program aims to operate a total of five satellites in low Earth orbit. These spacecraft will gather data for a variety of purposes, from disaster monitoring to crop observation.Two of the satellites have reached orbit to date. CAS500-1 lifted off atop a Russian Soyuz rocket in March 2021, and a South Korean Nuri vehicle lofted CAS500-3 in November 2025.As its name suggests, CAS500-2 was supposed to be the second off the pad. It was booked to fly on a Soyuz in 2022, but Russia's

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 208 — Lander, Lander, Who's Got a Lander

On Episode 208 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Space.com's Mike Wall about the risks and realities of the new space race to the moon.Lander, lander... who's got a lander? With NASA planning orbital tests of the Artemis landers in 2027 and a crewed landing in 2028, the pressure is on for SpaceX and Blue Origin to make good on their Human Landing System contracts. Who’s actually going to put American astronauts back on the Moon first?This week’s episode digs into the high-stakes race between the companies, surfacing new details and doubts about whether either lander will be ready in time. Both have to fly into Earth orbit, refuel multiple times, and perform robotic test landings on the moon (in addition to the Artemis III rendezvous and docking tests) before NASA can land astronauts on the moon — and they need to get it all done by 2028.Article continues below Space news of the weekArtemis II crew reveal the 1st food they ate after splashing down on EarthThis is going to be what makes the Earth secure.' How one California company plans to protect us from dangerous asteroidsMay's full Flower Moon delights skywatchers worldwide

See May's full 'Flower Moon' bloom in gorgeous photos from around the world

The Flower Moon shines above the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. (Image credit: Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images) May's full "Flower Moon" has come and gone, dazzling stargazers with a magnificent display of natural light as it cut a lazy arc over the southern horizon, below the stars of the constellation Virgo.The Flower Moon — named for the colorful blooms that appear in the northern hemisphere around the time it rises — bloomed into the night sky on May 1, as the blue-white star Spica and red Arcturus twinkled nearby.Mesmerizing photos of the May 2026 full Flower Moon.Photographer Lokman Vural took a magnificent photo of the full moon on May 1 as it rose through the concrete jungle of New York. The shot is framed by the skyscraper-lined avenue of 42nd Street, which the sun will appear to set perfectly between during a phenomenon called Manhattanhenge on May 29 and July 11 in 2026, according to the American Museum of Natural History. The red full moon shines between skyscrapers in New York City. (Image credit: Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)Gary Hershorn found a perfect location from which to capture the rising room as it haloed the

Artemis 2 astronauts get the star treatment after historic moon trip

The Artemis 2 astronauts after their arrival in Houston on April 11, 2026. (Image credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner) Fresh off humanity’s first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years, the Artemis 2 astronauts are stepping into the spotlight, switching modes from mission debrief to media tour.Over the last week, the astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 mission have made their way up the East Coast from where their Space Launch System rocket launched them to the moon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, exactly one month ago, through Washington, D.C., and on to the Big Apple, all while receiving a heroes' welcome back to Earth.Article continues below NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the Artemis 2 astronauts (from the left), Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen stand behind President Donald Trump in the White House Oval Office, April 29, 2026. (Image credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen launched on a 10-day mission to the moon on April 1. During their time in space, the Artemis 2 crew captivated the world with spectacular imagery of our celestial neighbor, as well as heartfelt sentiments of

Drone radar could help spacecraft pinpoint where to drill for water on Mars, scientists say

Silhouetted against the blue sky, a drone carrying a ground-penetrating radar instrument lifts off from Galena Creek Rock Glacier in Wyoming. (Image credit: Jack W. Holt) A new study suggests the search for usable water on Mars may soon rely on an unexpected tool: drones equipped with radar, flying just above the surface to peer underground in ways orbiters cannot.Researchers led by the University of Arizona have shown that drone-mounted ground-penetrating radar can map buried glaciers on Earth in remarkable detail, offering a blueprint for how similar techniques could be used on Mars. The work focuses on glaciers in Alaska and Wyoming that closely resemble debris-covered ice deposits identified on the Red Planet, according to a statement from the university. A research drone equipped with ground-penetrating radar takes off for a reconnaissance flight on Galena Creek Rock Glacier, Wyoming. (Image credit: Michael Daniel)For decades, Mars missions have relied on orbital radar instruments, such as the Shallow Radar sounder (SHARAD) aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, to detect subsurface ice. These systems have confirmed that vast amounts of water ice are locked beneath layers of rock and dust, particularly in the planet's mid-latitudes. But while orbiters can identify large ice deposits, they

