{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Space Exploration News - Space News, Space Exploration, Space Science, Earth Sciences","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/space-news\/space-exploration\/","language":"en-us","description":"Space exploration news and updates. Space missions and science news. Planet exploration and more.","item":[{"title":"Smart surfaces face zero gravity test in boiling heat experiments","description":"A research team led by Davoud Jafari at the University of Twente, in collaboration with the University of Pisa, has completed a series of parabolic flight experiments to investigate advanced smart surfaces under rapidly changing gravity conditions. Conducted aboard the Air Zero G aircraft operated by Novespace, the campaign integrated additive manufacturing, boiling heat transfer and electric field control into a single experimental platform as part of the #SmartSkin project.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-smart-surfaces-gravity.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:30:01 EDT","guid":"news699873176"},{"title":"SpaceX signs pre-IPO deal to provide AI computing to Google","description":"SpaceX on Friday signed a blockbuster cloud computing agreement under which Google will pay the Elon Musk-founded rocket company $920 million per month for access to a massive cluster of AI chips, according to a disclosure in its initial public offering filing.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-spacex-pre-ipo-ai-google.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699949417"},{"title":"SpaceX denied fast track to S&P 500 after IPO","description":"SpaceX has been denied a fast track into the S&P 500 when the rocket and satellite company goes public, in a ruling that cuts off quick access to one of the biggest pools of Wall Street money.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-spacex-denied-fast-track-sp.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:26:02 EDT","guid":"news699949551"},{"title":"Astronauts briefly take shelter during repair to fix leak on the International Space Station","description":"NASA on Friday temporarily ordered astronauts to take shelter during repairs to fix a fresh leak aboard the International Space Station.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-astronauts-briefly-leak-international-space.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:19:51 EDT","guid":"news699949154"},{"title":"First steps: America's grueling second spacewalk","description":"One year after Gemini IV astronaut Edward H. White completed NASA's first spacewalk the agency prepared for a demanding second excursion. Originally scheduled for Gemini VIII, the extravehicular activity (EVA) was reassigned to Gemini IX-A after that mission ended early, with Gene Cernan taking on the task.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-america-grueling-spacewalk.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699881468"},{"title":"Leak on space station triggers brief safety alert","description":"Astronauts working on the International Space Station briefly sheltered in a docked capsule Friday as Russian colleagues assessed leak repairs, NASA said.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-leak-space-station-triggers-safety.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:56:16 EDT","guid":"news699886524"},{"title":"Vast astronaut mission kicks off commercial race to replace ISS","description":"The race to replace the aging International Space Station is heating up after US company Vast announced a mission to fly an astronaut to its planned Haven-1 station next year.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-vast-astronaut-mission-commercial-iss.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699795216"},{"title":"Laser 'origami' could help astronauts build structures on the moon","description":"University of Florida researchers are exploring how lasers could help astronauts build structures on the moon using materials already available there, including lunar soil transformed into glass. The work, led by Victoria M. Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and researcher with the UF Astraeus Space Institute, recently completed a research phase focused on laser forming, a manufacturing process that bends materials without physical contact.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-laser-origami-astronauts-moon.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:40:07 EDT","guid":"news699780961"},{"title":"SpaceX seeks a record $75 bn in stock market debut","description":"SpaceX, the rockets-to-AI behemoth led by Elon Musk, aims to raise $75 billion in the biggest initial share sale ever, as the world's richest person pursues data centers in space and a trip to Mars.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-spacex-aims-bn-stock-debut.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:50:01 EDT","guid":"news699766920"},{"title":"SpaceX's IPO is set to be the biggest ever and could make Elon Musk a trillionaire","description":"SpaceX says it plans to raise up to $75 billion when it goes public this month, setting the stage for the largest-ever stock market debut and putting Elon Musk on course to becoming the world's first trillionaire.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-spacex-ipo-biggest-elon-musk.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:00:06 EDT","guid":"news699766600"},{"title":"Solar sails edge closer to reality, but interstellar travel is another story","description":"From planetary rovers and asteroid sample return missions to the recent Artemis II flight above the far side of the moon, we are seemingly good at doing space. But our achievements still do not match many of our space dreams, science fiction or otherwise.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-solar-edge-closer-reality-interstellar.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:20:02 EDT","guid":"news699698513"},{"title":"Before SpaceX goes public, a scramble to get on bandwagon","description":"As SpaceX prepares its long-awaited stock market debut, investors everywhere are scrambling to get a piece of the action\u2014through investment funds, related company stocks, and even online prediction markets.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-spacex-scramble-bandwagon.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 04:10:01 EDT","guid":"news699677884"},{"title":"Despite explosion Blue Origin CEO says rocket to fly before year-end","description":"The CEO of Blue Origin vowed its New Glenn rocket \"will fly again before the end of this year\" after a recent ground test ended in a massive fireball that damaged the launch platform.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-explosion-blue-ceo-rocket-fly.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:02 EDT","guid":"news699620762"},{"title":"French astronaut to fly to commercial space station under deal","description":"Two French astronauts are to blast into space next year, one of whom will stay on board the world's first commercial space station, under a new deal sealed between France and the U.S. company Vast.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-french-astronaut-fly-commercial-space.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699617467"},{"title":"Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and key launch pad parts","description":"Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin said Tuesday that last week's rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-blue-rocket-explosion-fuel-tanks.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:10:12 EDT","guid":"news699617341"},{"title":"For satellites as small as a briefcase, getting around in space just got a whole lot easier","description":"MIT engineers are testing a new propulsion system that combines the power and speed of conventional chemical thrusters with the precision and fuel-efficiency of electrical thrusters. The system could enable the design of nimbler, more flexible small satellites, which could perform both fast, powerful maneuvers and slower, precise adjustments, depending on the mission and moment at hand.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-satellites-small-briefcase-space-lot.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699610981"},{"title":"Meteor as heavy as an elephant causes widespread speculation across New England","description":"When the double boom rang out in New England over the weekend, shaking homes and sending pets fleeing, questions started flooding social media.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-meteor-heavy-elephant-widespread-speculation.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:15:31 EDT","guid":"news699592490"},{"title":"Roman telescope's massive infrared mirror is ready to fly","description":"NASA has completed its final inspection of the primary mirror on the Roman Space Telescope, which measures 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in diameter and contains a layer of silver hundreds of times thinner than a human hair, at 400 nanometers.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-roman-telescope-massive-infrared-mirror.html","category":"Astronomy","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699524570"},{"title":"ESA selects two new scout-class missions","description":"When it comes to understanding Earth and our changing environment, space is the place. Not only does it give us an overall holistic view of the planet below, but satellite-based imagery can transcend national boundaries and give us an understanding of key changes that often go unseen at ground level.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-esa-scout-class-missions.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:40:02 EDT","guid":"news699529223"},{"title":"Rovers, regolith, robots: The blueprint for the moon","description":"The \"soil\" blanketing the moon's surface isn't actually soil. It's a fine, lethal, abrasive powder of shattered rock and jagged glass that shreds gaskets, chews through seals, and hangs in an airless environment blasted by unfiltered radiation and temperature swings that can warp steel. Scientists call it lunar regolith.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-rovers-regolith-robots-blueprint-moon.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699524984"},{"title":"Blue Origin's lunar lander just passed its toughest test yet","description":"There is a chamber at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston that is, in its own way, one of the most extraordinary rooms on Earth. Chamber A is one of the largest thermal vacuum facilities in the world, a vast steel vessel that can recreate the airless, temperature swinging brutality of space without leaving the ground. It has tested spacecraft destined for the moon, for the planets, and for the deep dark between them. Now it has tested Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander, known as Endurance, and the vehicle has passed with flying colors.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-blue-lunar-lander-toughest.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699527882"},{"title":"Meteor over Massachusetts causes explosion reports, sightings from Delaware to Montreal","description":"Reports of an explosion from people across New England on Saturday afternoon sent police agencies and others scrambling to understand what caused a double boom that shook buildings in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-meteor-massachusetts-explosion-sightings-delaware.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sun, 31 May 2026 07:15:40 EDT","guid":"news699430518"},{"title":"Is extracting oxygen from lunar soil the future of space exploration?","description":"A new race to the moon is emerging between the United States and China. Unlike fifty years ago, the goal is no longer just about landing and leaving, but establishing a base that allows for a sustainable presence and extended stays on the surface of our natural satellite. The objective is now to use the moon as a testing ground for technologies that will enable us to travel further, particularly to Mars.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-oxygen-lunar-soil-future-space.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 20:30:03 EDT","guid":"news699019383"},{"title":"How mobile deep\u2011space medical systems could support future landings on the moon and Mars","description":"Around the world, people watched NASA's Artemis II mission in awe as humans returned to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-mobile-deepspace-medical-future-moon.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 14:00:03 EDT","guid":"news699021881"},{"title":"Blue Origin rocket explosion is bad news for both Bezos and NASA","description":"Space exploration is filled with setbacks, but the spectacular explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket on Thursday night marked a significant blow to not only the company, which was founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, but also NASA, with the two collaborating for the upcoming US moon missions.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-blue-rocket-explosion-bad-news.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Sat, 30 May 2026 06:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699338972"},{"title":"Blue Origin investigates rocket explosion as public is warned about possible wreckage washing ashore","description":"Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is assessing damage to its launch pad after a rocket exploded during a test firing, creating a giant orange fireball seen and felt for miles around.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-blue-rocket-explosion-wreckage-ashore.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 12:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699274462"},{"title":"Three astronauts from China return to Earth after nearly 7 months in space, a record for a Chinese crew","description":"Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after spending nearly seven months in space, setting a record for the longest on-orbit stay by a Chinese crew.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-astronauts-china-earth-months-space.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 11:58:03 EDT","guid":"news699274582"},{"title":"Blue Origin rocket explodes on the launch pad during an engine-firing test","description":"A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin exploded during a test at the launch pad Thursday night, shaking nearby homes and briefly painting the sky orange.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-blue-rocket-pad.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 04:30:01 EDT","guid":"news699247204"},{"title":"What to know about Manhattanhenge, NYC's sunset spectacle","description":"New York City residents and visitors look up at the sky to experience a phenomenon twice a year known as Manhattanhenge.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-manhattanhenge-nyc-sunset-spectacle.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 04:20:04 EDT","guid":"news699247142"},{"title":"A rare blue micromoon rises this weekend","description":"Get set for a rare blue micromoon this weekend\u2014a blue moon that's also the most distant and smallest-looking full moon of the year.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-rare-blue-micromoon-weekend.html","category":"Space Exploration","pubDate":"Thu, 28 May 2026 09:54:21 EDT","guid":"news699180800"}]}}