https://www.scmp.com/rss/522590/feed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): A prominent United States federal agency, NOAA is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Established in 1970, it operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA’s primary mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, sharing this vital knowledge and conserving marine ecosystems. Its main activities include providing weather forecasts, conducting extensive environmental research, managing... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ling Xin Ling Xin China has followed last year’s secretive high-orbit satellite-to-satellite refuelling test with another in-orbit servicing mission that is aimed at advancing docking and refuelling technologies, while also testing ways to speed up the disposal of satellites at the end of their usefulness. Hukeda-2, which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert on Monday, is China’s first commercial test satellite equipped with a flexible robotic arm to capture other spacecraft, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3347156/can-china-commercial-satellites-octopus-tentacle-pass-low-orbit-refuel-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3347156/can-china-commercial-satellites-octopus-tentacle-pass-low-orbit-refuel-test?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:00:13 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The warming El Nino weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. There is a 50-60 per cent chance of El Nino developing during the July-September period and beyond, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The World Meteorological Organization will issue an update on El Nino on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know about El Nino and its cooler sister, La Nina. Why the name? El Nino and La Nina are two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3345180/el-nino-may-return-2026-making-planet-even-hotter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3345180/el-nino-may-return-2026-making-planet-even-hotter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:43:31 +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 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 Associated Press Associated Press There was no mayday call from the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean as it navigated the frigid Atlantic Ocean on Friday morning on its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts, America’s oldest fishing port. The US Coast Guard was notified by the boat’s beacon that alerts when it hits the water. When rescuers arrived they found one person dead, floating in the water, along with a debris field and an empty lifeboat. Six people remain missing. The fate of the Lily Jean, a 22-metre (72-foot) fishing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341927/search-continues-frigid-atlantic-6-crew-after-noreaster-men-fishing-boat-sinks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341927/search-continues-frigid-atlantic-6-crew-after-noreaster-men-fishing-boat-sinks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:20:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The moon and sun share top billing in 2026. Kicking off the year’s cosmic wonders is the moon, drawing the first astronauts to visit in more than 50 years, as well as a caravan of robotic lunar landers, including Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos’ new supersized Blue Moon. A supermoon looms on January 3, and an astronomical blue moon is on the books for May. The sun will also generate buzz with a “ring of fire” eclipse at the bottom of the world in February and a total solar eclipse at the top... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3337986/supermoons-eclipses-and-more-2026-guide-best-night-sky-events-look-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3337986/supermoons-eclipses-and-more-2026-guide-best-night-sky-events-look-out?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 08:15:08 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Arctic has experienced its hottest year since records began, a US science agency announced on Tuesday, as climate change triggers cascading impacts from melting glaciers and sea ice to greening landscapes and disruptions to global weather. Between October 2024 and September 2025, temperatures were 1.6 degrees Celsius (2.88 Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 mean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its annual Arctic Report Card, which draws on data going back to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3336680/arctic-has-hottest-year-ever-recorded-climate-impacts-cascade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3336680/arctic-has-hottest-year-ever-recorded-climate-impacts-cascade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:46:07 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin A former Nasa administrator has warned that America’s plan to return astronauts to the moon is technically unworkable, urging a much simpler approach – similar to China’s – as the only realistic way to stay ahead. Mike Griffin, a 76-year-old aerospace engineer who led Nasa during the George W. Bush administration, told Congress that the Artemis programme “cannot work” because it relies on an overly complex design and many unproven technologies. Under the current plan, the Artemis III mission... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335865/former-nasa-chief-calls-new-us-approach-moon-landing-much-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335865/former-nasa-chief-calls-new-us-approach-moon-landing-much-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:00:10 +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 Associated Press Associated Press Tropical Storm Melissa lumbered through the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, bringing a risk of dangerous landslides and life-threatening flooding to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola – an island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Officials urged residents in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground. The storm was blamed for downing a large tree that killed an elderly man in the coastal town of Marigot in southern Haiti, while five other people were injured in flooding in the central Artibonite... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330120/1-dead-haiti-tropical-storm-melissa-lumbers-through-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330120/1-dead-haiti-tropical-storm-melissa-lumbers-through-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:53:34 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong China has unveiled Mazu, an AI-powered weather warning system named after a Chinese sea goddess and designed to help developing nations prepare for natural disasters. Mazu is one of the most revered Chinese deities in Southeast Asia, sometimes conflated with the Virgin Mary. The Multi-hazard Alert Zero-gap and Universal (Mazu) system was purpose-built for global reach, according to China’s national weather service. The initiative, which was unveiled at the World Artificial Intelligence... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319955/china-says-new-mazu-weather-warning-ai-will-help-developing-nations-prepare-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319955/china-says-new-mazu-weather-warning-ai-will-help-developing-nations-prepare-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A massive wildfire raging in California for the past three days has ravaged more than 70,000 acres, as hundreds of firefighters fought to bring it under control. The “Madre Fire” broke out on Wednesday in San Luis Obispo, a rural county in the heart of the US state. Around 200 people were ordered to evacuate, with dozens of buildings threatened by the flames. The fire has engulfed 70,800 acres (28,700 hectares) since Wednesday, and more than 600 personnel and 40 fire engines have been deployed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317085/california-wildfire-spreads-70000-acres-largest-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317085/california-wildfire-spreads-70000-acres-largest-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 09:20:20 +0000 Edith Mao Edith Mao A China-led international deep-sea cooperative exploration project has won United Nations approval, paving the way for Beijing’s increased participation in global science and technology governance. The Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP) aims to penetrate the mysteries of the deepest waters, in response to the UN goal of protecting and sustainably developing the oceans. The multi-country initiative, spearheaded by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3316070/china-steps-deep-sea-science-role-un-backed-oceans-exploration-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3316070/china-steps-deep-sea-science-role-un-backed-oceans-exploration-project?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Extreme heat makes it especially hard for your body to cool down, so you need to be extra careful if you exercise or play sports when it is baking outside. Your brain tries to keep your body around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) and it does so in part by triggering sweat. When sweat evaporates, it carries away heat from your body’s surface. When sweat cannot do its job – because your body is generating a lot of heat or it is too hot and humid to cool down – you are at risk of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3315775/how-hot-too-hot-exercise-plus-how-do-it-safely-summer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3315775/how-hot-too-hot-exercise-plus-how-do-it-safely-summer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:32:02 +0000