Thinner than a hair and stretchy like rubber: New material could shield against radiation in next-gen space tech

A variety of space tech uses or emits different types of radiation. One new study proposes a new material that could help to shield that radiation, protecting instruments as well as humans in the process. (Image credit: JHU/APL, NASA) Scientists have developed a new material that could shield humans and critical technology from harmful radiation, and it's thinner than a human hair and stretches like rubber.Radiation is a major factor to consider when astronauts go to space – and it isn't just space radiation. There are a wide variety of technologies needed to get to space that involve radiation, including medical devices, semiconductors, power plants and even spacecraft themselves. Often, such radiation is integral to the function of these technologies, but the downside is that it can pose risks to damaging or interfering with other nearby tech as well as possible health risks to humans.Article continues below "This material represents a completely new concept in shielding technology — it is as thin as tape and as flexible as rubber, yet simultaneously blocks both electromagnetic waves and radiation," lead author Joo yong-ho at the Extreme Environment Shielding Materials Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology said in a

Is it cake? No, it's a parachute! | Space photo of the day for May 1, 2026

(Image credit: ESA-SJM Photography)Is it cake? No, but it's baked to perfection.What is it? Sitting wrapped up neatly in a donut-shaped bag sits a parachute measuring nearly 115 feet (35 meters) across and weighing 163 pounds (74 kilograms) — and it has to be baked in an oven to get prepared for Mars. But don't worry, the parachute was given time to cool down and rest after baking (we're serious).Article continues below This parachute, made primarily of nylon and Kevlar fabrics, was created for the European Space Agency's ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, expected to launch to the Red Planet in 2028.Wondering why this Mars-bound parachute needs to be baked? Well, it's part of a mission-critical step known as planetary protection. In short, this step ensures the mission doesn't accidentally carry any hitchhiking microorganisms to Mars.Why is it incredible? The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover is expected to spend over two years (at least) exploring the Martian surface while searching for signs of life.The question of whether life has ever existed on Mars is one that scientists are eager to answer. And, with incredible findings from NASA's Curiosity rover spotting organic material on Mars to NASA's Perseverance rover finding possible signs of

The Claypool Lennon Delirium's cosmic new album is not just an AI warning, but a reflection on a global loss of…

In a world where artificial intelligence is rapidly shifting from science fiction to science fact, a new concept album called "The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy" by The Claypool Lennon Delirium leans into a classic philosophical thought experiment in order to imagine what we might lose if we fully embrace AI.Drawing inspiration from the widely discussed "Paperclip Maximizer" thought experiment, introduced by philosopher Nick Bostrom in 2003, the record imagines an apocalyptic scenario in which an advanced AI — tasked only with making paperclips — relentlessly converts everything in existence into them, and eventually the entire universe. The record's co-creator Sean Ono Lennon described it as "a cautionary tale...we just thought was funny." The Claypool Lennon Delirium featuring Sean Ono Lennon and Les Claypool. Their new record, "The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy" was released on May 1, 2026. (Image credit: Jay Blakesberg)From world wide web oddities to a cosmic rock operaIn an exclusive video interview with Space.com, Claypool and Lennon talked about how they drew inspiration from "weird … interesting science stuff" they found on the internet.Claypool described how Lennon would "poindexter out" with his son Cage on topics like artificial intelligence and

NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers capture sweeping Mars panoramas (video)

NASA has released a pair of sweeping new panoramas from its two active Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, offering a vivid look at how dramatically different regions of the Red Planet can be — and how each mission is uncovering a distinct chapter of Martian history. Portion of a 360-degree panorama, featuring low ridges called boxwork formations, captured by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover between Nov. 9 and Dec. 7, 2025. At 1.5 billion pixels, it's one of the largest panoramas Curiosity has ever taken. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)"These rocks were here long before water filled the crater," according to a NASA video illustrating the significance of the recent images. "Scientists even believe some rocks in this area formed when Mars was still shaping its crust and atmosphere — and massive asteroids were pummeling the planet's surface. This terrain is a time capsule from the earliest period of the solar system."Curiosity, by contrast, offers a view from deep within Gale Crater, where it has spent years climbing the foothills of Mount Sharp. Its latest panorama, comprising 1,031 images taken between Nov. 9 and Dec. 7, 2025, highlights a network of low ridges known as "boxwork" formations. These surface patterns were formed by

