Mike Wall

Mike Wall

Space.com Senior Writer
Michael was a science writer for the Idaho National Laboratory and has been an intern at Wired.com, The Salinas Californian newspaper, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He has also worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Articles by: Mike Wall

SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 3, 2023. It was SpaceX's 62 launch of the year, breaking the company's previous record of 61, set in 2022.

SpaceX launches record-breaking 62nd orbital mission of the year

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX just set a new mark for most orbital launches in a single year, breaking the company's record from 2022

Flash of light streaking across a Melbourne dark sky. This is likely the remnants of a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

Eerie 'fireball' seen over Australia was actually a Russian rocket in disguise

By Mike Wall published

A Russian rocket body plunged back to Earth near southern Australia on Monday night (Aug. 7), dazzling and alarming skywatchers.

NASA's Perseverance rover can be seen in the background, while rocks and red Martian soil take up the rest of the image.

Mars helicopter Ingenuity phones home, breaking 63-day silence

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity has phoned home after 63 days of silence, and all appears to be well with the little rotorcraft.

Jupiter and its moon Europa, left, are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam instrument 2.12 micron filter.

'Bonus' Webb Telescope images showcase Jupiter's Great Red Spot, rings, moons and more

By Mike Wall published

The Webb team released some tantalizing photos of Jupiter Thursday (July 14), highlighting the $10 billion telescope's ability to study targets close to home.

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk and the SpaceX team are recognized by Vice President Mike Pence at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following the launch of the company’s Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station on May 30, 2020.

Elon Musk apparently threatened by Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin

By Mike Wall published

Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin has apparently threatened Elon Musk, but the SpaceX founder and CEO doesn't seem too bothered.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 48 Starlink internet satellites launches from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida on March 9, 2022.

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on 'American broomstick' and lands rocket at sea

By Mike Wall, Tariq Malik published

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 48 new Starlink internet satellites into orbit in the company's 10th launch in as many weeks.

This BlackSky satellite image, collected over Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 28, 2022 at 12:22 local time (UTC+2), shows an Epicentr K home improvement warehouse ablaze with scorched fields a few hundred meters east following shelling in the area.

Russian attack of Ukrainian home-improvement store seen in satellite image

By Mike Wall published

A BlackSky satellite snapped a shot of a big home-improvement store similar to Home Depot ablaze in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv following Russian shelling.

A close-up view of NASA's Artemis 1 Space Launch System megarocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 20, 2021.

NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission, 1st flight of new megarocket, won't launch until May

By Mike Wall last updated

An April launch is no longer possible for Artemis 1, which will send an uncrewed Orion capsule around the moon using a huge Space Launch System megarocket.

This image, snapped on Feb. 22, 2022, by a Maxar Worldview satellite, shows heavy equipment transporters in western Klintsy, Russia.

Russian military could target satellites in Ukraine conflict, NRO chief warns: report

By Mike Wall published

Commercial and government satellites could be targets of the Russian military as it seeks advantage in Ukraine, the head of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office said.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 46 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on the Starlink 4-8 mission from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida on Feb. 21, 2022.

SpaceX launches 46 Starlink satellites, lands Falcon 9 rocket for 100th time

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX launched nearly four dozen satellites and landed the returning rocket Monday (Feb. 21).

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the NROL-87 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Feb. 2, 2022.

SpaceX launches classified spy satellite for US military, lands rocket

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX sent a U.S. spy satellite to orbit Wednesday (Feb. 2) in the second of three planned launches over a four-day stretch.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Italian CSG-2 Earth observation satellite launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Jan. 31, 2022.

SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observation satellite, lands rocket

By Mike Wall published

A Falcon 9 rocket topped with the CSG-2 radar satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday (Jan. 31) at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT).

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used two different cameras to create this selfie in front of a rock outcrop named Mont Mercou, which stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall.

