Elon Musk’s SpaceX Valued at $800 Billion, as It Prepares to Go Public

12 December 2025 at 19:55

A sale of insider shares at $421 a share would make Mr. Musk’s rocket company the most valuable private company in the world, as it readies for a possible initial public offering next year.

The SpaceX launchpad in South Texas in June 2024. The company said in a letter to employees on Friday that it could go public in 2026.

How to Watch the Geminids Meteor Shower Reach Its Peak

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller

12 December 2025 at 06:43

The moon will be about one-third full as one of the year’s last meteor showers becomes most visible.

A meteor over Lukeville, Ariz., during the Geminids meteor shower in December 2023.

John Noble Wilford, Times Reporter Who Covered the Moon Landing, Dies at 92

NYT: Science

By:Robert D. McFadden

8 December 2025 at 20:51

He gave readers a comprehensive and lyrical account of the historic mission in 1969. His science coverage as a Pulitzer-winning journalist and an author took him around the world.

John Noble Wilford in 1981. Recalling his coverage of the moon landing, he said, “I thought to myself, yes, this is the biggest story I will probably ever write in my career.”

His Group Made World-Class Measurements of Atomic Elements

NYT: Technology

By:Katrina Miller

4 December 2025 at 09:30

Yuri Ralchenko led one of the oldest teams at the National Institute for Standards and Technology. The fate of some experiments hangs in the air.

His Group Made World-Class Measurements of Atomic Elements

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller

4 December 2025 at 09:30

Yuri Ralchenko led one of the oldest teams at the National Institute for Standards and Technology. The fate of some experiments hangs in the air.

Trump’s NASA Pick Poised to Win Senate Vote After Do-Over Hearing

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

3 December 2025 at 14:53

The president withdrew Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead the space agency in June, but senators of both parties appeared willing to give him a second shot at confirmation.

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur and NASA administrator nominee, appearing before the Senate on Wednesday.

Russian Launch Site Mishap Leaves Country’s Space Program in Limbo

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

2 December 2025 at 13:49

The ability of Russia to launch astronauts to the International Space Station remains in limbo after an incident last week at the Baikonur base in Kazakhstan.

A Soyuz spacecraft launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 27. The rocket itself headed to space without problem, but the rocket’s exhaust knocked a service platform out of its protective shelter.

NASA Rover Discovers Lightning on Mars

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

26 November 2025 at 11:10

The Perseverance rover picked up audio evidence of electric discharges in the red planet’s atmosphere.

A towering dust devil casting a shadow over the Martian surface, captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2012.

In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Locals Fight for ‘The Right to Night’

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller and Emily Elconin

25 November 2025 at 11:01

Industrialization in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has some residents pushing for protection of the region’s celestial splendor.

The night sky above Eagle Harbor, a village in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along the shoreline of Lake Superior.

Saturn’s Rings Seem as if They’re About to Disappear: Here’s Why

NYT: Science

By:Tom Metcalfe

21 November 2025 at 05:01

During the weekend, the orbits of Earth and Saturn will combine to create an interplanetary optical illusion for anyone with a good telescope and clear skies.

Saturn’s rings, observed by the Cassini spacecraft. They will be all but invisible when viewed from Earth on Sunday.

The Moon Was an Inside Job

NYT: Science

By:Robin George Andrews

20 November 2025 at 14:00

New research suggests that Theia, the object whose collision with Earth is theorized to have caused the formation of the moon, came from closer to the sun.

Artist’s impression of the collision between the early Earth and Theia, with the sun in the far distance, roughly 100 million years after the formation of the solar system.

NASA Releases Images of Comet 3I/ATLAS Passing by Mars

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

19 November 2025 at 19:44

With the government reopened, the space agency at last released pictures captured by a fleet of government spacecraft of an object that came from beyond our solar system.

How to Watch the Leonids Meteor Shower Reach Its Peak

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller

14 November 2025 at 11:45

The moon is far from full this weekend, which could mean good fireball viewing for night sky watchers.

The Leonid meteor shower viewed from North Macedonia in November 2020.

Almost Everything About NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission to Mars Is Unusual

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

14 November 2025 at 12:13

The ESCAPADE mission, which launched to space on a Blue Origin rocket on Thursday, breaks the mold of how planetary science missions typically come together.

Almost Everything About NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission to Mars Is Unusual

NYT: Technology

By:Kenneth Chang

14 November 2025 at 12:13

The ESCAPADE mission, which launched to space on a Blue Origin rocket on Thursday, breaks the mold of how planetary science missions typically come together.

Blue Origin Lands Booster After Rocket Launch and Matches SpaceX’s Feat

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

13 November 2025 at 22:11

The lower half of the New Glenn rocket set down on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean after lifting a small NASA Mars mission to space.

