https://www.scmp.com/rss/520902/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Still marvelling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home on Saturday from hundreds who took part in Nasa’s lunar comeback that set a record for deep space travel. The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego where they splashed down just offshore the evening before. After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, the astronauts took the hangar stage, surrounded by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349765/over-moon-artemis-ii-astronauts-make-emotional-homecoming-after-record-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349765/over-moon-artemis-ii-astronauts-make-emotional-homecoming-after-record-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:20:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew streaked through Earth’s ⁠atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after nearly 10 days in space, capping the first voyage by humans to the vicinity of the moon in over half a century. Nasa’s gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, parachuted gently into the sea off the Southern California coast shortly after 5pm, concluding a mission that took the astronauts deeper into space than anyone had flown before. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349718/watch-artemis-ii-astronauts-hurtle-home-moon-towards-splashdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349718/watch-artemis-ii-astronauts-hurtle-home-moon-towards-splashdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:09:41 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial In an ideal world, China and the United States, the two pre-eminent spacefaring nations, would cooperate to explore humanity’s final frontier. In the real world, though, the two countries have started a new space race just as they compete in everything else. That’s one reason why Nasa’s latest Artemis mission to the moon has gained worldwide attention, not least from China’s space science community. While both sides are trying to beat the other to return humans to the moon, the stakes are even... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3349475/new-space-race-should-be-recognised-marathon-not-sprint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3349475/new-space-race-should-be-recognised-marathon-not-sprint?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji As Nasa’s Artemis II crew loops around the moon, the mission involving four astronauts from the US and Canada is set to reignite India’s ambition to grow its space sector and launch future lunar missions. The Orion spacecraft used in the Artemis II mission reached a maximum distance of 406,780km (252,760 miles) from Earth, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The close approach to the moon was the climax of the mission launched on April 1, with the astronauts scheduled to return to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349387/indias-space-ambition-set-soar-after-artemis-ii-moon-missions-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349387/indias-space-ambition-set-soar-after-artemis-ii-moon-missions-success?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:00:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Artemis II astronauts were jetting towards Earth and sharing their lunar fly-by souvenirs on Tuesday, delighting colleagues both at home and in space with captivating tales of their historic journey. Of note was their stunning shot of an Earthset, the moment when Earth drops below the rugged lunar horizon. The image was a deliberate nod to the iconic Earthrise image taken during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, a shot that helped capture the public’s imagination as humans travelled around the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349308/nasas-artemis-crew-snaps-historic-earthset-photo-way-home-moon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349308/nasas-artemis-crew-snaps-historic-earthset-photo-way-home-moon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:00:45 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nasa’s four Artemis astronauts swung behind the moon and were headed back to Earth, in a journey that shattered space travel distance records and brought people the closest they have been to the lunar surface in more than 50 years. “All of your flight controllers and your flight director have flipped their Artemis II patches around. We are Earth-bound and ready to bring you home,” Jenni Gibbons, a Canadian space agency astronaut and backup crew member for Artemis II, told the astronauts as they... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349192/nasa-artemis-ii-astronauts-fly-moons-far-side?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349192/nasa-artemis-ii-astronauts-fly-moons-far-side?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:55:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again. The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where Nasa’s Apollo programme left off. “The Earth is quite small, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/science-technology/article/3349061/us-artemis-iis-moon-trip-faces-challenging-toilet-mission-again-over-flushing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/science-technology/article/3349061/us-artemis-iis-moon-trip-faces-challenging-toilet-mission-again-over-flushing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 03:49:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse They are sipping smoothies, snapping phone pics, dealing with crashed email and fixing broken toilets: astronauts, they are just like us. The four crew members zipping through space towards the moon are carrying out a mission unlike any before it, but they are also still muddling on through life’s mundanities – all while they float around together in a square footage equivalent to two minivans. Mission specialist Christina Koch, the first woman to venture into deep space, said preparing for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349013/space-plumber-rescue-artemis-astronauts-navigate-life-aboard-orion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349013/space-plumber-rescue-artemis-astronauts-navigate-life-aboard-orion?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 02:40:03 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon. Nasa released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1½ days into the first astronaut moon shot in more than half a century. The first photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds As of midmorning on Friday, Wiseman and his crew... