The Shenlong, or «divine dragon,» space plane just deployed a mysterious payload above our planet. The top-secret spacecraft, which has never been properly photographed, has now released at least nine objects in low Earth orbit.

From the Andes to the steppes of Central Asia, great empires have waxed and waned. Can you match each territory to the culture that once ruled it?

Live Science spoke with Colin Domnauer, a PhD student in ethnobiology whose unraveling of a mushroom mystery could reveal a new hallucinogenic compound.

Euclid, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with NASA contributions, took a new look at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, seen in this image released on June 24, 2026. This observation overlaps with a region scientists will observe with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launching later this summer. This sneak peek gives […]

NASA selected 41 proposals from 37 companies to advance technologies in support of the agency’s goals to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and enable human exploration of Mars. These American companies, picked from NASA’s 2025 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO), will mature technologies creating solutions for space transportation, planetary surface operations, and lunar […]

A mission to raise the orbit of NASA’s Swift observatory is poised for launch June 30.

For NASA’s next generation of deep space exploration missions, spacecraft may need to refuel in Earth orbit before pushing farther into the solar system. Similar to how a gas pump needs a nozzle to fit your fuel tank, future spacecraft could require a special device in order to fill up prior to departure, known as […]

NASA has announced the top student-developed solutions for environmental control and life support systems in future crewed lunar landers from participants in the 2026 Human Lander Challenge. The announcement marks the culmination of months of research by university teams working to advance technologies supporting the agency’s Artemis program that will return American astronauts to the […]

A new quantum computing chip turns destructive noise into a programmable feature, helping scientists study signal loss and error correction to build more effective systems in the future.

Most proposed lithium mines in the U.S. overlap with drought-prone regions — including in Nevada, Arizona and California — and there may not be enough water to support them.

Marshy, sandy terrain and an impassable inlet helped colonial forces repel British forces during a pivotal battle on the barrier island near Charleston, South Carolina, on June 28, 1776.

NASA has selected Rocket Lab to provide the launch service for both the agency’s PolSIR (Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer) and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) missions. The two selections are part of NASA’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to award fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity launch […]

The Republic of Botswana signed the Artemis Accords Thursday during a ceremony hosted by NASA at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, becoming the sixth African nation to join a growing community of nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. “It is my privilege to welcome Botswana as the newest signatory of the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Deputy […]

NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will sign a memorandum of agreement during a ceremony at 1 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 29, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The agreement will create a new interagency initiative that directly responds to President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and supports the growth of the American space […]

On June 16, astronauts and cosmonauts gathered at Space Center Houston to share stories from their missions aboard the International Space Station and recognize the teamwork and people on the ground that made their missions possible.  The Expedition 73 Welcome Home Ceremony brought together members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10, Soyuz MS-27, and NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 missions. […]

Researchers show how future malware could use AI to make decisions that are traditionally handled by human hackers — but not all experts say we should panic.

Data from NASA’s Perseverance rover confirms the presence of macromolecular carbon on Mars – another potential piece of the puzzle in the search for life.

Tiny earthquakes that emerge in a strikingly linear pattern revealed the Yakutat microplate, which may be focusing volcano and earthquake activity.

IBM's NanoStack architecture has helped scientists cram 100 billion transistors onto a computer chip, delivering 50% better performance and consuming 70% less energy than the current generation.

Some Neanderthals living in northwestern Europe after 52,500 years ago were surprisingly diverse, suggesting that they didn't all go extinct due to inbreeding.

NASA’s Pegasus barge arrives at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Sunday, June 21, 2026.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently observed edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy.

Thousands of recordings of sperm whale communications in the Mediterranean Sea reveal that the population might be splitting into two groups with their own dialects.

By Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK Earth planning date: Thursday, June 18, 2026 In the area Curiosity is currently exploring, the science team has mapped several areas with different-looking surface texture on the orbital images. If you wanted to have a look yourself at what there is to […]

A new study updates the age of Earth's oldest known meteorite impact crater, the North Pole Dome crater, which scientists previously claimed was 3.47 billion years old.