Solar System

A bizarre 'decapitated' asteroid likely made the moon's largest impact crater. NASA's Artemis astronauts may land near the proof

By Stefanie Waldek published 7 May 26

An ancient impact may have scattered material from deep inside the moon toward NASA's planned Artemis landing sites near the lunar south pole.

Moon joy at Jupiter | Space photo of the day for May 7, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd published 7 May 26

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured a photo of Jupiter's moon Thebe.

Here's what 6 years of driving on Mars did to the wheels on NASA's Curiosity rover (video)

By Samantha Mathewson published 7 May 26

A new video released by NASA/JPL documents six years of Curiosity rover's wheels while driving on Mars.

Should Saturn's huge moon Titan be humanity's next destination, after the moon and Mars?

By Leonard David published 7 May 26

Next month, a first-of-its-kind gathering will blueprint an eventual crewed trek to tantalizing Titan, the largest of Saturn's many moons.

Solar activity makes space junk crash to Earth faster

By Julian Dossett published 6 May 26

Scientists studied how space junk moved in orbit over a 36-year span, finding that increased solar activity caused it to fall to Earth faster.

Mexico City is sinking up to 14 inches per year, satellite images show

By Keith Cooper published 5 May 26

Mexico City is one of the fastest subsiding cities in the world, dropping by up to 14 inches every year.

A tiny 'plutino' world beyond Neptune has grown a mysterious atmosphere, and we don't know how

By Keith Cooper published 5 May 26

A trans-Neptunian object was found to possess a surprising thin atmosphere after astronomers witnessed the object occult a distant star.

NASA is making a powerful new ion engine to send astronauts to Mars — and it just passed its 1st test

By Keith Cooper published 5 May 26

A prototype ion engine that uses lithium metal vapor as a propellant has aced its first tests, achieving 25 times more power than the ion engine on the Psyche mission.

Drone radar could help spacecraft pinpoint where to drill for water on Mars, scientists say

By Samantha Mathewson published 1 May 26

Drone-mounted radar flown over glaciers on Earth show how the technology can map buried ice in detail, helping future Mars spacecraft choose exactly where to drill.