May's full 'Flower Moon' rises tonight: Here's what to expect from the 'micromoon'

A Flower Moon is photographed rising over New York in May, 2024. (Image credit: Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images) Editor's note: The full "Flower Moon" has come and gone, delighting skywatchers with a dazzling display of natural light as it climbed over the southeastern horizon on May 1. Check out our May 2026 full moon photo story to see the best pictures of the lunar extravaganza, captured from around the world.The moon will be 100% illuminated at 1:23 p.m. EDT (1723 GMT) on May 1 (local moonrise and moonset times depend on your location), as the lunar disk appears opposite the sun in our sky, fully lit by its rays. The May full moon is also known as the "Flower Moon" in reference to the plentiful blooms that appear around this time as the northern hemisphere slips deeper into spring.May's full moon will occur as the satellite is close to its most distant point from Earth in its near monthly elliptical orbit, giving rise to a "micromoon". Around this time, the moon may appear subtly smaller, while spanning 29.72 arcminutes — a unit used by astronomers to measure distances in the night sky — as opposed to its average size

Russia's new homegrown Soyuz 5 rocket aces debut launch

Russia's Soyuz 5 rocket launches on its first-ever mission, a suborbital test flight from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 30, 2026. The flight was a success, according to Russian space officials. (Image credit: Roscosmos) Russia's new Soyuz 5 rocket has taken to the skies at long last.The Soyuz 5 lifted off for the first time ever on Thursday (April 30), rising off a pad at the Russia-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT; 11:00 p.m. local time in Baikonur)."The first test launch of the new Soyuz 5 rocket was a success!" officials with Russia's federal space agency, known as Roscosmos, said via the Telegram app on Thursday."The first and second stages of Soyuz 5 performed as planned, and a mockup was launched onto the calculated suborbital trajectory, followed by a reentry into an area in the Pacific Ocean previously closed to shipping and aviation," they added in another Telegram post.Thursday's launch was a long time coming for the Soyuz 5, which has been in development since 2017. It "was designed to replace the medium-class Zenit vehicles built in Ukraine and provide Russia with a first-stage booster for [a] future super-heavy rocket," according to RussianSpaceWeb.com.Roscosmos originally

Artemis 3 has been pushed to late 2027. Can NASA still land astronauts on the moon in 2028?

Artemis 2 enchanted the world in the beginning of April, when its crew of four astronauts flew a 10-day mission around the moon and back to Earth. It was the first human spaceflight of the agency's Artemis program, and the first crewed moon mission in more than half a century.Part of that vision includes increasing how often NASA launches Artemis' Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — with the goal of shortening the gap between missions from a few years to about 10 months. (There was a 3.5-year gap between Artemis 1 and Artemis 2.) Artemis 3 also got a complete redesign, from the program's first lunar landing mission to an Earth-orbit rendezvous and docking-only demonstration between Orion and the program's privately developed lunar landers. Now, it seems those landers may have a hard time hitting NASA's 10-month cadence target. Artemis 2 lifts off from Launch Complex-39B, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, April 1, 2026. (Image credit: Space.com / Josh Dinner)Isaacman testified before the House Appropriations Committee on Monday (April 27), answering lawmakers' questions regarding the White House's 2027 budget request for NASA, which allocates $2.8 billion for the Artemis Human Landing System contracts — the program's lunar lander vehicles. NASA

US Space Force wants space-based missile interceptors for Golden Dome ready by 2028

A notional illustration of the Golden Dome system intercepting a missile. (Image credit: Lockheed Martin) The United States Space Force has created a new program to develop space-based missile interceptors, with the goal of being able to demonstrate their capability within two years.The U.S. Space Force established the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program in order to develop a constellation of spacecraft that can defend the United States against "a new generation of threats" such as hypersonic weapons, neutralizing them while in flight. The program is part of the planned Golden Dome for America defense system announced by President Trump last year. Estimates of the system's price tag range wildly, from the White House's projected $175 billion to as high as $3.6 trillion.Space Force's SBI program aims to develop a constellation of space-based interceptors capable of "boost, midcourse, and glide phase engagements," meaning they can track and intercept advanced hypersonic vehicles during the three distinct stages of their flight: while they are initially accelerating with a rocket motor; as they are flying through the upper atmosphere; or in their final glide phase, during which they can maneuver at high speeds en route to their targets. A U.S. Government Accountability Office illustration showing

Is Venus volcanically active? Big Hawaiian eruption in 2022 could help scientists find out

