Staff Writer

AP Aerospace Writer

This photo provided by NASA shows the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Jim Ross/NASA via AP)

NASA begins a practice countdown for its first moonshot with astronauts in more than 50 years

NASA has begun a two-day practice countdown for its first moonshot with astronauts in 53 years. The dress rehearsal that started Saturday night will culminate with the fueling of the space agency’s new moon rocket.

This photo provided by NASA shows the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Jim Ross/NASA via AP)

NASA delays the first Artemis moonshot with astronauts because of extreme cold at the launch site

NASA has delayed astronauts’ upcoming trip to the moon because of near-freezing temperatures expected at the launch site.

Jane Smith-Wolcott, center, widow of Challenger pilot Michael Smith puts a flower on a memorial during NASA's Day of Remembrance for the 40th Anniversary of the Challenger tragedy at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

NASA and families of fallen astronauts mark 40th anniversary of space shuttle Challenger accident

Families of the astronauts lost in the space shuttle Challenger accident are marking that tragic day 40 years ago.

In this long exposure photo, a string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kan., on May 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms

A new study shows how earthquake monitors can better track space junk by tuning into their sonic booms.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

Astronauts say space station’s ultrasound machine was critical during medical crisis

The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in “super handy” during the medical crisis.

Astronaut Suni Williams is interviewed at Johnson Space Center on March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

NASA astronaut who was stuck at the space station for months retires within a year of returning

NASA’s Suni Williams — one of two astronauts stuck for months at the International Space Station — has retired.

The Artemis II rocket makes its way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

NASA’s new moon rocket moves to the pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

NASA’s giant new moon rocket is finally at the launch pad. The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket began its 1-mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Saturday morning.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation

An ailing astronaut is back on Earth. The crew of four returned Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

NASA sends 4 astronauts back to Earth in first medical evacuation

An astronaut in need of medical care is on the way back to Earth. The ailing astronaut departed the International Space Station with three crewmates on Wednesday.

CORRECTS MONTH FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the U.S. during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station, on Monday, April 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

The moon and sun figure big in the new year’s lineup of cosmic wonders

The moon and sun share top billing in 2026. Kicking off the year’s cosmic wonders is the moon, drawing the first astronauts to visit in more than 50 years.

This image provided by Blue Origin, Michaela Benthaus poses after the Blue Origin's capsule landed on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in West Texas. (Blue Origin via AP)

Paraplegic engineer becomes the first wheelchair user to blast into space

A paraplegic engineer has become the first wheelchair user in space, blasting off with Blue Origin. Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus rocketed away from West Texas on Saturday with Jeff Bezos’ company.

This image made by the Cassini spacecraft and provided by NASA on March 12, 2006, shows two of Saturn's moons, the small Epimetheus and smog-enshrouded Titan, with Saturn's A and F rings stretching across the frame. (NASA via AP)

Saturn’s moon Titan may not have a buried ocean as long suspected, new study suggests

Saturn’s giant moon Titan may not have a vast underground ocean after all. New research suggests Titan instead may hold deep layers of ice and slush more akin to Earth’s polar seas instead of a buried ocean as long suspected.

This image, provided by NASA, shows the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on Nov. 30, 2025, about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth. (NASA, ESA, STScI, D. Jewitt (UCLA), M.-T. Hui (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory), J. DePasquale (STScI) via AP)

Interstellar comet keeps its distance as it makes its closest approach to Earth

A stray comet from another star is swinging past Earth. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas will pass within 167 million miles of our planet on Friday.

This combination of ultraviolet spectrum images provided by NASA shows atmospheric features of the planet Mars in July 2022, left, during the southern hemisphere’s summer season, and the planet’s northern hemisphere in January 2023 after Mars had passed the farthest point in its orbit from the Sun, captured by the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft. (NASA/LASP/CU Boulder via AP)

NASA loses contact with its Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade

NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that’s been orbiting Mars for more than a decade. Maven abruptly stopped communicating to ground stations over the weekend.

Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump's pick to be NASA Administrator, listens during a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Billionaire spacewalker is back before the Senate seeking NASA’s top job

Billionaire spacewalker Jared Isaacman is back before the Senate after being yanked and then renominated by President Donald Trump for NASA’s top job.

