Space

Following months of unsuccessful recovery efforts, NASA has officially begun decommissioning the MAVEN orbiter, bringing to a close an 11-year mission that transformed scientists’ understanding of Mars and became one of the agency’s most valuable assets at the Red Planet. The decision follows the loss of contact with the spacecraft in December 2025. That loss happened after a routine…

Webcast: AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 8-10 Mission Live Launch – YouTube Watch On SpaceX will launch three giant direct-to-cell satellites early Wednesday morning (June 17), and you can watch the action live. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with three of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, during…

Want stunning views of the night sky, without the awkward bulk of the best telescopes? That’s where these powerful all-weather Canon 18×50 IS binoculars come in. We think they’re the best image stabilized binoculars for magnification and thanks to this pre-Prime Day deal, they’re $100 off. Get these Canon 18×50 IS binoculars for $1549 from B&H Photo Canon’s gear features in…

Did you ever see an Iridium flare? For two decades until 2019, these communication satellites would become dazzlingly bright for a second or so in the night sky. I used to see them by accident before discovering that some websites and apps could forecast precisely when and where they would occur. I got so obsessed with Iridium flares that I would build my stargazing sessions around them.