Questions linger over whether the explosion of the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will affect the Artemis III mission.
Nasa names its next Artemis crew, though they will not be walking on the Moon or even going anywhere near it.
Nasa on Tuesday revealed the crew for its Artemis III mission, the next step in the space agency’s plan to eventually land astronauts on the moon. The announcement came two months after Artemis II’s record-breaking trip around the moon, which surpassed the distance record of Apollo 13. Nasa’s Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano won’t fly to the moon or land on the surface. Instead, they will orbit Earth while practising docking their Orion...
China has given Russia some of the first soil samples collected on the far side of the moon by the Chang’e-6 lunar lander. On June 3, 1.5 grams (0.05 ounces) of lunar soil collected during the mission were handed over to the Planetary Physics Department of the Russian Space Research Institute. “The transfer of the soil samples took place as part of the development of cooperation in space science and lunar exploration between Russia and China,” the institute said. “Researchers will study the...
This occurrence of aurora australis, or Southern Lights, was captured by NASA astronaut Jessica Meir.
Construction on the Tibetan plateau of some of the Earth’s most powerful optical telescopes is putting China on track to house the world’s biggest astronomy base by the mid-2030s, according to project scientists. Deng Licai, lead scientist for site planning at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) in Beijing, said the telescopes at Saishiteng Mountain in northwestern Qinghai province would stretch between 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) and 14.5 metres across, and partner with dozens of...
Isro scientist Nandini Harinath wore the sari on the "single most critical day" of India's Mars mission.
A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station prompted five astronauts to take shelter and prepare for evacuation for roughly two hours on Friday as Russia attempted to fix a crack on its portion of the orbital laboratory, Nasa said. The four astronauts of Nasa’s Crew-12 mission aboard the station – two Americans, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut – along with another US astronaut were ordered by Nasa mission control at 9.04am on Friday to enter their SpaceX-built Crew...
Russian attempt to repair tunnel area sparks safe-haven procedure for five other astronauts onboard.
NASA says four astronauts sheltering in transport capsule out of 'abundance of caution' as Roscosmos makes repairs.
China is ramping up its bets on space-based artificial intelligence computing with the launch of a state-backed research institute in Beijing, accelerating a frontier tech race with the US just as Elon Musk’s SpaceX eyes a record-shattering US$75 billion market debut to fund its own orbital AI ambitions. The establishment of the Beijing Space Intelligent Computing Research Institute marks a major step in the superpowers’ AI rivalry, which is increasingly extending beyond Earth as terrestrial AI...
At SPIEF 2026, Nara Lokesh pitches Andhra Pradesh’s spaceport, Space Policy 4.0 and a planned $4-billion space ecosystem to Russian investors
A Chinese scientist behind China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System rejects the “goddess” label, asserting that research transcends gender. Xu Ying, 43, hails from Sichuan province in southwestern China, born to a maths teacher mother and an agricultural technician father. As a gifted child with a passion for physics and mathematics, Xu began primary school at the age of four, entered university at 16 to pursue communications engineering, and consistently ranked at the top of her class each...
The group leading the charge in the search for extraterrestrial life has given the all-clear: an interstellar comet looks to be completely natural and free of any alien tech. The SETI Institute said Wednesday that extensive radio scans by its telescope in Northern California found no signs of otherworldly technology from our solar system’s latest interstellar visitor. The object labelled 3I/ATLAS was discovered last summer sweeping through our neck of the cosmic woods. Scientists quickly...
Becoming an astronaut and exploring space has been the dream of generations of young people and Hong Kong has welcomed this pioneering moment. Dr Lai Ka-Ying, who studied computer science at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has become the first astronaut from Hong Kong, and the fourth female astronaut from China, to journey into space. As a payload specialist, she will operate the observatory designed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to track greenhouse gas...
Blue Origin’s latest rocket test didn’t just end in a fireball — it may have burned a hole in NASA’s timeline.
As Hong Kong sent its first astronaut into space, leading industry experts at the Global Prosperity Summit 2026 (GPS 2026) said the city was well positioned to be a facilitator of aerospace development by tapping into emerging opportunities in the aerospace economy and contributing its professional services expertise to this burgeoning field. Just days before it was announced that Hong Kong’s Lai Ka-ying would join the Shenzhou-23 mission to China’s Tiangong space station, experts who spoke at...
