NASA
Every Cosmic Herald story on NASA — missions, launches, discoveries, and the business of space, newest first.
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Missions
Perseverance Crosses the Marathon Mark on Mars — and Leaves Opportunity's Pace in the Dust
NASA's Perseverance rover has driven a full marathon's worth of distance on Mars, hitting 26.2 miles in five years and four months — a pace nearly three times faster than Opportunity managed.
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Stargazing
The Southern Delta Aquariids Are Warming Up for a Moonlit Late-July Peak
The Southern Delta Aquariids peak the night of July 30-31, 2026, but a full moon just one day earlier means the best views come from patient pre-dawn watching in the week before.
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Stargazing
A Delicate Trio at Dusk: Moon, Venus, and Regulus Share the Sky July 15-17
A waxing crescent Moon glides past Venus and Regulus on three straight evenings this week, brushing 0.5° from the heart of Leo on July 16 before closing to within 2° of Venus the next day.
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Astronomy
Hubble and Webb Team Up to Find Omega Centauri's First Confirmed Black Hole
Twenty years of Hubble astrometry plus fresh James Webb data caught a 4.46-solar-mass black hole tugging a companion star in a record 94-year orbit inside Omega Centauri.
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NASA & Agencies
Fifty Days Up: Shenzhou-23 Crew Deepens Microgravity Research Aboard Tiangong
Nearly 50 days into a planned one-year stay, Shenzhou-23's three-person crew — including Hong Kong's first astronaut — is running biomechanics and brain-function studies aboard China's Tiangong space station.
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Stargazing
Predawn Sky Guide: Moon Lines Up With Mars, Saturn and Uranus on July 11-12
A waning crescent Moon points the way to Mars, Saturn, and a binoculars-only Uranus in the predawn eastern sky on July 11-12, 2026, part of a busy month of lunar-planetary conjunctions.
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Missions
NASA Moves Its Sun-Watching SmallSat Swarm From Vulcan Centaur to Falcon Heavy
NASA has rebooked its six-satellite SunRISE solar radio observatory from a ULA Vulcan Centaur onto a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, a Space Force-sponsored rideshare that will fly the toaster-oven-size CubeSats to just above geosynchronous orbit.
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Stargazing
The August 2026 Night Sky Guide
August 2026 stacks a rare eclipse double-header around its best night: a moonless Perseid peak on Aug 12-13, Venus at its evening best, and a deep 93%-covered partial lunar eclipse lighting up the Sturgeon Moon on Aug 27-28.
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Science & Discovery
James Webb's Biggest Discoveries So Far
From the most distant confirmed galaxy to overmassive black holes, a disputed biosignature, and proof the Hubble tension is real, here are JWST's most significant verified findings, sourced to NASA, ESA, and peer review.
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Commercial
The World's Spaceports: Why Rockets Launch Where They Do
Latitude, launch azimuth, and downrange safety corridors dictate where a rocket can lift off. A tour of Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, Baikonur, Kourou, Wenchang, and Mahia shows the physics — and the history — behind each choice.
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Stargazing
The Total Solar Eclipse of August 12, 2026: The Complete Viewing Guide
On August 12, 2026 the Moon's shadow sweeps from the Arctic across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain — the first total solar eclipse to reach mainland Europe since 1999. Exact times, best viewing spots, weather odds, safety rules, and what U.S. skywatchers will and won't see.
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Commercial
Vast's Haven-1 in 2026: a 3D-printed space station preparing to host orbital manufacturing
Vast's Haven-1 station is now targeting Q1 2027 after its Haven Demo pathfinder flew 49 test objectives. The single-module outpost carries metal 3D-printed hardware — and its manufacturing network now spans orbital bioprinting, drug crystallization, and pharma production partners.
