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News Articles: NASA

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of a pair of lunar landers at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.

2 private lunar landers head toward the moon in a roundabout journey

In a two-for-one moonshot, SpaceX launched a pair of lunar landers Wednesday for U.S. and Japanese companies looking to jumpstart business on Earth's dusty sidekick.

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By:
  • The Associated Press
The phases of the Moon for January 2025.<br>

The first full moon of 2025 is here

This moon phase is nicknamed the Wolf Moon, which is rooted in Native American culture.

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By:
  • Ayana Archie
In this handout photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, a view of the International Space Station taken on Mar. 30, 2022 by crew of Russian Soyuz MS-19 space ship after undocking from the Station.

The International Space Station adjusts its orbit to avoid space debris

There are at least 19,000 pieces of space debris in Earth's orbit, not including active satellites, that the U.S is monitoring.

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By:
  • Chandelis Duster
A commercial airliner flies before the rising Beaver full moon above Kuwait City on Nov. 27, 2023.

Stargazers can see the final supermoon of the year this weekend

The next supermoon — which appears larger and brighter than a regular full moon due to its proximity to Earth — will not be visible for nearly a year.

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By:
  • Chandelis Duster
Official SpaceX Crew-8 portrait with (L-R) Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin, and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, all three NASA astronauts.

NASA's Crew-8 mission members return to Earth on SpaceX capsule

Three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut splashed down off the Florida coast early Friday, capping a nearly eight-month science and research mission to the International Space Station.

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By:
  • Chandelis Duster
From left to right: Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch settle in inside the Orion spacecraft mockup.

Meet the astronauts preparing to travel farther from Earth than any human before

This time next year, NASA plans to send its first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years. NPR visited the facility to find out how astronauts are preparing for this high stakes exploration.

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By:
  • Scott Detrow,
  • Michael Levitt,
  • and 1 more
This image, taken from NASA video, shows the Boeing Starliner capsule coming down through the darkness over New Mexico.

With no crew aboard, spacecraft Starliner lands without a hitch

The spacecraft landed in New Mexico early Saturday morning leaving two astronauts behind on the International Space Station. The crew members will return to earth in February aboard a SpaceX craft.

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By:
  • Nell Greenfieldboyce
In this long-exposure photo provided by NASA, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station on July 3.

An empty Boeing Starliner is set to return next week, while its crew stays in space

An empty Boeing Starliner is scheduled to return from the International Space Station in early September. It will fly home autonomously while its crew remains in space until February.

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By:
  • Juliana Kim
This photo provided by NASA shows Boeing's Starliner spacecraft docked to the Harmony module's forward port on July 3, seen from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the adjacent port.

NASA delays next crew launch to buy time at the space station for troubled Starliner

Starliner's test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, should have returned by mid-June. NASA is weighing its options for returning the two, including a ride home in a rival SpaceX capsule.

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By:
  • The Associated Press
In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13.

NASA still doesn't know when two astronauts will be able to come home

NASA still is not sure when two astronauts might come home in Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft.

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By:
  • Nell Greenfieldboyce
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the mission released 25 views of cosmic objects ranging from supernova remnants to galaxy clusters and more.

Astronomers are scrambling to save the world's most powerful X-ray space telescope

NASA is facing a tight budget and wants to wrap up the Chandra X-ray Observatory, but astronomers don't want to see the 25-year-old X-ray space telescope mission go.

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By:
  • Nell Greenfieldboyce
Boeing crew flight test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, center, pose with Expedition 71 flight engineers Mike Barratt, left, and Tracy Dyson, both NASA astronauts, in their spacesuits aboard the International Space Station's Quest airlock on June 24, 2024.

NASA astronauts to extend space station stay as engineers troubleshoot Boeing capsule

Problems with the capsule's propulsion system, used to maneuver the spacecraft, prompted NASA and Boeing to delay the flight home several times while they analyzed the trouble.

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By:
  • The Associated Press
Jets of gas being released from newly forming stars are captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.

From planets to black holes, we look at the oddities of space

Space Camp is a new series about all the weird, wonderful things happening in the universe by NPR's science podcast Short Wave. Check out the rest of the series.

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By:
  • GPB Newsroom
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft prepares to dock with the International Space Station for the first time on June 6, 2024. (NASA via AP)

NASA says it accidentally sent out an emergency signal meant for training purposes

A NASA simulation accidentally aired on the space agency's livestream. NASA said all crew members are healthy, safe and preparing for a spacewalk scheduled for Thursday.

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By:
  • Ayana Archie
Boeing's Starliner capsule atop an Atlas V rocket is seen at Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 7, a day after its mission to the International Space Station was scrubbed because of an issue with a pressure regulation valve.

Boeing's troubled Starliner spacecraft launch is delayed again

A helium leak pushed back a planned launch to May 25. Boeing's program that would shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station has been plagued with problems.

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By:
  • John Helton