California-based Astra on Sunday launched two shoebox-size NASA satellites from Cape Canaveral in a modest mission to improve hurricane forecasts, but the second stage of the company’s low-cost booster malfunctioned before reaching orbit and the payloads were lost. “The upper stage shut down early and we did not deliver the payloads to orbit,” Astra tweeted. … Read more
A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN — It’s a distinctly human trait to believe the impossible is a puzzle waiting to be solved. We’re driven to determine if “the truth is out there.” If we just had all … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN — Some lucky night sky watchers caught a glimpse of a brand new meteor shower on Monday night, as Earth passed through the debris trail of a crumbling comet. The meteor shower peaked around … Read more
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN — Earth is expected to pass through the debris trail of a broken comet on Monday night and early Tuesday morning. It could result in a brand new meteor shower. Night sky watchers in … Read more
Huge asteroid TWICE the size of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, will pass Earth on Friday – and is the biggest space rock to come our way in 2022 The asteroid, named 7335 (1989 JA) measures 1.1 miles in diameter The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is just over 0.5 miles tall … Read more
New York CNN Business — Boeing will try yet again Thursday to send the capsule it designed to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station on a successful, uncrewed test mission. After two prior attempts to complete such a mission failed, Boeing’s goal is to provide the spacecraft can dock with the orbiting … Read more
New York CNN Business — SpaceX has been on a tear in 2022, notching 18 rocket launches and two astronaut splashdowns in just the first 130 days of the year — an unprecedented pace for the company and the commercial launch industry. The latest is scheduled for Friday evening with the launch of 53 of … Read more
A spectacular full moon will grace the night sky on Sunday night. It marks not only a super moonbut also a blood moon — thanks to a lunar eclipse. The last total lunar eclipse occurred a year ago, on May 26, 2021. If the weather is clear, millions of skywatchers in the Americas, Europe and … Read more
Four-and-a-half months after the James Webb Space Telescope‘s Christmas Day launchengineers have achieved near-perfect alignment of its complex optical system, setting the stage for final instrument calibrations and the release of the first showcase science images in July, officials said Monday. “I’m delighted to report that the telescope alignment has been completed with performance even … Read more
NASA’s SLS rocket as seen through the windows of Firing Room One in the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. photo: NASA/Joel Kowsky NASA will attempt another rehearsal countdown of the Space Launch System in early June, but the space agency warned that multiple tests of its finicky rocket might … Read more