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349005/artemis-iis-moon-bound-astronauts-share-first-images-earths-brilliant-blue-beauty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349005/artemis-iis-moon-bound-astronauts-share-first-images-earths-brilliant-blue-beauty?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:33:26 +0000 Joshua Hendren Joshua Hendren Any discussion of watches in space inevitably begins with Omega. The brand’s Speedmaster, launched in 1957 and one of the most legendary and collectible watch models in the world, boasts an association with Nasa that dates back to the mid-1960s, when the iconic chronograph was subjected to a punishing series of tests and subsequently selected as official flight-qualified equipment for all manned missions. Sixty years on from that qualification, the Speedmaster’s role in space remains the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3348375/space-watches-redefined-new-era-exploration-omega-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3348375/space-watches-redefined-new-era-exploration-omega-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four Artemis astronauts were zooming towards the moon on Thursday after a major engine firing, a milestone that commits Nasa to the first crewed lunar fly-by in more than half a century. With enough thrust to accelerate a stationary car to highway driving speed in less than three seconds, the Orion capsule engine blasted the astronauts on their trajectory towards the moon, which they now will loop as part of the 10-day Artemis II mission. “Human beings have left Earth orbit” for the first time... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348862/nasas-artemis-crew-gets-green-light-make-big-push-moon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348862/nasas-artemis-crew-gets-green-light-make-big-push-moon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:52:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Four astronauts blasted off from ⁠Florida on Wednesday on Nasa’s Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States’ boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China. Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped with its Orion crew capsule, roared to life just before sunset at the agency’s Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying its debut crew - three US astronauts and a Canadian astronaut... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348724/historic-artemis-ii-moon-mission-lifts-amid-us-lunar-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348724/historic-artemis-ii-moon-mission-lifts-amid-us-lunar-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:41:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Nasa began the countdown on Monday for humanity’s first launch to the moon in 53 years. The 32-storey Space Launch System rocket is poised to blast-off on Wednesday evening with four astronauts. After a day in orbit around Earth, the Orion capsule will propel the astronauts to the moon and back. There are no stops – just a quick U-turn around the moon. The nearly 10-day flight will end with a splashdown in the Pacific. Managers said the rocket is doing well following the latest round of repairs.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348459/nasa-begins-countdown-humanitys-first-launch-moon-53-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348459/nasa-begins-countdown-humanitys-first-launch-moon-53-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:36:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The astronaut who prompted Nasa’s first medical evacuation earlier this year said on Friday that doctors still do not know why he suddenly fell sick at the International Space Station. Four-time space flier Mike Fincke said he was eating dinner on January 7 after prepping for a spacewalk the next day when it happened. He could not talk and remembers no pain, but his anxious crewmates jumped into action after seeing him in distress and requested help from flight surgeons on the ground. “It was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348216/us-astronaut-says-illness-cut-short-space-mission-made-him-unable-talk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348216/us-astronaut-says-illness-cut-short-space-mission-made-him-unable-talk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 18:51:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Scientists have used a tiny plastic “obstacle course” to test how much sperm would struggle to navigate during sex in the weightlessness of space. Some particularly resilient sperm still made it through the course, suggesting that conceiving children in space will still be possible, according to research published on Thursday. However, a bigger problem could be that the development of embryos after fertilisation was harmed by a lack of gravity, the Australian team of researchers found. With... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3348051/sex-space-sperm-struggles-navigate-without-gravity-scientists-find?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3348051/sex-space-sperm-struggles-navigate-without-gravity-scientists-find?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:45:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nasa announced on Tuesday it ⁠has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and ⁠would instead use components from the project to build a US$20 billion base on the moon’s surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars. US space agency chief Jared Isaacman, an appointee of US President Donald Trump who took charge at Nasa in December, announced an unprecedented array of changes to the Artemis moon programme that would expand humanity’s footprint in space,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347793/nasa-abandons-orbital-lunar-station-plans-moon-base-and-nuclear-spacecraft?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347793/nasa-abandons-orbital-lunar-station-plans-moon-base-and-nuclear-spacecraft?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 03:54:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Nasa cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs. The 98-metre (322-foot) rocket will roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, leading to a launch attempt as early as April 1. It will mark humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than 50 years. The timing is interesting. From the end of March, US President Donald Trump is slated to visit China and meet with President Xi... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346456/nasa-clears-artemis-moon-rocket-april-launch-4-astronauts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346456/nasa-clears-artemis-moon-rocket-april-launch-4-astronauts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 05:24:02 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Scientists in China and Germany have identified four possible landing sites for China’s first crewed mission to the moon in an area that has also been of interest to Nasa. The Rimae Bode region on the lunar nearside is favoured for its diverse geological samples, including volcanic debris, for studying lunar volcanism and its relatively flat ground for safe astronaut access. “Rimae Bode lies in an easily accessible, low-latitude, nearside location with generally flat, traversable terrain,” they... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346056/chinas-2030-moon-landing-scientists-suggest-site-has-long-been-nasas-radar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346056/chinas-2030-moon-landing-scientists-suggest-site-has-long-been-nasas-radar?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nasa is shaking up its Artemis mission to the moon, cancelling a multibillion-dollar Boeing upgrade to the centrepiece SLS rocket and slotting in a test flight closer to Earth as the programme remains beset by delays and cost overruns. The changes announced on Friday mean that Nasa is essentially swapping the actual moon landing for an additional test mission staged closer to Earth – while insisting the 2028 deadline for a lunar touchdown remains unchanged. Artemis III, which was supposed to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344936/nasa-overhauls-artemis-mission-amid-setbacks-moon-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344936/nasa-overhauls-artemis-mission-amid-setbacks-moon-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:18:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Nasa’s new moon rocket suffered another setback on Saturday, almost certain to bump astronauts’ first lunar trip in decades into spring. The space agency revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for the Artemis II mission, humanity’s first flight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, officials said. Solid helium flow is essential for purging the engines and pressurising the fuel tanks. This... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344230/nasa-moon-rocket-hit-new-problem-putting-march-launch-astronauts-jeopardy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344230/nasa-moon-rocket-hit-new-problem-putting-march-launch-astronauts-jeopardy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:20:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Nasa aims to send astronauts to the moon in March after completing the latest rocket fuelling test. Administrator Jared Isaacman said on Friday that launch teams made “major progress” between the first countdown rehearsal, which was disrupted by hydrogen leaks earlier this month, and the second test, which was completed without significant seepage on Thursday night. The test was “a big step towards America’s return to the lunar environment”, Isaacman said on social media. Nasa could launch four... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344184/nasa-aims-send-astronauts-moon-march-after-successful-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344184/nasa-aims-send-astronauts-moon-march-after-successful-test?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:24:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nasa on Thursday blamed what it called engineering vulnerabilities in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft along with internal agency mistakes in a sharply critical report assessing a botched mission that left two astronauts stranded in space. The US space agency labelled the 2024 test flight of the Starliner capsule a “Type A” mishap - the same classification of the deadly Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters - a category that reflects the “potential for a significant mishap,” it said. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344068/nasa-ranks-2024-spacecraft-mishap-among-its-worst-disasters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344068/nasa-ranks-2024-spacecraft-mishap-among-its-worst-disasters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 03:50:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The International Space Station returned to full strength with Saturday’s arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns. SpaceX delivered the US, French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral. Last month’s medical evacuation was Nasa’s first in 65 years of human space flight. One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their hasty... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343602/4-astronauts-arrive-international-space-station-replace-nasas-evacuated-crew?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343602/4-astronauts-arrive-international-space-station-replace-nasas-evacuated-crew?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 23:35:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse SpaceX is putting its long-standing focus of sending humans to Mars on the back burner to prioritise establishing a settlement on the moon, founder Elon Musk said on Sunday. The South Africa-born billionaire’s space company has found massive success as a Nasa contractor, but critics have for years panned Musk’s Mars colonisation plans as overambitious. The move also puts Musk in alignment with US President Donald Trump’s shift away from sending Americans to Mars. The US faces intense competition... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342887/spacex-puts-mars-back-burner-focus-moon-city-musk-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342887/spacex-puts-mars-back-burner-focus-moon-city-musk-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:43:47 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The global space industry has rapidly evolved from the days when nations raced to the heavens in a quest for glory. Now space is a venue for competition to forge the world’s technological future. Hong Kong must follow these developments with solid planning if it hopes to tap into the opportunities of China’s “NewSpace” ambitions. NewSpace is an emerging industry where private firms are involved with satellite manufacturing, launch services, space law, tourism and other ventures concentrated in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342632/hong-kong-need-not-wait-help-chinese-space-ambitions-take?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342632/hong-kong-need-not-wait-help-chinese-space-ambitions-take?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 23:15:15 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nasa astronauts venturing deeper in space than any human has travelled will be able to document and share images from the landmark moon mission next month using Nasa-provided Apple iPhones. Crews undertaking a lunar fly-by as part of the Artemis programme, and a preceding International Space Station mission in February, will fly with “the latest smartphones”, Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a social media post. “We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342706/nasa-allows-astronauts-use-iphones-space-capture-special-moments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342706/nasa-allows-astronauts-use-iphones-space-capture-special-moments?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:45:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Jupiter, without a doubt, is the biggest ‌planet in our solar system. But it turns out that it is not quite as large – by ever so small an amount – as scientists had previously thought. Using new data obtained by Nasa’s robotic Juno spacecraft, scientists have obtained the most precise measurements to date of Jupiter’s size and shape. This is important information to gain a fuller understanding of this gas giant, including studying its complex interior structure. The Juno observations showed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342429/nasas-juno-finds-jupiter-tiny-bit-smaller-previously-thought?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342429/nasas-juno-finds-jupiter-tiny-bit-smaller-previously-thought?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:43:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Nasa’s long-awaited moon shot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket. It was the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of leaking hydrogen, which is highly flammable and dangerous. “Actually, this one caught us off guard,” Nasa’s John Honeycutt said on Tuesday, hours after the test came to an abrupt halt at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342313/us-readied-next-moon-mission-something-dangerous-caught-nasa-guard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342313/us-readied-next-moon-mission-something-dangerous-caught-nasa-guard?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:27:19 +0000 Ken Chu Ken Chu China’s commercial space sector has entered a new frontier. In January, a private Chinese aerospace company unveiled the test capsule of what is set to become the country’s first commercially developed crewed spacecraft, with plans for crewed flights by 2028 and bookings already taken from private space tourists. The project reflects a decisive shift in national policy, where commercial players are no longer peripheral participants but integral contributors to major space missions. This... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341977/china-opens-its-space-sector-hong-kong-should-reach-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341977/china-opens-its-space-sector-hong-kong-should-reach-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four International Space Station (ISS) crew members splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Nasa footage showed, after the first ever medical evacuation in the orbital lab’s history. A video feed from Nasa showed the capsule carrying American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui land off the coast of San Diego at 12.41am local time. A health issue prompted their mission to be cut short, after spending five months in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339938/nasa-sends-4-astronauts-back-earth-first-medical-evacuation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339938/nasa-sends-4-astronauts-back-earth-first-medical-evacuation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:31:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to return astronauts to the moon through Nasa’s Artemis space programme with an eye toward building a permanent lunar presence. The directive reinforces Nasa’s current plans for sending Americans back to the moon by 2028 and for Americans to begin establishing the outpost by 2030. It also confirms plans to deploy nuclear reactors “on the moon and in orbit”. Thursday’s order also calls for the elimination of the National Space... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336975/trump-boosts-nasa-plans-moon-base-nuclear-reactors-china-space-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336975/trump-boosts-nasa-plans-moon-base-nuclear-reactors-china-space-race?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:01:09 +0000 Paul Buck Paul Buck The United States and China are racing to put humans on the moon for the first time since 1972 in a competition that goes far beyond technological bragging rights. Both countries are seeking to set up lunar bases that could be used to explore the moon and other points in the solar system. The moon also contains potentially valuable raw materials, including rare earth minerals and helium-3, a possible super-fuel, adding an economic and geopolitical edge to the lunar race. “If we fall behind, if... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336898/lunar-race-pits-china-against-us-humans-seek-return-moon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336898/lunar-race-pits-china-against-us-humans-seek-return-moon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:07:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Senate on Wednesday approved US President Donald Trump’s renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to head Nasa, following months of backtracking and uncertainty over the space agency’s future. The 42-year-old businessman made his fortune in online payment processing and has a personal passion for space. He will take over as administrator of the US agency at a sensitive time – when it faces major budget cuts and pressure to travel to the moon again and eventually reach Mars. The Trump... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336835/musk-ally-isaacman-confirmed-nasa-chief-amid-moon-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336835/musk-ally-isaacman-confirmed-nasa-chief-amid-moon-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:29:30 +0000 Frank Tang Frank Tang The United States will redouble efforts to ensure its return to the moon ahead of China and also establish an enduring presence on Earth's natural satellite to entrench the country’s presence, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said on Wednesday during a Senate confirmation hearing. Such a sense of urgency for the US to accelerate its pace in this “second space race” has haunted Capitol Hill, as Beijing, a strategic rival framed by Washington,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3335120/trumps-nasa-pick-vows-us-will-beat-china-back-moon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3335120/trumps-nasa-pick-vows-us-will-beat-china-back-moon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:38:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by Nasa’s Perseverance rover. The crackling of electrical discharges was captured by a microphone on the rover, a French-led team reported on Wednesday. The researchers documented 55 instances of what they call “mini lightning” over two Martian years, primarily during dust storms and dust devils. Almost all occurred on the windiest Martian sols, or days, during dust storms and dust... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334293/lightning-mars-scientists-believe-theyve-captured-its-sound-tape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334293/lightning-mars-scientists-believe-theyve-captured-its-sound-tape?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 23:39:30 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin A tiny piece of debris triggered the most serious mishap at China’s Tiangong space station since it became operational three years ago. Earlier this month, a crack discovered on the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft’s window forced three Chinese astronauts to remain on board Tiangong for nine extra days and eventually borrow their newly arrived colleagues’ ship to return to Earth. The event underscores the growing threat posed by Earth’s ever-expanding cloud of orbital junk – a scare that could push China,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333672/chinas-shenzhou-20-debris-crisis-catalyst-space-war-or-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333672/chinas-shenzhou-20-debris-crisis-catalyst-space-war-or-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 13:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nasa released fresh images on Wednesday of the interstellar object called 3I/ATLAS that astronomers have determined is a comet probably even older than our solar system, as US space agency officials dismissed speculation that it was actually an alien spacecraft. 3I/ATLAS was first spotted in July by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, telescope located in Rio Hurtado, Chile, and has been tracked by astronomers since then. Its unusual trajectory indicated that it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333482/nasa-shares-new-images-3i/atlas-and-rejects-alien-spacecraft-rumours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333482/nasa-shares-new-images-3i/atlas-and-rejects-alien-spacecraft-rumours?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 03:13:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse With Nasa’s International Space Station set to come out of service in 2030, American aerospace firm Vast has stepped into a frenzied race for the world’s first commercial space station. Haven-1 - a mini station scheduled for launch in May 2026 - has been designed for comfort, according to Andrew Feustel, a former Nasa astronaut now an adviser at Vast. “It has a three-year lifespan, and over that period of time, we plan to visit the spacecraft with multiple crews of four, four at a time,” he said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332762/race-first-private-space-station-heats-nasa-plans-2030-iss-retirement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332762/race-first-private-space-station-heats-nasa-plans-2030-iss-retirement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 05:28:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Blue Origin launched its huge New Glenn rocket on Thursday with a pair of Nasa spacecraft destined for Mars. It was only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos’ company and Nasa were counting on to get people and supplies to the moon - and it was a complete success. The almost 100-metre New Glenn blasted into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending Nasa’s twin Mars orbiters on a drawn-out journey to the red planet. Lift-off was stalled four days by lousy local... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332712/blue-origin-launches-huge-rocket-carrying-twin-nasa-spacecraft-mars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332712/blue-origin-launches-huge-rocket-carrying-twin-nasa-spacecraft-mars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 21:33:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters With the pace of climate change speeding up, extreme weather and other impacts are taking an increasing toll on populations and environments across the globe. Here are some of the developments this year in climate science. Warmer, faster Global temperatures are not just climbing, they are now climbing faster than before, with records logged for 2023 and 2024, and at points in 2025. That finding was part of a key study in June that updated baseline data used in the science reports done every few... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3332106/cop30-begins-brazil-amid-intensifying-climate-change-whats-latest-science?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3332106/cop30-begins-brazil-amid-intensifying-climate-change-whats-latest-science?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 10:34:21 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s Mars orbiter Tianwen-1 has captured a rare snapshot of a mysterious interstellar visitor that has ignited debate among scientists about its origins. The object – designated 3I/Atlas – is only the third ever detected entering our solar system, and new images, released on Thursday by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), offer a closer look at the presumed comet. Tianwen-1 snapped the pictures from about 30 million km (18.6 million miles) away on October 3. The object, which was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331777/3i/atlas-chinas-mars-orbiter-tianwen-1-snaps-image-mysterious-interstellar-visitor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331777/3i/atlas-chinas-mars-orbiter-tianwen-1-snaps-image-mysterious-interstellar-visitor?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:30:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman to head Nasa, again tapping the close associate of Elon Musk to lead the US space agency. The nomination, announced by Trump on Truth Social, came six months after the president withdrew his initial nomination of Isaacman to lead Nasa amid a bitter row with Musk. If confirmed by the Senate, Isaacman would replace Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has served as interim administrator... