Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah

31 August 2026 at 13:00

The space industry treats the sky as a place to dump what it no longer wants. We must develop a new model of accountability

On 5 August, a piece of a derelict SpaceX rocket traveling at 5,400 miles an hour met with the moon and punched a fresh hole into it near Einstein Crater. Astronomers were thrilled. The European Southern Observatory caught sodium and lithium flaring in the debris plume and called it a bonus. The media called it a light show. Nobody was physically hurt, so nobody is responsible, and within a week the story was gone.

I have spent 20 years tracking the junk humanity leaves behind in space for a living, and I want to tell you plainly what that crater actually is: a receipt. It’s what you get when an entire industry treats the sky, and now the moon, as a place to dump what it no longer wants, and calls the dumping “normal operations” or “space exploration”.

Forbidden planet: was Pluto’s 2006 demotion a big mistake?

The Guardian

By: Tim Dowling

31 August 2026 at 07:00

Since it was stripped of planetary status, Pluto’s defenders have been fighting the decision – and they’re only getting more passionate

Twenty years ago, Pluto got demoted. After a vote by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in August 2006, Pluto was relegated from major planet to dwarf planet status. Our solar system dropped from nine planets to eight. At the time, many scientists were unhappy with the decision. Two decades on, the debate is, if anything, even more polarised.

“The definition of a planet they created, you can’t use it at all,” says Philip Metzger, the director of the Stephen W Hawking Centre for Microgravity Research and Education at the University of Central Florida. “It makes the definition of a planet completely non-useful in science.”

NASA's newest space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe

PBS News Hour - The Latest

By: Marcia Dunn · Associated Press

30 August 2026 at 18:23

The bus-sized telescope — named after the late Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief astronomer — will take more than three months to reach its destination.

Scientists Create the Littlest Big Bang to Study the Universe's Origins

WIRED

By: Jorge Garay

30 August 2026 at 12:00

The discovery redefines how large atoms need to be to produce the extreme state of matter found in the early universe.

Artemis II astronauts receive nation's highest space honor for their successful moonshot

The Guardian

By: Associated Press

29 August 2026 at 19:03

Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

The Artemis II astronauts who flew around the moon in April received the US’s highest space honor on Friday.

Donald Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the three Americans and one Canadian whose lunar flyby for the US space agency Nasa set a new distance record for humanity.

Artemis II astronauts receive nation's highest space honor for their successful moonshot

World news | The Guardian

By: Associated Press

29 August 2026 at 19:03

Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

The Artemis II astronauts who flew around the moon in April received the US’s highest space honor on Friday.

Donald Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the three Americans and one Canadian whose lunar flyby for the US space agency Nasa set a new distance record for humanity.

Nasa space telescope launches after surviving Trump budget cuts

World news | The Guardian

By: Richard Luscombe in Miami

30 August 2026 at 15:05

Searching for exoplanets and clues on planet formation, the Roman telescope begins million-mile journey from Florida launchpad

A $4.3bn space telescope that Donald Trump tried to kill has lifted off from Florida as Nasa embarks on the next stage of its quest to unlock the secrets of the universe.

The Nancy Grace Roman space telescope survived two rounds of proposed White House budget cuts, and began a million-mile journey into deep space from a launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday morning. .

Nasa space telescope launches after surviving Trump budget cuts

The Guardian

By: Richard Luscombe in Miami

30 August 2026 at 15:05

Searching for exoplanets and clues on planet formation, the Roman telescope begins million-mile journey from Florida launchpad

A $4.3bn space telescope that Donald Trump tried to kill has lifted off from Florida as Nasa embarks on the next stage of its quest to unlock the secrets of the universe.

The Nancy Grace Roman space telescope survived two rounds of proposed White House budget cuts, and began a million-mile journey into deep space from a launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday morning. .

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Has a Hidden Technological Leap

WIRED

By: Meghan Bartels

29 August 2026 at 13:30

Astronomers will test equipment that, if it’s successful, will one day be crucial for discovering Earthlike planets.

NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Here's what to know

PBS News Hour - The Latest

By: Don Figer · The Conversation

29 August 2026 at 01:51

NASA plans to soon launch a new space telescope that will survey a billion galaxies to trace how the universe evolved over time, all courtesy of America's spy program and decades of research into detector technology. Once in position, it will take data that astronomers hope will help answer some of the field's most puzzling questions.

WATCH: Trump bestows Artemis II crew with Congressional Space Medal of Honor

PBS News Hour - The Latest

By: Marcia Dunn · Associated Press

28 August 2026 at 18:27

President Donald Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the three Americans and one Canadian whose April lunar flyby set a new distance record for humanity.

WATCH LIVE: Trumps bestows Artemis II crew with Congressional Space Medal of Honor

PBS News Hour - The Latest

By: Associated Press

28 August 2026 at 18:27

President Donald Trump is spending Friday in Houston, where he'll honor the Artemis II NASA crew for their 10-day mission around the moon earlier this year.

How to See the Partial Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon on August 27

WIRED

By: Jorge Garay

27 August 2026 at 03:44

The eclipse will obscure about 93 percent of the moon’s surface. Here are the peak times and tips for the best viewing experience.

SpaceX will build a second, $100B ‘Starbase’ spaceport in Louisiana

TechCrunch

By: Sean O'Kane

25 August 2026 at 21:26

The company says it will start construction in 2027 and that a Starship rocket could take flight as soon as 2029.

Trump bought SpaceX shares two weeks after blockbuster IPO

TechCrunch

By: Sean O'Kane

25 August 2026 at 00:24

The president bought when the stock was in the mid-$150 range. SpaceX finished trading on Monday back at its IPO price of $135.

NASA’s New Space Telescope Is Poised to Discover Hidden Facets of the Universe

WIRED

By: Jay Bennett

24 August 2026 at 12:00

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to discover as many as 200,000 new planets and reveal details about the elusive nature of dark matter and dark energy.

NASA Cancels Its Rescue Mission for the Aging Swift Telescope

WIRED

By: Jorge Garay

22 August 2026 at 12:00

The LINK probe was supposed to use robotic arms to capture Swift and lift it into a safe orbit. Problems with its control system forced NASA to call off the attempt.

Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters with $16M

TechCrunch

By: Kate Park

22 August 2026 at 04:03

Japanese space startup Letara is betting its hybrid rocket technology can move beyond small satellite thrusters into a broader market for space, defense and security, after raising ¥2.6 billion ($16 million).