This image provided by NSF NOIRLab shows NGC 6302, a billowing planetary nebula that resembles a cosmic butterfly. (NSF NOIRLab via AP)

Telescope in Chile captures stunning new picture of a cosmic butterfly

A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of the Butterfly Nebula, a grand and graceful cosmic wonder.

This image provided by NASA, shows a selfie of their Perseverance Mars rover, on July 23, 2024. The image is made up of 62 individual images that were stitched together. (NASA via AP, file)

Scientists capture the crackling sounds of what they believe is lightning on Mars

Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover.

In this photo provided by NASA, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard approaches the International Space Station on June 6, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

Boeing’s troubled capsule won’t carry astronauts on next space station flight

Boeing and NASA have agreed to keep astronauts off the company’s next Starliner flight. Instead, Boeing will perform a trial run with cargo to the International Space Station to prove the capsule’s safety.

This photo provided by Gianluca Masi shows the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas as it streaks through space, 190 million miles from Earth, on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. The image was taken from Manciano, Italy. (Gianluca Masi via AP)

NASA unveils close-up pictures of the comet popping by from another star

NASA is unveiling close-up pictures of the interstellar comet that’s making a quick one-and-done tour of our solar system.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Blue Origin launches huge rocket carrying twin NASA spacecraft to Mars

Blue Origin has launched its huge New Glenn rocket with a pair of NASA spacecraft destined for Mars.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready on Launch Complex 36 a few minutes before the launch was scrubbed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Solar storms delay the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket with Mars orbiters for NASA

Strong solar storms responsible for breathtaking auroras across the U.S. have delayed the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket.

In this undated photo provided by NASA on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, astronaut Scott Kelly looks out the cupola of the International Space Station. (NASA via AP, File)

The International Space Station marks 25 years of nonstop human presence in orbit

The International Space Station is marking 25 years of nonstop human presence in orbit. Nearly 300 people have lived aboard the scientific outpost.

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX launches the 11th test flight of its mega Starship rocket with another win

SpaceX has launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test flight. The 403-foot Starship thundered into the evening sky Monday from Texas.

This image composed from multiple exposures and provided by NSF's NOIRLab shows a comet streaking across a star field above the International Gemini Observatory on Cerro Pachon, near La Serena, Chile. (NSF's NoirLab via AP)

Interstellar comet swinging past Mars as a fleet of spacecraft looks on

A comet from another star system is swinging by Mars as a fleet of spacecraft trains its sights on the interstellar visitor.

In this image provided by NASA, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured this image of Enceladus on Nov. 30, 2010, with the shadow of the body of Enceladus on the lower portions of the jets is clearly visible. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute via AP)

New study adds to the possibility of favorable conditions for life at Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Scientists have uncovered new types of organics in icy geysers spouting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech on Aug. 23, 2025, NISAR imaged land adjacent to northeastern North Dakota’s Forest River, light-colored wetlands and forests line the river’s banks, while circular and rectangular plots throughout the image appear in shades that indicate the land may be pasture or cropland with corn or soy. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

First radar images from new Earth-mapping satellite showcase Maine coast and North Dakota farmland

NASA has released the first radar images from a new Earth-mapping satellite showing the Maine coast and North Dakota farmland in incredible detail.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) as it's primary payload, lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

A trio of space weather satellites blast off together to study the sun’s violent side

A cluster of space weather satellites has blasted off to cast fresh eyes on solar storms. The three satellites belonging to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration soared from Florida on Wednesday morning on the same SpaceX rocket.

NASA introduces its newest astronauts: 10 chosen from more than 8,000 applicants

NASA has 10 new astronauts chosen from more than 8,000 applicants. Six of them are women, the first time in NASA history that an incoming astronaut class is mostly female.

This image provided by NASA shows Northrop Grumman's newly arrived cargo capsule at the International Space Station on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (NASA via AP)

Northrop Grumman cargo ship reaches the International Space Station a day late after engine issue

A supply ship has arrived at the International Space Station after a day’s delay due to a premature engine shutdown.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to bring supplies to the International Space Station lifts off from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Engine trouble forces Northrop Grumman to delay supply delivery to International Space Station

A newly launched supply ship has run into engine trouble that is preventing it from reaching the International Space Station.

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