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331551/trump-again-nominates-musk-ally-isaacman-be-nasa-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331551/trump-again-nominates-musk-ally-isaacman-be-nasa-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 01:24:18 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Cuts to federal research would weaken America’s scientific edge against Beijing, said Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the US House committee focused on China, who is pressing budget chief Russ Vought on whether his office has assessed their impact. “While the United States is dismantling the very foundations that have sustained our STEM and innovation leadership for generations, Beijing has announced its plans to continue accelerating its investments in science, technology, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331542/top-democrat-challenges-us-budget-chief-over-science-cuts-beijing-boosts-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331542/top-democrat-challenges-us-budget-chief-over-science-cuts-beijing-boosts-research?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 18:47:30 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China could beat the United States to become the first country to find water on the moon, with all international payloads already handed over for its next robotic lunar mission which is slated for launch in August. Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer for the Chang’e-7 mission, said the spacecraft’s development was progressing smoothly, with scientific instruments from six national partners and one NGO delivered to the China National Space Administration. The instruments have been provided by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329997/china-led-moon-missions-water-probe-will-be-first-humanity-space-agency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329997/china-led-moon-missions-water-probe-will-be-first-humanity-space-agency?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Political purges, funding cuts and a growing hostility towards expertise have unsettled the US research community, evoking memories among Chinese-Americans of a dark chapter in Chinese history and prompting some to look to China for stability. The Cultural Revolution, launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 to eliminate “bourgeois” influence and consolidate his power, plunged China into turmoil. Factories and schools were shut down while scholars were denounced and exiled for “re-education”. The upheaval... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329862/us-fuels-brain-drain-china-trumps-anti-science-cultural-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3329862/us-fuels-brain-drain-china-trumps-anti-science-cultural-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nasa said on Monday it was opening the marquee US moon landing contract to other bidders because Elon Musk’s SpaceX has experienced mounting delays with its Starship lunar lander. The move paves the way for rivals such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to snatch a high-profile mission to land the first astronauts on the moon in half a century. “I’m in the process of opening that contract up. I think we’ll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others,” the US space agency’s acting chief Sean... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329715/us-seek-rival-bids-artemis-3-moon-landing-spacex-lags-nasa-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329715/us-seek-rival-bids-artemis-3-moon-landing-spacex-lags-nasa-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:58:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press SpaceX launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test flight on Monday, striving to make it halfway around the world while releasing mock satellites like last time. Starship - the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built - thundered into the evening sky from the southern tip of Texas. The booster peeled away and made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending toward the Indian Ocean. Nothing was being recovered. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328878/spacex-launches-another-test-flight-its-mega-starship-rocket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328878/spacex-launches-another-test-flight-its-mega-starship-rocket?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 23:52:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The ocean hidden under the icy shell of Saturn’s moon Enceladus harbours complex organic molecules, a study said on Wednesday, offering further evidence that the small world could have all the right ingredients to host extraterrestrial life. Just 500km (310 miles) wide and invisible to the naked eye, the white, scar-covered Enceladus is one of hundreds of moons orbiting the sixth planet from the sun. For a long time, scientists believed Enceladus was too far away from the sun – and therefore too... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327525/ocean-saturn-moon-ticks-all-boxes-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327525/ocean-saturn-moon-ticks-all-boxes-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:00:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ahead of a meeting between lawmakers and US President Donald Trump, the Republican leaders of Congress sought on Sunday to blame Democrats for an impasse before a looming deadline to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown and urged them to agree to a short-term bill to buy some time. Without passage of funding legislation, parts of the government would close on Wednesday, the first day of the US government’s 2026 financial year. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327171/republicans-urge-democrats-agree-short-term-bill-keep-us-government-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327171/republicans-urge-democrats-agree-short-term-bill-keep-us-government-open?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:38:52 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Are we alone in the universe? That has been the age-old question to which contemporary science may be close to providing an answer. Not only are we probably not alone in the vastness of space, but there might even have been life forms within our solar system besides our own planet, namely Mars. Now imagine the possibilities in our own Milky Way and the countless galaxies out there. The mind boggles. If the universe really is teeming with life, it makes us rather insignificant. In diminishing the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3326161/time-may-be-ripe-china-us-space-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3326161/time-may-be-ripe-china-us-space-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 23:15:08 +0000