Images of the object nicknamed "Ultima Thule" photographed from the New Horizons spacecraft on January 1, 2019. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Getty Images hide caption
Space NPR coverage of space exploration, space shuttle missions, news from NASA, private space exploration, satellite technology, and new discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics.
Space
These satellite images show a circular launchpad for the Safir rocket at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran. The image on the right, taken on Feb. 6, shows a burn scar. The image on the left, from Jan. 21, does not. Planet Labs Inc. hide caption
NASA's rover Curiosity crawls up the side of Vera Rubin Ridge on Mars' surface in January 2018. Mount Sharp — a 3-mile-high mountain — can be seen in the distance. MSSS/ NASA/JPL-Caltech hide caption
A U.S. flag flies in the foreground of this image of the moon during the lunar eclipse as seen from Washington, D.C., on Sunday night. J. David Ake/AP hide caption
A "blood moon" seen from western Germany during a total lunar eclipse on Sept. 28, 2015. Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
The rover Yutu-2 is seen in a photo taken by the lander of the Chang'e-4 probe on Jan. 11. Inside the probe is a biosphere harboring, whose seeds China now says have died. AP via China National Space Administration via Xinhua News Agency hide caption
President Trump called for a beefing up of existing defenses, such as the Aegis ashore system pictured. In addition, he called for research into new advanced concepts. Mark Wright/Missile Defense Agency hide caption
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observed Saturn on June 6. NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, and J. DePasquale (STScI) hide caption
The China National Space Administration's lunar lander, seen on Jan. 11. China National Space Administration/Xinhua News Agency/AP hide caption
Iran's Simorgh rocket pictured before an attempted satellite launch in 2017. Experts say the rocket's second stage is too small to be used as a missile. Iranian Defense Ministry via AP hide caption
Space-X's Falcon 9 rocket with 10 satellites launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in 2017. The company says it will lay off 10 percent of its workforce. Matt Hartman/AP hide caption
This photo, provided by China National Space Administration via Xinhua News Agency, is the first image of the moon's far side ever taken from the surface. A Chinese spacecraft on Thursday made the first landing on the far side of the moon, state media said. Imaginechina via AP hide caption
This enhanced color image of Ultima Thule was taken at a distance of 85,000 miles and highlights its reddish surface. The image on the right has a far higher spatial resolution. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute hide caption
Left: the best current image of the minor planet known as Ultima Thule. Right: an illustration of one possible appearance of the distant object. Its rotation is shown in red. NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI; sketch courtesy of James Tuttle Keane hide caption
The Chinese lunar lander Chang'e 4 is headed to Aitken Basin, a large impact crater near the moon's south pole, pictured here in blue. The distance from the depths of Aitken Basin to the tops of the highest surrounding peaks is nearly twice the height of Mount Everest, according to NASA. NASA/Goddard hide caption
An artist's impression of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft encountering Ultima Thule, a Kuiper Belt object that orbits 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto, on Jan. 1, 2019. JPL/NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Steve Gribben hide caption
Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, known as the "Mother" of Hubble, died at 93. Courtesy of NASA hide caption
Nancy Grace Roman, 'Mother Of Hubble' Space Telescope, Has Died, At Age 93
A cubesat, like this briefcase-sized MarCO, was key to relaying telemetry during the recent InSight mission to Mars. It was the first time this kind of mini-spacecraft had flown into deep space. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
The Korolev Crater in the northern lowlands of Mars is nearly 51 miles across and filled with ice. The photo was created from several images captured by the Mars Express spacecraft as it orbited the planet in April. Björn Schreiner/ESA/DLR/FU Berlin hide caption
Lisa Nip on the TED stage. John Werner hide caption
Lisa Nip: How Can We Engineer The Human Body To Survive On Mars ... And Beyond?
Stephen Petranek TED hide caption
Lucianne Walkowicz on the TED stage. James Duncan Davidson/TED hide caption
Could the building blocks of life exist elsewhere in our solar system? James Green hide caption
James Green: Could The Building Blocks Of Life Exist Elsewhere In Our Solar System?
Vice President Pence announced the revival of the U.S. Space Command, saying Tuesday that it will oversee more than 18,000 military and civilian personnel who currently work "in space operations for our national security." White House/Screenshot by NPR hide caption