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NASA's Swift Space Telescope Re-Enters Atmosphere With Five Times More Risk Of Casualties Than Anticipated

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 23:23:13 +0000

It's unlikely that anybody made a specific mistake; this is probably the result of, well, space being hard.

SpaceX Starship Will Need To Re-Fuel 22 Times In Space To Make It To The Moon

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 16:57:34 +0000

The total number of times that any rocket has ever done this is zero.

Could Europe's Future In Space Be Without America?

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:50:10 +0000

Mounting tensions between Europe and the United States could lead to big changes in space exploration, but those changes will take some time.

Debris From Chinese Rocket Found In Minnesota Cornfield

staff@jalopnik.com (Ryan Erik King) — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 18:25:00 +0000

When space debris is normally measured in inches, something that's over 11 feet wide is a break from the norm and big enough to get on law enforcement's radar.

All Four Artemis II Astronauts Have Now Retired From Spaceflight, Here's What They're Doing Next

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:47:52 +0000

In all four cases, it appears that once they got around the dark side of the Moon, each astronaut saw the Earth and decided to never leave it again.

Here's What Sets The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Apart From The James Webb

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:05:00 +0000

Discover how NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope differs from James Webb-from its massive field of view to the quest for dark energy and exoplanets.

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Began Life As A Spy Satellite That Never Launched

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 03:25:00 +0000

It's headed out now to study the universe, but the new Nancy Grace Roman telescope almost had equipment too small to matter. Then a U.S. spy agency helped out.

Shooting A Rocket Into Space Now Cheaper Than Hiring An Oil Tanker, And It's Not Because Space Travel Got Less Expensive

staff@jalopnik.com (Collin Woodard) — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:32:17 +0000

While normal people struggle to afford to fill up their cars, the shipping companies are raking in the cash.

SpaceX Is So Confident In Its New Starship Rocket That It's No Longer Taking Reservations For The Dependable Falcon 9

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:35:58 +0000

To keep its NASA lunar contract, SpaceX has to get the Starship operational by 2028.

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Isn't Even At Its Destination Yet And It's Already Doubled Its Lifespan

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 19:25:00 +0000

Coming in several thousand pounds under its projected weight and using just a fraction of the projected fuel has done wonders for its potential time in space.

Trump's Idea For A West Point-Style Space Academy For NASA Begins To Take Shape

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:40:44 +0000

This won't be fully built out until 2031, but an interim program will take an initial cohort of students in 2028.

China Plans To Return Samples From Mars In 2031 After The U.S. Cancels Its Own Plans

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:25:00 +0000

The Chinese mission to Mars is on pace to launch in 2028, and it may beat the U.S. back to Earth with soil samples, even though the U.S. is already there.

Space Entrepreneur Wants To Prove There Are Aliens By Sending A Probe On An 80,000-Year Voyage To Alpha Centauri Because AI Said That Would Work

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:25:00 +0000

Fuel would be an issue on such a long journey, so the AI-theorized probe would need a solar-electric power system and head for our sun first.

SpaceX To Build Second Spaceport In Louisiana That It Claims Could Launch Thousands Of Starship Rockets Per Year

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:25:00 +0000

Keep in mind that all this hinges on Starship eventually becoming a real boy!

NASA Can't Rescue The Satellite That Was Going To Rescue Another Satellite After All

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:51:26 +0000

The plan was for the Link satellite to fly over to Swift, grab onto it, and haul it back up into a stable orbit. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.

New NASA Pictures Reveal SpaceX Crash's Devastation On The Moon's Magnificent Desolation

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:29:08 +0000

The more and more rockets humanity launches, the more and more likely we are to litter the lunar surface.

James Webb Space Telescope Discovers New Type Of Star Powered By Black Holes Instead Of Fusion

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:25:00 +0000

Freshly spotted, but probably already dead.

Rocket Lab Announces Portable Spaceport To Let It Launch From Anywhere

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:25:00 +0000

Called the Global Hypersonic & Orbital Spaceport Technology (GHOST), this modular system was designed to be fit within standard shipping containers.

The Panic-Inducing Song NASA Regretted Allowing As A Wake Up Call In The '70s

staff@jalopnik.com (Charles Krome) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:25:00 +0000

NASA began playing wake-up music for Gemini 6 in 1965, but it wasn't a regular routine until Apollo 10, leading to the '70s use of this panic-inducing number.

Europe Will Launch Its Own Satellite Constellation As Its Breakup With America Continues

staff@jalopnik.com (Nicholas Werner) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 21:05:00 +0000

The EU and European space companies are building up their space muscles, creating a network of satellites that will provide critical communication support.