For decades, Asia’s ambitions in outer space were closely associated with scientific discovery, technological prestige and national symbolism. Space programmes were designed to demonstrate engineering capability, economic modernisation and geopolitical influence. Today, outer space is undergoing a deeper transformation. It is no longer viewed merely as a frontier for exploration; increasingly, it is seen as a strategic domain tied to sovereignty, economic security and geopolitical...
If the Ganganyaan mission is successful, India will be only the fourth nation in the world to have shown a capability of doing manned space missions, after the U.S., Russia, and China
The rare blue boon returns after nearly three years, coinciding with a micromoon. Find out when it will be visible in India
The excitement around SpaceX, fuelled by the targeted US$1.8 trillion valuation for its initial public offering and its promising Starship rocket development, has revived a familiar claim: that SpaceX is on course to dominate the space market. Commercially, that view is understandable. SpaceX conducts more space launches than anyone and at very competitive costs, its Starlink satellite internet company provides strong in-house demand, and it has a scale advantage unmatched by any other private...
Hong Kong could welcome the astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 mission, including the city’s history-making payload specialist, as early as the first half of next year, the technology chief has said. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong also said on Sunday that the government would establish a new space manufacturing research centre under InnoHK by this year, focusing on using 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI) to support future space development. “I hope that after...
Science correspondent Pallab Ghosh explains why the explosion is a setback for space exploration.
The Shenzhou-21 astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after staying in Tiangong space station for more than 200 days, establishing the record for longest on-orbit stay by a Chinese crew. The trio touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region at around 8.11pm aboard the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Their stay was extended by one month after their probe was used in an emergency mission for the previous crew to return home last...
Explosion of Blue Origin rocket is a setback for the company and for Nasa's Moon plans.
A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin exploded during a test at the Florida launch pad Thursday night.
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Concerns mount in China’s space sector that Musk’s Starship will be a failure There are growing doubts within China’s space sector that Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket being developed by SpaceX in the United States, will...
This article is part of Space Wrap, a round-up of space news and developments in and related to India every month
The incident is the latest setback for Jeff Bezos’s space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday night.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket dramatically exploded on the launch pad during a test on Thursday, in a setback for Jeff Bezos’ space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Video posted by NASASpaceflight, a YouTube channel that live-streams launches from Florida, showed the New Glenn igniting on the pad before erupting into a massive fireball that billowed skyward, sending a towering plume of flames and smoke into the air. Blue Origin said it had experienced an...
A partnership between Japan Airlines and a space start-up marks the first step for the carrier to explore diversification beyond Earth-bound aviation, potentially boosting Japan’s ambition to expand its footprint on the moon. The airline is teaming up with ispace to transport items of “precious cultural heritage and human activities” via a lander craft to the moon and protect them from the effects of climate change, natural disasters and conflict on Earth. “In the rapidly changing world, there...
Speaking at the launch of Mission STRATO-XI, a near-space technology demonstration conducted at IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada, Ram Mohan Naidu describes the event as a landmark achievement
Beijing has hailed the inclusion of Hong Kong’s first astronaut in the Shenzhou-23 mission as the “fruitful result” of the “one country, two systems” framework, while expressing hope that more young people from the city will be inspired to contribute to the country’s technological development. At a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning described the successful launch of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and the arrival of Hong Kong payload specialist Lai...
Lai Ka-ying’s selection as Hong Kong’s first astronaut has sparked a more than threefold surge in aerospace and satellite-design course inquiries at a learning centre, while industry leaders have called for sites to be refitted as immersive education facilities. Lai, a police superintendent who has also become China’s first female payload specialist, made her historic journey into space on Sunday with the launch of the Shenzhou-23 mission. Jeffrey Ho, CEO of Star Club Scientist Education, said...
Nasa is already ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling moon base, less than two months after the Artemis II’s record-breaking lunar fly-around. The space agency outlined the first phase of its moon base plans on Tuesday, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four US companies. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface, at a spot near the moon’s south pole. These so-called lunar terrain vehicles will be...
