Nations around the world are shoring up their military capabilities in space.
Dec 1, 2020 - ScienceNASA might get to stay the course, but would have to compete with other spending priorities.
Oct 27, 2020 - ScienceSpace junk could threaten humanity's future in the stars.
Oct 20, 2020 - ScienceCompanies are also hoping to launch missions to far-off destinations like Venus and Mars.
Sep 23, 2020 - ScienceThousands participated in calling attention to barriers that keep black people out of science.
Jun 16, 2020 - ScienceIllustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Space travel experts are advocating for people with disabilities to be eligible to fly to orbit and beyond.
Why it matters: Long-held beliefs about who is best suited for space travel have limited the industry and those it inspires. Widening the scope of who is considered fit for spaceflight could help invite more people to be invested in the future of humanity in space.
Hayley Arceneaux, a 29 year-old physician's assistant and childhood cancer survivor, today was named the second crew member for Inspiration4, which is set to be the first-ever all-civilian space flight.
Axios Re:Cap digs into the story behind the flight, Arceneaux's selection and what Inspiration4 means for the future of space tourism, with Axios Space editor Miriam Kramer.
When NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars Thursday, a set of cameras captured the car-sized spacecraft's descent and landing on the Red Planet.
Why it matters: This is the first time this type of high-quality footage has been captured.
Hayley Arceneaux in front of a SpaceX rocket. Photo: Inspiration4
St. Jude physician assistant and childhood cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux has been selected as the second crew member for an all-civilian mission to space expected to launch later this year.
Why it matters: The mission is a marker of a new age of commercial spaceflight, one in which private citizens and companies are able to go to space without government backing.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Three new missions that just arrived at Mars — including the latest U.S. rover that landed Thursday — will help paint a brand new picture of the Red Planet.
Why it matters: Scientists think that Mars was once a relatively warm and habitable world. These missions from China, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. will help researchers get a more holistic view of what the planet was like billions of years ago, with an eye toward past life — if the countries collaborate scientifically.
Perseverance's landing site. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
NASA's Perseverance rover — designed to further the hunt for past life on Mars — successfully touched down on the Red Planet Thursday.
Why it matters: Mars was once a relatively warm, wet and habitable world, and Perseverance — nicknamed Percy — could help NASA figure out if it was inhabited billions of years ago.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Axiom Space, a Houston-based developer of what would be the world's first commercial space station, raised $130 million in Series B funding led by C5 Capital.
Why it matters: Axiom represents what many believe is the future of space, whereby NASA becomes a customer everywhere in low-Earth orbit so that it can focus on the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Photo: NASA
The European Space Agency is on the hunt for a new, more diverse group of astronauts.
The big picture: This is the first time ESA has put out the call for more astronauts since 2008.
Artist's illustration of a nuclear propulsion system and habitat around Mars. Image: NASA
Nuclear power is a good bet to get people to and from Mars, according to a new report. However, there's still a long way to go before it's viable.
Why it matters: NASA has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s, but the technology needed for such an extreme mission is still in development.
Artist's illustration of Perseverance on Mars. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA's Perseverance rover, which launched to Mars in July, is set to arrive at the Red Planet Thursday.
Why it matters: The rover is expected to hunt for signs of past life in the remains of what scientists think was once a river delta billions of years ago.