technical updates

SpaceX just launched a brand-new return capsule that it has been developing in the dark. That vehicle, called Starfall, lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket this morning (June 23), on a test mission designed to show that it can fly in a controlled fashion and survive the fiery trip down through Earth's atmosphere . The demonstration flight may have caught some space fans by surprise, for SpaceX has revealed little about Starfall to date. And that air of secrecy extended through today's launch; the company cut off its webcast about 10 minutes after liftoff, a practice usually associated with national security missions. SpaceX provided a very brief overview of Starfall today, saying via X that the new vehicle "will enable affordable, routine access to the microgravity environment for scientific research and in-space manufacturing." Details about the vehicle are harder to come b...

Hey, space fans! For over 25 years, we here at Space.com have dedicated ourselves to bringing you the best space mission news, astronomical discoveries, night sky guides and out-of-this-world sci-fi. Now, we're launching into a whole new frontier. Yes, we have an app. Our new Space.com app is available free on Android on the Google Play store and for iOS via the Apple Store and includes the same great coverage that you'll find on your laptop or desktop, but now in the palm of your hand. Are you wondering how to prepare for this summer's great total solar eclipse in August? We've got that . How about NASA's plans to launch the first-ever commercial spacecraft to rescue a falling space telescope? We've got that . (That Swift Boost mission will launch this Saturday, June 27, by the way.) And if you're wondering just how close Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day...

Amazon Prime Day 2026 has just kicked off and we are seeing plenty of discounts across telescopes , binoculars and cameras . But what if you don't want to line the pockets of Jeff Bezos but still want a great deal? Fear not, for there are plenty of anti-Prime Day deals that either match Amazon's price or even better, blow it out of the water! Like this Walmart deal that gives you $74 off the Amazon price of the Fujinon Techno-Stabi 1640 image-stabilized binoculars! Amazon has tried to commandeer the summer sales space since it started Prime Day in 2015, but other retailers always come out swinging and bring with them some of the best deals. Even if they are not cheaper than Amazon, rivals tend to at least match the price, so you can still save money with your morals intact. Our Prime Day hub has all the best Amazon deals as well as those coming from Adorama , Best Buy and BH Photo and...

Rocket Lab has successfully launched the second spacecraft for the U.S. Space Force's Victus Haze Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission, setting a new readiness record in the process. Only 16 hours and 42 minutes passed between Rocket Lab receiving the Notice To Launch from the Space Force's Space Safari Program Office and liftoff of the company's Electron launch vehicle , beating the previous TacRS record set by Firefly Aerospace on the September 2023 Victus Nox mission by more than 10 hours. Liftoff occurred on Friday (June 19) at 6:19 a.m. EDT (1019 GMT, 10:19 p.m., local time), from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex-1, in New Zealand, beginning a rapid-response demonstration designed to simulate a real-world orbital threat scenario. Rocket Lab's Electron rocket launched on Friday (June 19) at 6:19 a.m. EDT (1019 GMT, 10:19 p.m., local time), from Rocket Lab's Launch ...

A huge, shining bauble of stars called Terzan 5 could be a clump of our galaxy's central bulge that hasn't been smoothed out into the mix, and has instead survived as a fossil relic leftover from the birth of the Milky Way galaxy. "Terzan 5 may provide direct evidence that can help explain how bulges formed in galaxies throughout the universe," said Barbara Lanzoni of the University of Bologna in a statement . Lanzoni is a member of a team of astronomers, led by Bologna colleagues Giorgia Zullo and Francesco Ferraro, who tackled Terzan 5 with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Terzan 5 is a globular cluster — a huge sphere of stars with a total mass two million times greater than our sun's and a total luminosity 800,000 times greater. The problem is, Terzan 5 lies about 18,800 light-years away in the bulge of the Milky Way galaxy . This means dense lanes of interven...

The heavy hitters in space telescopes are about to be joined by a new contender. NASA's Nancy Roman Grace Space Telescope arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, on Sunday (June 21), for final tests ahead of launching later this summer. Roman was shipped to KSC from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, riding the agency's Pegasus barge from Baltimore to the Space Coast. KSC is Roman's final stop before launching to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket where it will join other flagship observatories like Hubble, Webb, Chandra and Spitzer. NASA is currently targeting an Aug. 30 liftoff — eight weeks ahead of its original schedule. Before that date arrives, Roman will undergo tests inside KSC's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), where upgrades were recently completed to prepare for the telescope's arrival. Roman, insi...