The dawn is breaking on a new era of space exploration, with moon bases and Mars colonies potentially only decades away. Live Science tracks the researchers, companies and countries setting their sights on the stars to bring you the biggest stories in space. Whether it's reporting on concerns that alien organisms could hitch a ride on our spacecraft and contaminate Earth, explaining what 11 billion people means for space travel, sharing a glorious photo of Earth during a total solar eclipse snapped by Japan's lunar lander, or compiling a list of the weirdest things we have launched into space, our expert writers and editors will ignite your sense of interstellar adventure with the latest space exploration news, features and articles.
Discover more about space exploration
—Here's every spaceship that's ever carried an astronaut into orbit
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'There are 4 people in those pixels': Earth-based telescope snapped Artemis II crew orbiting the moonA blurry new photo captured by the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia shows Artemis II's Orion capsule circling the moon more than 200,000 miles away, making it a candidate for the longest-distance image of humans ever taken from Earth.
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SpaceX prepares to launch next-generation Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever builtStarship V3's maiden spaceflight is scheduled for next week as SpaceX prepares to launch the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built.
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A SpaceX rocket is going to hit the moonPart of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is likely to crash into the moon this summer, a new report finds. It poses no danger, but it does highlight a worrying trend.
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NASA shares 12,000 new Artemis II photosNASA just uploaded more than 12,000 photos snapped by the Artemis II crew during their record-breaking flyby around the moon. Here are some of the most inspiring ones.
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Can NASA and SpaceX really build a moon base in the next 10 years?Experts say building a lunar colony within the next decade, as NASA and Elon Musk want to, will require finding solutions to problems we don't yet fully understand.
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NASA rover uncovers rock with 7 new organic molecules on Mars — the 'most diverse collection' ever seenNASA Curiosity rover uncovers rock with 7 new organic molecules on Mars
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'A measurable, enormous global impact': Astronaut Chris Hadfield on why the true power of Artemis II could take decades to hitInterview Astronaut Chris Hadfield shares his emotional response to the Artemis II mission, and why it could change the course of people's futures.
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Artemis II heat shield aced its blistering reentry, ghostly underwater photo revealsThe Orion heat shield used for the Artemis II mission held up perfectly, early photos and a NASA assessment reveal.
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Artemis moon landing could face long delay while NASA waits for next-generation spacesuitsDelays in next-generation spacesuits could push back Artemis moon landings to 2031, an audit by the NASA Office of Inspector General claims.
