Cygnus

An illustration of a torus around an active galactic nucleus, which has been imaged directly for the first time

Astronomy

Gigantic dusty donut around a black hole imaged for the first time

Active galactic nuclei are known by different names depending on the viewing angle. Now, for the first time astronomers have directly imaged the last piece of the puzzle that ties them all together – a dusty donut of material that surrounds a supermassive black hole.

The RainCube 6U CubeSat with fully-deployed antenna

Astronomy

First radar-equipped CubeSat among three heading to the ISS

When the latest Cygnus cargo mission to the SS lifts off, its manifest will include three CubeSats, including the first equipped with radar. The size of three cereal boxes and weighing only 26 lb (11.8 kg) each, the miniature satellites will be used to demonstrate new technologies in orbit.

Astronomy

Antares booster makes a comeback as OA-5 blasts off for the ISS

Almost two years after a disastrous liftoff explosion, Orbital-ATK's Antares booster is back in service. At 7:45 pm EDT, an improved Antares 230 rocket blasted off from the MARS Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Island facility in Virginia carrying the commercial OA-5 mission.

The S.S. Deke Slayton II disembarks from the ISS

Astronomy

Cygnus spacecraft takes out the trash

The Orbital Sciences/ATK Cygnus CRS-4 mission came to an end today as NASA astronauts used one of the International Space Station's robotic arms to release the spacecraft from its docking port.

Graphic displaying the current layout of the ISS, as well as the positions of all currently docked spacecraft

Astronomy

Cygnus spacecraft finally docks with ISS

As of 9:26 am EST, the Orbital ATK Cygnus supply vessel has finally succeeded in docking with the International Space Station following a series of weather-related delays.

Artist's impression of Kepler-186f (Image: NASA)

Astronomy

Kepler discovers most potentially habitable planet yet

The search for extraterrestrial life zeroed in a bit today as NASA announced that its unmanned Kepler Space Telescope detected the most Earth-like planet yet found beyond the Solar System.

Cygnus lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia (Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Astronomy

Cygnus heads for the International Space Station

Commercial space flight took another step forward today as NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia launched Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft for a rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS).