The Moon

SpaceX conducted the fourteenth test flight of its Starship system, launching the full rocket stack and recovering the Super Heavy booster with a splashdown in the ocean. Live coverage of the launch drew a large audience, with viewers watching the ascent, stage separation and booster descent in real time. The flight is part of SpaceX's rapid, iterative testing campaign to develop the fully reusable vehicle that the company plans to use for Moon and Mars missions and for NASA's planned lunar landings.

NASA's Artemis II mission is carrying astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than five decades, the first crewed lunar flight since Apollo 17 in 1972. Coverage is focusing on why it took the United States so long to return, pointing to shifting political priorities, huge costs, and repeated delays to the Space Launch System and Orion programs.

NASA has laid out a roughly $20 billion strategy to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, centered on a permanent lunar base. The plan outlines what the agency says is needed to sustain crews, infrastructure and science operations on the lunar surface, and news outlets are breaking down the key details and costs for readers.

NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flight of the Artemis program, is drawing wide attention ahead of launch. Coverage explains how to watch the launch, which astronauts will fly around the Moon, and what the mission means for future lunar landings. Interest centers on the four-person crew and the mission's role in returning humans to deep space for the first time since Apollo.

A newly formed crater roughly 728 feet wide has been spotted on the Moon, and scientists are weighing what it means for plans to build lunar bases. The impact site could inform where future habitats are placed and how planners assess risks from impacts on the lunar surface.

The October 2, 2026 episode of Science Friday, hosted by Ira Flatow with Flora Lichtman, features two segments: an examination of a newly formed crater on the Moon and a discussion of the search for signs of alien technology. The episode is being shared among listeners interested in space science and SETI topics.

A new animated take on how Saturn's rings formed is drawing big attention online, with hundreds of thousands of viewers engaging with the story of the planet's icy debris. The piece retells the leading scientific idea that shattered moons or captured material created the rings billions of years ago. Space fans are discussing the dramatic origins and sharing their own favorite ring formation theories.

Actor Mahershala Ali and filmmaker Bassam Tariq have given an interview to the New York Times discussing their new film 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother', focusing on themes of faith and love. The conversation highlights the continued collaboration between the two, who previously worked together on 'Moon Knight' era projects and Tariq's 'Mogul Mowgli'.

NASA is highlighting developments in lunar surface technology, covering systems designed to support operations on the Moon. The topic spans tools and infrastructure intended for future lunar missions under the agency's exploration programmes. Attention around the subject reflects ongoing interest in how technology will enable humans and robots to work on the lunar surface in the coming years.

NASA has announced the addition of three new science investigations to its Moon Base programme, expanding the research agenda for its lunar exploration efforts. The experiments will join the growing portfolio of studies intended for operations on the Moon, as the agency continues preparations for a sustained human presence under its Artemis-era lunar plans.