Mauna Loa seen erupting from orbit in 2022 by Europe's Copernicus Sentinel 2 satellite. (Image credit: ESA) With evidence increasingly showing that volcanism is active on the surface of Venus today, a team of geologists have shown how satellite data intended to help scientists better understand volcanic eruptions on Earth could be applied to lava flows on Venus, too.The vast majority of Venus has been resurfaced by volcanism over the past half-billion years, and more than 85,000 volcanoes have been identified on the Venusian surface in radar images. It had been thought that this volcanism took place all in one big burst 500 million years ago, but a recent new look at old radar data from NASA's Magellan mission to Venus in the 1990s has identified what seems to be active volcanism. Additional evidence comes from atmospheric gases (excesses of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and molecular nitrogen), although no direct evidence in the form of volcanic plumes, for example, has been found yet."When we search for active lava flows on other planets, knowing how long it takes for lava to cool on Earth will help us better understand what's happening if we see a hot flow on Venus," said geologist

Meet the legendary heroes and villains of 'Masters of the Universe' (video)

"Masters of the Universe" charges into theaters starting on June 5, 2026. (Image credit: Amazon MGM) The wonderful World of Eternia is positively brimming with heroic warriors, courageous robots, strange mutants, nefarious necromancers, beastly companions, and the coolest command post under the sun, Castle Greyskull.To introduce fans both young and old to this colorful and chaotic realm, Amazon MGM Studios has compiled two new "Masters of the Universe" video featurettes that present an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with all the iconic characters that you'll see when this Travis Knight-directed spectacle lands on June 5, 2026.Article continues below Heroes of Eternia Masters of the Universe | Heroes of Eternia - Featurette - YouTube Watch On Adapted from the popular Mattel toy line, Saturday morning spinoff cartoon series, and Hollywood feature film of the ‘80s, this latest live-action incarnation of "Masters of the Universe" is quickly becoming our most anticipated summer release, and the more we see of its sweet sci-fi sorcery, the more we're convinced it will connect with enthusiastic audiences looking for some good old-fashioned escapism.In these two new behind-the-scenes videos titled "Heroes of Eternia" and "Forces of Evil," we're given a speed-run tour of the

This SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch looks amazing from space in these wild satellite photos

One of BlackSky's Gen-3 Earth-observing satellites captured this photo of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launching on April 29, 2026. (Image credit: BlackSky)SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket flew for the first time in 18 months on Wednesday (April 29), and a sharp-eyed satellite was watching. A BlackSky Gen-3 satellite captured this photo of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket on the pad at Kennedy Space Center on April 29, 2026. (Image credit: BlackSky)"At 07:29 local time, Gen-3 captured an extreme off-nadir twilight shot of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on the pad before again catching the vehicle in flight at 10:13, 38 seconds after launch, as it was traveling more than 400 miles per hour," BlackSky wrote in a Wednesday X post that shared the images. "With time-diverse imaging capabilities and flexible imaging modes, Gen-3 sees relevant activity at all hours of the day."BlackSky is building out its Gen-3 constellation in low Earth orbit, having launched four of the spacecraft to date. The satellites are capable of resolving features as small as 13.8 inches (35 centimeters) on the ground below, according to BlackSky.The Falcon Heavy is the second-most-powerful launcher in operation today, trailing only NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket. (SpaceX's Starship

Welcome home! Artemis 2's Orion capsule returns to Florida after epic moon mission (photo)

NASA's Orion spacecraft for the agency’s Artemis 2 mission arrives at the Kennedy Space Center Multi Payload Processing Facility in Florida on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (Image credit: NASA/Tiffany Fairley) Artemis 2's Orion capsule has returned to its Florida launch site.The spacecraft, named "Integrity," arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Tuesday (April 28), four weeks after launching from the facility's Pad 39B.De-servicing "includes removing payloads from the crew module, removing avionics boxes for reuse, and retrieving data on the spacecraft to better understand how it performed to inform procedures and plans for future Artemis missions," NASA officials said in an April 28 statement."Orion's heat shield and other elements will be removed for extensive analysis, and remaining hazards such as excess propellant will be offloaded," they added.Artemis 2 launched atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on April 1, sending four astronauts — NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen — toward the moon aboard Integrity.The quartet flew around the moon's far side on April 6, getting farther from Earth than any humans ever had. Integrity splashed down off the coast of San Diego on April 10, wrapping up the first