Nasa plans to send hopping drones and roving vehicles to the Moon as part of plans for a permanent Moon base.
There are growing doubts within China’s space sector that Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket being developed by SpaceX in the United States, will ever overcome its engineering and financial challenges and deliver for founder and CEO Elon Musk. Starship’s latest flight on Friday – weeks before the company’s expected initial public offering (IPO) – was described as “mostly successful” by the company after engine failures occurred in both the first and second stages. After the first stage...
This breakthrough by the team from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Gauhati University, and INAF-Catania Astrophysical Observatory, Italy, could reshape astronomers’ understanding of how stars evolve
Hong Kong should harness the excitement sparked by the city’s first astronaut to set up a dedicated office to foster local aerospace technology and development, experts and a top government adviser have said. Professor Zhang Peng, programme leader for aerospace engineering at City University, urged the government to expand funding for programmes, create dedicated internships and establish a local aerospace technology hub to build on the momentum from Sunday’s historic flight involving home-grown...
Leaving her family behind is the toughest part for Hong Kong’s first astronaut as she blasted off on Sunday for her six-month mission, according to her elder sister. Lai Ka-man recalled that when her sister, 43-year-old Hong Kong police superintendent Lai Ka-ying, was selected as a payload specialist in 2024, Ka-ying’s three children were still in primary school. They were now being cared for by both sets of grandparents and other family members. “When I saw my sister recently, I saw in her eyes...
The 43-year-old police officer and mother of three serves as the team's payload scientist.
China’s Shenzhou-23 astronauts blast off on space station mission.
As the race to send humans back to the moon heats up, China has been fine-tuning its plans. On Saturday – the day after the US company SpaceX successfully launched its largest and most powerful Starship – the China Manned Space Agency unveiled further details about its plans to integrate its crewed and uncrewed lunar landing programmes into a single mission. The purpose was “to fully leverage the technical foundations and practical experience accumulated over decades through crewed space...
China’s latest space mission, which includes Hong Kong’s first astronaut, lifted off on Sunday night. The Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China’s Gansu province at 11.08pm local time on Sunday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The rocket left the launchpad with a deafening blast and sent massive clouds of sand high up into the sky. Mission control declared the launch a success about 20...
Hongkongers gathered to witness the historic launch of the Shenzhou-23 mission hailed the city’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, as an “immense encouragement” as they watched the send-off ceremony for the crew in Jiuquan on Sunday night. Astronauts Lai, Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan were met with cheers at the Wentian Pavilion in China’s Dongfeng Aerospace City in Gansu province before they headed to the launch site in the Gobi Desert. Lai, a 43-year-old police superintendent and a mother of...
Hong Kong’s leader has sent his blessings to the first local astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, in a video call ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-23 space flight on Sunday, calling her participation in the mission a reflection of the country’s trust and support for the city. Payload specialist Lai, in response, recalled her packed, tough training in Beijing, which had “finally come to an end”, while expressing confidence that she would complete her space mission. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on...
Lai Ka-ying suffers from motion sickness, cannot stand hot weather, was not a top student and did not speak Mandarin – all of which made the 43-year-old mother of three an unlikely pick as Hong Kong’s first astronaut. But the Hong Kong-born payload specialist on China’s Shenzhou-23 mission, which is expected to blast off on Sunday night and head to the Tiangong space station, made it through almost two years of training. “I held a ‘let’s give it a try’ attitude,” Lai said in interviews with...
Hong Kong’s first astronaut will operate a locally developed observatory that monitors key sources of greenhouse gas emissions on Earth during her time aboard the Tiangong space station, the research team behind the project has said. The imaging equipment could pinpoint the location and intensity of emissions, providing data that could be used to reduce carbon sources in the Greater Bay Area and elsewhere in mainland China, Professor Li Jia of Lingnan University said on Saturday. Payload...
The unprecedented participation of a Hong Kong researcher in the nation’s space flight mission is testament to the country’s high regard for the city’s innovation and technology talent and accomplishments, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said. Lee congratulated payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, who is also a police superintendent, after she was named on Saturday morning as one of three astronauts who will take the Shenzhou-23 space flight to China’s Tiangong space station on Sunday...
Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully launched its Starship V3 rocket, which landed in a planned fiery explosion on Friday.
