Congress rejects President Trump’s deep NASA budget cuts, proposes $24.4 billion for the agency

Congress plans to allocate $24.4 billion to NASA for fiscal year 2026, nearly $6 billion more than President Trump had proposed.

‘Space particle’ slams into Spain’s new communications satellite high above Earth

Spain’s latest military communications satellite suffered a debris impact while headed to its orbital destination. The extent of the damage is still unknown.

Trump administration censures former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ video

The Department of Defense is taking administrative action against former NASA astronaut and current U.S. Senator Mark Kelly over remarks he made in a 90-second video in November.

How did life begin on Earth? New experiments support ‘RNA world’ hypothesis

The new findings strengthen the “RNA world” hypothesis that describes how the first life on Earth could have used RNA instead of DNA.

SpaceX launches 1st Starlink satellites of 2026 on new Falcon 9 rocket (video)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.

The risk of falling space junk hitting airplanes is on the rise, experts warn

Space debris falling to Earth is a growing threat to aircraft, and experts are trying to reduce the risk.

The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth orbit satellites

But as more and more satellites are launched into LEO…the region’s getting a bit crowded.

Live long and loiter: Why NASA’s ESCAPADE probes will wait a year in space before heading to Mars

NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars probes embarked on a ‘loiter’ trajectory after launch, and scientists say that extra time in space could have some consequences for the twin spacecraft.

Can scientists detect life without knowing what it looks like? Research using machine learning offers a new way

If nonliving materials can produce rich, organized mixtures of organic molecules, then the traditional signs we use to recognize biology may no longer be enough.

SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit on the 1st mission of 2026 (video)

SpaceX launched the first mission of 2026 tonight (Jan. 2), sending an Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit.