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NASA said that teams are assessing what caused the early shutdown of the engines

NASA test of mega Moon rocket engines cut short

NASA conducted a test firing of the engines for its giant Space Launch System lunar rocket yesterday, but they shut down earlier than planned, the space agency said.

World • 17 Jan 21

Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi blast off for the ISS

SpaceX launches four astronauts to space station

Four astronauts were successfully launched on the SpaceX Crew Dragon "Resilience" to the International Space Station last night.

World • 16 Nov 20

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule ready to launch at NASA in Cape Canaveral, Florida

NASA delays new SpaceX flight due to bad weather

NASA has postponed today's planned launch of a crewed SpaceX vessel to the International Space Station (ISS) due to inclement weather.

World • 14 Nov 20

The samples have been sealed inside the capsule (Pic: NASA)

Spacecraft stores rock samples from asteroid

NASA said its robotic spacecraft Osiris-Rex was able to stow a rock and dust sample scooped up from the asteroid Bennu.

World • 29 Oct 20

A NASA photo show's an artist impression of the spacecraft moving in to land on the asteroid

Spacecraft lands on asteroid to collect rock samples

After a four-year journey, NASA's robotic spacecraft Osiris-Rex briefly touched down on asteroid Bennu's boulder-strewn surface to collect rock and dust samples in a precision operation 330m kms from Earth.

World • 21 Oct 20

The lunar network will be part of the US space agency's efforts to return humans to the moon by 2024

Nokia to build mobile network on moon for NASA

Finland's Nokia has been selected by NASA to build the first mobile phone network on the moon, the Finnish company said today.

Business • 19 Oct 20

Kate Rubsin, Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov pictured ahead of the launch

US astronaut, 2 Russian cosmonauts blast off for ISS

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts has blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and successfully reached orbit

Science and Technology • 14 Oct 20

The ISS usually orbits roughly 420km above the Earth

International Space Station moved to avoid space debris

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have carried out an "avoidance manouevre" to ensure they would not be hit by a piece of orbiting debris.

World • 23 Sep 20

Atlas V Rocket Launches NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover To 7 Month Obit To Mars

Issue onboard Mars-bound rover 'not overly concerning'

The technical issue which occurred shortly after the launch of NASA's latest Mars rover Perseverance was not serious, the agency has confirmed.

World • 30 Jul 20

The $2.4bn mission from Florida's Cape Canaveral is the US space agency's ninth trek to the Martian surface

NASA's new rover to lift off in search of life on Mars

NASA is set to launch an ambitious mission to Mars tomorrow with the lift-off of its next-generation, six-wheeled robot, Perseverance.

World • 29 Jul 20

The Solar Orbiter came within 47 million miles of the Sun's surface

Solar probe reveals Sun's closest-ever photos

A solar probe built by the European Space Agency and NASA has delivered the closest photos ever taken of the Sun's surface.

World • 17 Jul 20

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches into space with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on board

SpaceX mission blasts off with two astronauts on board

SpaceX has launched with two astronauts on board, making it the first NASA crew bound for orbit from the US in nine years.

US • 30 May 20

SpaceX, NASA delay milestone mission due to bad weather

SpaceX's historic first crewed launch is set to proceed on schedule tonight, NASA has announced, but uncertainty remained over weather conditions just hours before take-off.

Science and Technology • 27 May 20

The images provide astronomers with a better understanding of the sun's complex atmosphere
(Pic: University of Central Lancashire)

Highest-ever resolution images of the sun revealed

Researchers have unveiled the highest-ever resolution images of the sun.

Science and Technology • 09 Apr 20

The ability to grow food in space could be crucial for long-duration missions (File image)

Lettuce grown in space 'safe and nutritious'

NASA astronauts have reported that lettuce grown entirely in space is as nutritious and safe to eat as lettuce grown on Earth.

Science and Technology • 06 Mar 20

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4.03am Irish time, kicking off a 10-year voyage

NASA and ESA launch mission to map sun

A new probe built by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has set off on a journey to the sun to take the first close-up look at the star's polar regions.

World • 10 Feb 20

Christina Koch has returned to Earth after 328 days in space

Record-breaking US astronaut returns to Earth

US astronaut Christina Koch has returned to Earth having shattered the spaceflight record for female astronauts by spending almost a year aboard the International Space Station.

World • 06 Feb 20

Boeing's Starliner will not achieve docking mission

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will not achieve its mission objective of docking with the International Space Station, NASA has said.

US • 20 Dec 19

NASA released a mosaic image of the site IN September, inviting the public to compare it with images of the same area before the crash to find signs of the lander (Pic: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University)

NASA finds missing Indian moon lander - with some help

India's Vikram lunar lander, which crashed on its final approach to the Moon's surface in September, has been found thanks in part to the sleuthing efforts of an amateur space enthusiast.

News Lens • 03 Dec 19

'Dance of avoidance' as tiny moons orbit Neptune

Even by the standards of the outer solar system, the strange orbits that carry Neptune's two innermost moons are unprecedented, according to newly-published research.

News Lens • 15 Nov 19

The event is not due to happen again until 2032 (Courtesy: NASA)

Mercury makes rare transit across the sun

Astronomers and space enthusiasts watched as Mercury made a rare transit of the sun yesterday.

News Lens • 12 Nov 19

NASA shares Jack-o'-lantern Nebula image for Halloween

To mark Halloween, NASA has released an image of a cloud of gas and dust which looks like a celestial pumpkin. The image was created with data captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

News Lens • 31 Oct 19

Christina Koch and Jessica Meir during preparation for their spacewalk

NASA astronauts carry out first all-female spacewalk

US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir have become the first all-female pairing to carry out a spacewalk, following a spacesuit blunder earlier this year that caused the historic mission to be aborted.

World • 18 Oct 19

The star broke up and spiralled into the pull of the black hole (Pic: NASA)

Black hole rips apart an unfortunate star

Scientists have captured a view of a colossal black hole violently ripping apart a doomed star, illustrating a extraordinary and chaotic cosmic event from beginning to end for the first time using NASA's planet-hunting telescope.

News Lens • 27 Sep 19

At its largest estimated size, the asteroid would be nearly twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower

Huge asteroid to pass (relatively) close by Earth

A huge asteroid up to five times as tall as Dublin's Spire will pass by Earth tonight, scientists have said.

News Lens • 14 Sep 19