A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury's north pole.

A festive holiday portrait taken aboard the International Space Station has social media buzzing — but not for the reasons NASA might have expected.

The new year will bring a pair of lunar eclipses.

NASA's two stuck astronauts just got their space mission extended again.

Earth is parting company with an asteroid that's been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months.

Astronomers say better catch this week's supermoon.

Three NASA astronauts whose prolonged space mission ended with a trip to the hospital last month won't say which one of them got sick.

A NASA spacecraft has blasted off on a quest to explore Jupiter's moon Europa and reveal whether its hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.

Space weather forecasters say a severe solar storm heading to Earth could stress power grids even more as the U.S. deals with major back-to-back hurricanes.

A spacecraft has blasted off to investigate the scene of a cosmic crash.

SpaceX launches are on hold after a booster rocket toppled over in flames while landing.

The first of four supermoons this year is about to rise.

A new study suggests Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean.

Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade.

Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago.

New research shows space tourists experience some of the same body changes as astronauts who spend months in orbit.

Boeing has launched astronauts for the first time after years of delays.

Mission managers say last-minute computer trouble has nixed the latest launch attempt for Boeing’s first astronaut flight.

Boeing has called off its first astronaut launch because of a fluttering rocket valve.

The two NASA astronauts assigned to Boeing's first human spaceflight have arrived in Florida for their May launch.

SpaceX has launched four astronauts to the International Space Station who will oversee the arrival of two new rocketships during their stint.

The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts has fallen silent, a week after breaking a leg and tipping over near the lunar south pole.

Another private U.S. company is taking a shot at the moon, launching a month after a rival's lunar lander missed its mark.

SpaceX has launched Turkey's first astronaut along with a Swede and Italian to the International Space Station.

A crippling fuel leak has forced a U.S. company to give up on landing a spacecraft on the moon.

A U.S. labor agency has accused SpaceX of unlawfully firing employees who penned an open letter critical of CEO Elon Musk and creating an impression that worker activities were under surveillance by the rocket ship company.

NASA and the White House say an international astronaut will be invited on a future moon landing.

A NASA spacecraft has rocketed away on a six-year journey to a rare asteroid made of metal.

NASA says the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidentified flying objects are perceived.

Four astronauts from four countries are rocketing toward the International Space Station.

Four astronauts will have to wait an extra day to get to space.

A European space telescope has blasted off to explore the mysterious and invisible realm known as the dark universe.

NASA is publicly addressing the subject of UFOs a year after launching a study into unexplained sightings.

Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades are headed to the International Space Station on a chartered multimillion-dollar flight.

SpaceX has cleared the final hurdle for launching its new giant Starship from Texas as early as next week on a first test flight.

A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts has finally taken flight, but didn't last long.

Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits that come in different sizes when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade.

Four space station astronauts are back on Earth after a quick SpaceX flight home.

A rocket made almost completely of 3D-printed parts remains grounded after back-to-back launch aborts.

A rocket made almost entirely of 3D parts is on the launch pad in Florida awaiting its debut launch.

Last-minute technical trouble forced SpaceX to call off Monday's attempt to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.

Musk joined a Twitter Space to say the suspensions were related to new rules banning private jet trackers. Twitter suspended an account that tweeted the whereabouts of his plane.

A Tokyo company is aiming for the moon with its own private lander.

SpaceX has launched a batch of internet satellites for a competitor.

While many in Houston and across the country were sleeping, NASA made history by successfully launching the Orion capsule into space and to the moon. Here are some of the images captured at Kennedy Space Center.

A space capsule is hurtling toward the moon for the first time in 50 years.

NASA is counting down to this week's planned liftoff of its new moon rocket, although hurricane damage could cause yet another delay.

NASA says its moon rocket needs only minor repairs after enduring a hurricane and is on track for liftoff next week.

NASA is again postponing the launch of its new moon rocket because of a storm threatening the Florida coast.

SpaceX has scored another set of double booster landings following a Florida launch for the military.

A Russian cosmonaut has rocketed from the U.S. for the first time in 20 years, catching a ride with SpaceX.

NASA's moon rocket is safely back inside its hangar as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, its launch now unlikely before mid-November.

Hurricane Ian is prompting NASA to move its moon rocket off the launch pad and into shelter.

NASA is skipping next week's launch attempt of its new moon rocket because of a tropical storm that's expected to become a major hurricane.

NASA's new moon rocket could face more launch delays, this time by tropical weather.

NASA is counting down toward a Saturday launch of its new moon rocket, its second attempt in a week.

NASA will try again Saturday to launch its new moon rocket on a test flight.

Cape Canaveral, Florida has been a busy destination this weekend for spectators awaiting NASA’s first Artemis test mission to the moon.

NASA's new moon rocket remains on track for a Monday liftoff, despite a series of lightning strikes at the launch pad.

NASA's new moon rocket has arrived at the launch pad for its first test flight.

South Korea is on its way to the moon.

NASA is shooting for a late August launch of its giant, new moon rocket.

NASA says it has finished testing its huge moon rocket.

NASA has fueled its huge moon rocket for the first time and completed a countdown test despite a fuel line leak.

NASA is launching a study of UFOs as part of a new push toward high-risk, high-impact science.

NASA officials will be launching a Boeing OFT-2 test Thursday evening.

The flight debut of NASA's mega moon rocket faces additional delays following a string of failed fueling tests.

NASA's latest attempt to fuel its huge moon rocket for a countdown test has been thwarted by a hazardous hydrogen leak.

SpaceX has launched three rich businessmen and their astronaut escort to the International Space Station for more than a week’s stay.

