NASA
Every Cosmic Herald story on NASA — missions, launches, discoveries, and the business of space, newest first.
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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.
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Commercial
Rocket Launch Vehicles Compared: Payload, Cost, and Reusability in 2026
Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Starship, New Glenn, Vulcan Centaur, Neutron, Ariane 6, and six more launch vehicles compared on payload, cost per launch, and reusability, including China's Long March 10B, which on July 10 became just the third rocket in history to catch its own booster.
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Astronomy
Euclid Doubles the Known Sample of the Universe's Most Ancient Quasars
ESA's Euclid telescope has found 31 new quasars from the cosmic dawn, including two record-breakers at redshifts 7.77 and 7.69, more than doubling the known sample from that era.
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Science & Discovery
Beta Pictoris Gains a Third Confirmed World, Joining an Elite Club of Directly Imaged Systems
NASA's Exoplanet Archive confirmed Beta Pictoris d in its July 9 update, making Beta Pictoris only the second directly imaged system known to host more than two planets.
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Commercial
Katalyst's LINK Spacecraft Begins Checkouts Ahead of Historic Rescue Docking With NASA's Swift Observatory
Katalyst's LINK servicer is testing its xenon thrusters in orbit ahead of an unprecedented docking attempt meant to save NASA's decaying Swift Observatory from reentry.
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Missions
New Horizons Wakes From Its Longest-Ever Hibernation, 5.9 Billion Miles From Earth
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has woken from a record 321-day hibernation nearly 6 billion miles out, reporting all-green status as it resumes Kuiper Belt science ahead of exiting the solar system's edge by 2028-2029.