Curiosity rover finds 'tantalizing' signs of ancient Mars life

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Curiosity rover has found some interesting organic compounds that may be signs of ancient Mars life, but much more work is needed to vet that hypothesis.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 12, 2022, one day before it launched on the 105-satellite Transporter-3 mission. This photo was captured from space by a SkySat satellite operated by the San Francisco-based company Planet.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket spotted from space before and after epic 105-satellite launch (images)

By Mike Wall published

SpaceX has some nice before-and-after photos to mark the 10th launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets, thanks to a satisfied customer.

A Russian Angara A5 rocket launches from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on the vehicle’s third demonstration mission on Dec. 27, 2021. The rocket, carrying a dummy payload, reached low-Earth orbit, but an upper-stage engine failure prevented it from going higher as planned, according to media reports.

Big hunk of failed Russian rocket crashes to Earth as space junk

By Mike Wall published

The Persei upper stage of a Russian Angara A5 rocket crashed back to Earth in an uncontrolled fashion.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope separates from its Ariane 5 rocket with the bright blue Earth in the background in this view captured after its launch on Dec. 25, 2021.

'29 days on the edge:' What's next for NASA's newly launched James Webb Space Telescope

By Mike Wall published

NASA's next big space observatory is finally aloft, but it'll be a while before it starts its highly anticipated science mission.

Missing Image for

Why NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will orbit nearly 1 million miles from Earth

By Mike Wall published

The $10 billion Webb is considerably bigger and more complex than the Hubble Space Telescope, and it will be going much farther afield as well.

Artistic impression of the Double Pulsar system, where two active pulsars orbit each other in just 147 minutes.

Einstein's theory of general relativity passes one of its toughest tests yet

By Mike Wall last updated

Scientists tested seven different predictions, in one of the most ambitious and involved challenges to general relativity ever undertaken — and the theory passed with flying colors.

A close-up of three SpaceX Raptor engines clustered together for the company's Starship SN8 prototype.

Starship engine 'crisis' poses possible bankruptcy risk for SpaceX, Elon Musk says: report

By Mike Wall published

Elon Musk thinks that problems with SpaceX's Raptor engine production pose potentially dire consequences for the company, according to media reports.

The first image collected by Landsat 9, on Oct. 31, 2021, shows remote coastal islands and inlets of the Kimberly region of Western Australia. In the top middle section of the image, the Mitchell River carves through sandstone, while to the left Bigge Island and the Coronation Islands stand out in the Indian Ocean.

Powerful Landsat 9 satellite beams home 1st photos of Earth

By Mike Wall published

Landsat 9's first photos show the Florida Panhandle, Detroit and its surrounding area, Navajo Country in northern Arizona, the high Himalayas and the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

A Chinese Long March 7 rocket launches the Tianzhou-2 cargo ship to the country's Tianhe module, the core of the new Tiangong space station, from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island on May 29, 2021.

China's hypersonic weapon test no cause for panic, experts say

By Mike Wall published

China's mysterious recent space-tech test is not a sign that the sky is falling.

NASA's Perseverance rover captured this shot of its surroundings on the floor of Jezero Crater on Oct. 22, 2021, using one of its navigation cameras. Mission team members posted the image on Twitter three days later.

Perseverance rover snaps stunning images of Mars after communications blackout

By Mike Wall published

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has emerged from its first "solar conjunction" blackout and gotten back to work on the Red Planet.

The fireball created by the dead Russian satellite Kosmos-2551 re-entering Earth’s atmosphere on Oct. 20, 2021, captured by Chris Johnson from Fort Gratiot Township, Michigan.

Failed Russian spy satellite falls to Earth in brilliant fireball (video)

By Mike Wall published

A failed Russian spy satellite crashed back to Earth early Wednesday morning (Oct. 20), burning up in a brilliant fireball spotted by many observers in the American Midwest.

Astra's Launch Vehicle 0006 slid sideways after launching on an orbital test mission on Aug. 28, 2021.

Astra knows what caused its rocket launch failure in August and will try again soon

By Mike Wall published

We now know what caused that memorable power slide during Astra's most recent launch.

Venus as seen by the Galileo spacecraft on Feb. 14, 1990. This image has been colorized with a blue hue to note cloud details.

Life on Venus may never have been possible

By Mike Wall published

Venus may not be such a tantalizing target for alien hunters after all.

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