NASA’s dress rehearsal for its mega moon rocket has been postponed twice now by technical problems that stalled a fueling test.

NASA is kicking off a critical countdown test for its new moon rocket.

America's newest weather satellite has blasted off on a mission to improve wildfire and flood forecasting in the West.

SpaceX's newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm.

NASA's new space telescope is doing well more than a week after liftoff, following a pair of problems overcome by ground controllers.

NASA’s newest X-ray observatory is circling the world after launching from Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX launched 53 Starlink satellites into orbit from Florida on Saturday.

A prosthetic-tailed dolphin named Winter that starred in the “Dolphin Tale” movies has died at a Florida aquarium despite life-saving efforts by animal care experts.

High wind off the Florida coast has prompted SpaceX to delay the return of four space station astronauts.

SpaceX's next astronaut flight is off until at least next week as more bad weather looms.

A French astronaut has used a video call from space to sound the alarm about worsening repercussions from climate change that he can see from the International Space Station.

A SpaceX launch has been delayed because of a ‘minor medical issue' involving one of the four astronauts.

Astronauts have finished unfurling a new pair of solar panels outside the International Space Station.

SpaceX has launched a fresh load of supplies to the International Space Station, including thousands of tiny sea creatures and powerful solar panels.

New Zealand has become the latest country to sign a space agreement with U.S. space agency NASA, just as New Zealand’s nascent space industry begins to take off.

The U.S. Space Force's newest and most advanced missile-warning satellite is in orbit.

SpaceX has finally launched and successfully landed its futuristic Starship.

Sixty years after Alan Shepard became the first American in space, everyday people are on the verge of following in his cosmic footsteps.

SpaceX has launched its third crew in under a year for NASA, this time using a recycled rocket and capsule.

SpaceX is aiming for its third crew launch an hour before sunrise Friday.

SpaceX has bumped its next astronaut launch by a day because of dangerously high waves and wind offshore.

NASA's experimental Mars helicopter has taken flight.

NASA has chosen SpaceX to build the lunar lander that will eventually put the first woman and person of color on the moon.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company has launched another capsule to the edge of space.

HOUSTON – SpaceX’s prototype Starship SN 10 rocket launched successfully Wednesday during a test flight but exploded moments after a soft landing. So.... congrats and also RIP 🤷‍♂️😂 bye bye SN10, congrats on making history!!!! @spacex @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/FkDTa9ISRi — Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) March 3, 2021The starship lifted off from SpaceX’s launch pad in Boca Chica, TX at approximately 5:13 p.m. The rocket flew to an altitude of about 10 kilometers before returning and completing a soft landing. Moments after touching down on the landing pad, the rocket burst into flames.

“It gives me goose bumps every time I see it, just amazing,” said Dave Gruel, head of the entry and descent camera team. After spending the weekend binge-watching the descent and landing video, the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, shared the video at a news conference. “These videos and these images are the stuff of our dreams," said Al Chen, who was in charge of the landing team. AdSix off-the-shelf color cameras were devoted to entry, descent and landing, looking up and down from different perspectives. The lone microphone turned on for landing failed, but NASA got some snippets of sound after touchdown: the whirring of the rover’s systems and wind gusts.

This Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance rover lowered towards the surface of Mars during its powered descent. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The world got its first close-up look at a Mars landing on Friday, as NASA released a stunning picture of its newest rover being lowered onto the dusty red surface. NASA equipped the spacecraft with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of which were turned on during Thursday’s descent. It's the ninth time that NASA has successfully landed on Mars __ and the fifth rover. As it did with 2012's Curiosity rover — still roaming 2,300 miles (3,750 kilometers) away — NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed Perseverance descending beneath its massive parachute.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A NASA rover streaked through the orange Martian sky and landed on the planet Thursday, accomplishing the riskiest step yet in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on Mars. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around Mars on successive days last week. AdPerseverance, the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA, became the ninth spacecraft since the 1970s to successfully land on Mars, every one of them from the U.S. Two older NASA landers are still humming along on Mars: 2012′s Curiosity rover and 2018′s InSight. Perseverance promptly sent back two grainy, black-and-white photos of Mars’ pockmarked, pimply-looking surface, the rover’s shadow visible in the frame of one picture.

Barely 100 people — all masked and seated or standing far apart — gathered in front of Kennedy Space Center’s Space Mirror Memorial. The widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee quietly observed the anniversary from her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In a recent interview, June Scobee Rodgers said the presence of teacher Christa McAuliffe on the flight added to the crew’s lasting legacy. Scobee Rodgers helped establish the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in the wake of the accident, along with the other Challenger families. This year's observance focused on the Challenger crew — McAuliffe, Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis.

Barely 100 people — all masked and seated or standing far apart — gathered in front of Kennedy Space Center’s Space Mirror Memorial. The widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee quietly observed the anniversary from her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In a recent interview, June Scobee Rodgers said the presence of teacher Christa McAuliffe on the flight added to the crew’s lasting legacy. Scobee Rodgers helped establish the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in the wake of the accident, along with the other Challenger families. This year's observance focused on the Challenger crew — McAuliffe, Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis.

In this image from video made available by Blue Origin, the company's New Shepard rocket lands after a test flight in West Texas on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (Blue Origin via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company launched a new capsule into space Thursday to test all the astronaut perks before people strap in. Thursday’s flight with a dummy named Mannequin Skywalker lasted 10 minutes and reached 66 miles (106 kilometers) above West Texas. Both the New Shepard rocket and the capsule landed successfully. It was the 14th flight to the fringes of space for a New Shepard rocket.