Spacecraft

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, owes his superstar success to self-satisfied competitors who blew obvious opportunities

NASA flight engineer Matthew Dominick’s astrophotography helps us see our world—from space.

The world’s first commercial space walk, performed by billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, tested new technology and was practically flawless

Starliner’s first crewed test flight has concluded with a successful touchdown—and two astronauts still in orbit awaiting a different ride home

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched to the International Space Station in June and expected eight days in space. Now these stranded astronauts finally have a ride home

The Polaris Dawn mission—a partnership between SpaceX and billionaire Jared Isaacman—will soar to historic heights and attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk

Paralympian and surgeon John McFall is redefining the astronaut image and proving that space travel is achievable for people with physical disabilities

Science in meter and verse

The space junk polluting low-Earth orbit sometimes makes its way to Earth. Here’s how one astronomer responded when SpaceX debris fell on a nearby farm.

We cover the science stories of the Olympics, concerns about artificial sweeteners and a new theory of how the pyramids were built in this week’s news roundup.

Reports of Earth-orbiting astronauts glimpsing the Great Wall of China and many other artificial structures are wildly exaggerated, but humanity’s planetary influence isn’t entirely invisible from afar

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stuck on the ISS since they launched to the station in early June. Now the space agency is close to deciding how to bring them back