If you are working on a space station orbiting hundreds of kilometres above the Earth, the woman set to become Hong Kong’s first astronaut when the mission launches this weekend is exactly the type of person you want by your side, according to the professor who supervised her postgraduate studies. Lai Ka-ying was meticulous, patient and a skilled communicator who could break down highly technical ideas for others, Chow Kam-pui, an honorary associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, told...
The first attempted launch on Thursday was postponed due to a malfunctioning hydraulic pin in the launch tower.
Hong Kong will send its first astronaut to the Tiangong space station, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday. Lai Ka-ying, a police chief inspector and tech expert with a doctorate in computer science, will join the Shenzhou-23 mission as a payload specialist. She will become the fourth female astronaut to enter the Chinese space station. The Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft is targeting a launch at 23:08 tomorrow. According to the agency, she will work alongside astronauts Zhu...
In 1957, the Soviet Union kicked off the Cold War’s space race, shocking the world by sending Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, into orbit. Four years later, it did the same to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, making him the first human in space. In 1969, the US provided another image that defined the era: Neil Armstrong leaving the Eagle lunar lander and planting the American flag on the moon, declaring it “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” For the two superpowers, the...
Scientists are attempting to build exercise equipment to be used on future space flights.
SpaceX launched its biggest, most powerful Starship yet on a test flight Friday, an upgraded version that Nasa is counting on to land astronauts on the moon. The redesigned mega rocket made its debut two days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced he was taking the company public. It blasted off from the southern tip of Texas, carrying 20 mock Starlink satellites for release halfway around the world. It is the 12th test flight of the rocket that Musk is building to get people to Mars one day. But...
It comes just a day after the firm revealed plans for a record-breaking stock market debut.
China and Europe on Tuesday launched their first jointly developed satellite, a space mission that will explore the precise mechanism of the Earth’s defence against solar wind. The successful collaboration on the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) comes as Beijing and Brussels are locked in escalating trade and geopolitical tensions, largely driven by the European Union’s massive trade deficit with China. The satellite has been jointly designed and developed by the Chinese...
Chinese researchers have built a wireless power transmission system capable of beaming kilowatt-level energy to multiple moving targets simultaneously, potentially a major step towards building space-based solar power stations. The team completed a groundbreaking full-chain ground verification platform for such a system in 2022 and have now successfully tested the ability to beam power to multiple moving targets simultaneously. Built around a 75-metre (245-foot) tower at Xidian University in...
The nine Indian space-tech companies include Astrogate Labs, Astrobase Space Technologies, VyomIC, Suhora, Kepler Aerospace Ltd, Hyspace Technologies, TakeMe2Space, Jarbits Pvt Ltd and Dhruva Space.
Beijing joins Mars club after ‘nine minutes of terror’ By William Zheng This article was first published on May 16, 2021 After seven months of space travel, three months in orbit and “nine minutes of terror”, China has become the third country in the world to safely land a rover on Mars. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said its rover Zhu Rong – named after the Chinese god of fire and war – successfully landed on Mars yesterday after “nine minutes of terror”, referring...
A stray Falcon 9 rocket part is on course to slam into the moon in August. The expected impact poses no immediate danger, experts say, but warn that it highlights a critical lack of rules for managing debris as lunar activity by the US, China and private companies ramps up. Measuring 13.8 metres (45 feet) long and 3.7 metres wide, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage has been drifting through Earth-moon space since it launched a US commercial lander and a Japanese lander in January last...
China has sent artificial embryos to its space station to study whether humans could reproduce in zero gravity. The experiment was reported on Tuesday by state broadcaster CCTV. Project leader Yu Leqian said the main goal was to study the impact of gravity – and its absence – on early development, in preparation for eventual human settlement off Earth. Once the impact of the force on embryos was understood, scientists could develop interventions to control its effect, he told CCTV. Yu is a...
In the sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem, humans build “gravitational wave antennas” to broadcast to the cosmos. Now, Chinese scientists have made a step forward in turning that idea into hardware – only in reverse. Science and Technology Daily reported on Saturday that a team from the Institute of Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences had developed the optical core of a giant space detector to listen to the universe. The detector is part of a space-based gravitational wave project...