A screengrab from the live feed of the Blue Origin launch showing the returned booster rocket on the floating platform Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean.

How to See the Northern Lights on Wednesday

NYT: Science

By:Nazaneen Ghaffar and Amy Graff

13 November 2025 at 07:44

A geomagnetic storm made the aurora borealis visible across a swath of the United States again on Wednesday, illuminating the skies as far south as Arizona.

The northern lights shine in the night sky in Valtournenche, Italy, on Wednesday.

Northern Lights Are Beautiful, but for Satellites They’re Risky

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller

12 November 2025 at 20:53

At least one space launch has been put on hold, as satellite operators and rocket companies manage the effects of the current geomagnetic storm hitting Earth.

Northern Lights Are Beautiful, but for Satellites They’re Risky

NYT: Technology

By:Katrina Miller

12 November 2025 at 20:53

At least one space launch has been put on hold, as satellite operators and rocket companies manage the effects of the current geomagnetic storm hitting Earth.

The ‘Lost Sisters’ of the Pleiades Fill the Entire Night Sky

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller

12 November 2025 at 11:41

Astronomers identified more than 3,000 stars associated with the cluster, and there might be even more.

A view of the Pleiades star cluster, which is also known as the Seven Sisters.

Northern Lights Bring Dazzling Views to Northeast U.S. and Across Canada, With More Possible Tonight

NYT: Science

By:Qasim Nauman

12 November 2025 at 21:19

After a colorful display overnight, the northern U.S., parts of Canada and Britain could see the aurora Wednesday night.

A photographer setting up at Hulah Lake to capture the northern lights in Oklahoma on Tuesday.

Blue Origin Scrubs Launch of NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission to Mars

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

9 November 2025 at 19:32

The second flight of the orbital rocket from Jeff Bezos’s space company was halted by weather. The company may try again on Wednesday.

The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket seen at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sunday.

Blue Origin Scrubs Launch of NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission to Mars

NYT: Technology

By:Kenneth Chang

9 November 2025 at 19:32

The second flight of the orbital rocket from Jeff Bezos’s space company was halted by weather. The company may try again on Wednesday.

Everyone’s Asking How Comet 3I/ATLAS Got to Our Solar System

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

8 November 2025 at 05:01

Scientists who study comets are struggling to keep up with popular speculation that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS was sent to our solar system by an alien intelligence.

Past Arctic Sea Ice Levels Recreated by Traces of Cosmic Dust

NYT: Science

By:Sachi Kitajima Mulkey

6 November 2025 at 15:04

Extraterrestrial particles found at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean could unlock at least 30,000 years of sea ice history, a new study finds.

2 Spooky Flashes Lit Up the Moon. Here’s What Made Them.

NYT: Science

By:Robin George Andrews

5 November 2025 at 10:01

A Japanese astronomer captured a pair of objects slamming into the lunar surface in recent days.

China Delays Return of Astronauts After Debris May Have Hit Spacecraft

NYT: Science

By:Alexandra Stevenson and Selam Gebrekidan

5 November 2025 at 03:11

The country’s space authorities said they were investigating whether an object had hit a Chinese spacecraft and the risks tied to it.

Chinese astronauts for the Shenzhou-20 mission attend a send-off ceremony for their manned space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China earlier this year.

Trump Again Names Jared Isaacman to Lead NASA After Pulling His Nomination

NYT: Science

By:Kenneth Chang

4 November 2025 at 20:00

The nomination of the billionaire entrepreneur, private astronaut and Elon Musk ally was before the floor of the Senate when the president abruptly withdrew it in June.

President Trump abruptly yanked his earlier nomination of Jared Isaacman because he was upset that Mr. Isaacman had contributed to the campaigns of some Democrats.

With SpaceX Behind Schedule, NASA Will Seek More Moon Lander Ideas

NYT: Technology

By:Kenneth Chang

20 October 2025 at 20:58

Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, and Lockheed Martin are among the contractors that may compete with Elon Musk’s company in the race back to the lunar surface.

An Army of Robot Telescopes in Texas Makes the Stars Feel Closer Than Ever

NYT: Technology

By:Kenneth Chang

20 October 2025 at 12:18

Starfront Observatories allows amateur astronomers to rent a spot for their telescopes and photograph the cosmos over a high-speed data connection.

In a year and a half, Starfront Observatories in Rockwood, Texas, has grown from zero telescopes to more than 550.

His Lab Tested Cutting-Edge Spacecraft

NYT: Technology

By:Katrina Miller

8 October 2025 at 19:02

Mason Peck, an aerospace engineer at Cornell, was trying to test innovative designs in spacecraft when a stop-work order hit.

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