NASA has confirmed that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, are finally set to return to Earth. The two astronauts initially embarked on a 10-day mission but remained in space far longer than planned due to propulsion malfunctions in their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The much-anticipated return journey will now be carried out using the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which successfully docked a

Washington, DC: After an unexpected 10-month extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally set to return to Earth. NASA officials have confirmed that the duo will be brought back as early as March 16 aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 spacecraft following the successful launch of Crew-10 this week.   Delayed Return After Boeing Starliner Malfunction Williams and Wilmore

India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has made groundbreaking discoveries about the presence of lunar ice, indicating that frozen water deposits may be more abundant and accessible than previously believed.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully landed Chandrayaan-3 near the Moon's South Pole on August 23, 2023, marking a significant achievement in lunar exploration. New data from the mission has provided crucial insights into temperature variations that affect ice format

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is on track to achieve a historic landing on the Moon, marking a significant milestone in NASA’s lunar exploration efforts. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Blue Ghost will play a key role in gathering scientific data to support future lunar missions under the Artemis program.The spacecraft has been steadily lowering its orbit around the Moon, performing a crucial engine burn to reduce its altitud

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is concluding her extended space mission after spending over eight months in space. Williams, along with fellow astronaut Butch Willmore, shared details about the upcoming Crew-10 mission in an exclusive conversation with CNN. The mission will launch from Earth on March 12 and dock with the International Space Station (ISS), where the astronauts will conduct their duties before handing over responsibilities to a new Space Station Commander. Williams, who is curr

On the eve of Republic Day, Wing Commander Akshay Saxena of the Indian Air Force was conferred the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for his remarkable leadership and courage during a high-stakes mission off the Somali coast. The operation, which took place on March 16, 2024, involved rescuing 17 crew members from the MV Ruen, a merchant ship that had been seized by pirates. The pirates had previously attacked merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea and even fired at the Indian Navy’s INS Kolkata

The Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world, was captured in stunning detail from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared breathtaking images of the event on Sunday, which showed the illuminated banks of the Ganga, reflecting the vibrant energy of the religious congregation. The images revealed the vast scale of the gathering, with radiant lights from the devotees creating a majestic spectacle visible from space. Pettit, an Ameri

ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) has successfully completed the integration of the liquid propulsion system for the Crew Module of Gaganyaan, India's first human spaceflight mission. On January 21, 2025, ISRO dispatched the Crew Module to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota for further processing and integration. This uncrewed mission, known as Gaganyaan (G1), is a crucial step in ISRO's efforts to acquire human spaceflight capabilities. The Crew

Janet Petro has been appointed as the acting administrator of NASA, making history as the first woman to hold the position since the agency’s founding in 1958. This appointment comes after President Donald Trump took office, with Petro replacing Bill Nelson, the 14th NASA administrator. In her new role, Petro is responsible for overseeing NASA’s budget, programs, and operations until the U.S. Senate confirms a new administrator. Notably, Trump had nominated entrepreneur

NASA is preparing to launch the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) to the moon to gather groundbreaking data on Earth’s magnetosphere. LEXI will capture high-resolution images of the magnetosphere's movements, offering crucial insights into how it reacts to solar wind and space weather conditions. This mission is designed to enhance our understanding of space weather, which impacts satellites, electronics, and infrastructure on Earth. The LEXI instrument wi

A groundbreaking new theory suggests that Pluto's moon Charon may have been captured in a "kiss and capture" scenario billions of years ago, offering a fresh perspective on the formation of planetary systems. Led by NASA postdoctoral fellow Adeene Denton at the U of A Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, this study challenges long-standing models of moon formation. Instead of the traditional collision model, the researchers propose that Pluto and Charon had a brief, icy encounter, wh

NASA has announced delays to its Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon. The first crewed lunar mission, Artemis 2, will now take place in April 2026, pushed back from its original launch window in September 2025. The second mission, Artemis 3, which seeks to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, has been rescheduled from late 2026 to mid-2027. The delays, revealed on December 5, are attributed to technical issues discovered during the Ar

NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which orbited asteroid Vesta in 2012, captured images of enigmatic gullies on the asteroid's surface, prompting scientists to investigate their origins. A recent study published in the Planetary Science Journal explores the possibility that these gullies were formed by brief liquid flows involving briny water. Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) simulated conditions similar to Vesta's surface using the Dirty Under-vacuum Simul

NASA has announced that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June, will remain in space at least until late March 2025. Originally, they were meant to spend just eight days aboard the ISS, but due to issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft's propulsion system, their mission was altered. After Starliner faced difficulties, NASA decided to send the astronauts back with the Crew-9 mission, which arrived in S

Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan, is currently in Delhi, where he is holding important discussions with union ministers. One of the highlights of his tour was a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in Parliament. This was the first official meeting between Pawan Kalyan and PM Modi since Pawan assumed office as Deputy CM. The primary topic of their discussion was the disbursement of central funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission program in Andhr

NASA is pioneering new frontiers in space exploration with the development of tiny underwater robots through the Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers (SWIM) project. These innovative robots are designed to explore extraterrestrial oceans, beginning with the icy waters beneath Jupiter's moon, Europa. SWIM robots were recently tested in a Caltech swimming pool, demonstrating their ability to navigate autonomously. The SWIM project is an integral part of NASA's broader strat

A groundbreaking study using data from NASA and German satellites has revealed a concerning and persistent decline in Earth's freshwater reserves since May 2014. The findings, published in Surveys in Geophysics, highlight a significant reduction in the amount of freshwater stored on land, including in lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers. This shift, tracked by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, suggests a transition towards drier conditions across co

A powerful solar flare, classified as an X2.3 flare, disrupted radio communications over parts of the Atlantic Ocean, South America, and Africa on November 6, 2024. The event, which took place at 8:40 am ET, caused a shortwave radio blackout, highlighting the significant impact solar flares can have on global communications. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which constantly monitors solar activity, captured images of the flare. Solar flares are intense bursts of energy

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is about to make its final gravity assist flyby of Venus on November 6, 2024, a key maneuver that will adjust its trajectory as it sets course for the closest-ever approach to the Sun. After this flyby, Parker will come within just 3.86 million miles of the Sun on December 24, 2024, breaking records and allowing scientists to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) and solar wind at unprecedented proximity. The Parker Solar Probe, which laun

For astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the beauty of sunrise and sunset is not a once-a-day event; instead, they experience this breathtaking spectacle up to 16 times in a single Earth day. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently on the ISS, knows this phenomenon well. During a 2013 event at the University of Gujarat, she reflected on her unique experience of witnessing 16 sunrises and sunsets while orbiting the Earth in a fast-moving shuttle. Due to delays i