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NASA's InSight lander gears for touchdown on Mars, to set foot on Martian surface by Nov 26

The landing will kick off a two-year mission in which InSight will become the first spacecraft to study Mars' deep interior.

Astronomers identify "nearby" star system with potential to produce gamma-ray burst

The system was nicknamed Apep. Two of Apep's stars are of the Wolf-Rayet variety meaning they are massive and reaching the end of their life.

China successfully launches five satellites

It was the 292th mission of the Long March rocket series, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

NASA picks ancient Martian river delta for 2020 rover touchdown

Even though the Red Planet is now cold and dry, the landing site, Jezero Crater, was filled with a 1,600-foot (500-metre) deep lake that opened to a network of rivers some 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago.  

Now, explore supermassive black hole through new VR simulation

The scientists used recent astrophysical models of Sagittarius A* to create a series of images that were then put together to create a 360 degree virtual reality simulation of the black hole, that can be viewed on widely available VR consoles.

NASA probe beams back image of Jupiter's moon Io

JunoCam's raw images are available online for the public to peruse and process into images.

Space station supplies launched from Virginia, second shipment in 2 days

The US delivery will arrive at the orbiting lab Monday, a day after the Russian shipment. 

SpaceX drops plans to upgrade Falcon 9 for more 'reusability'

Instead of upgrading Falcon 9 for more reusability, SpaceX was now focusing on "accelerating BFR (Big Falcon Rocket)".

GSAT-29 satellite pushed higher into orbit: ISRO

India's latest communication satellite GSat-29 was successfully pushed up to its intended orbit during its third orbit raising activity, said a top official of ISRO on Saturday.  

Russia's cargo craft blasts off to International Space Station

It will make 34 orbits of Earth before docking to the orbiting laboratory at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday. 

Planet-hunting Kepler telescope put to rest with final commands

The Kepler space telescope has had a profound impact on our understanding of the number of worlds that exist beyond our solar system.

Large meteorite impact crater found beneath Greenland ice sheet

Huge amount of water dragged into Earth's interior: Study

The findings showed that loss of sea water is due to the slow-motion collisions of tectonic plates under Mariana Trench -- deepest ocean trench in the world.   

GSLV Mk-III-D2: Know all about India’s most powerful rocket to be used for Chandrayaan-2, Gaganyaan missions

GSLV-MarkIII-D-2 is capable of lifting up to 4-tonne mass to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or a 10-ton payload to Low Earth Orbit. The earlier rocket, GSLV Mark II could lift only 2.5 tonnes. 

Major scientific breakthrough as astronomers discover 'super-Earth' orbiting Sun's nearest star

The planet, known as Barnard's Star b, is the second nearest to Earth outside the solar system and orbits its host star once every 233 days.

NASA to invite designs for AI lunar robot

These programmes encourage students and scientists to ideate innovative solutions for problems that the US space agency is trying to overcome.

ISRO calls for global proposals to carry experiments on Venus mission

The call presents an opportunity for scientists from foreign space agencies, research laboratories, and academic universities to study Venus, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement. 

Solar Probe 'alive' after being closest ever to Sun: NASA

On November 5, the spacecraft made the closest approach, called perihelion. Parker Solar Probe reached a top speed of 213,200 miles per hour, setting a new record for spacecraft speed.   

Earth has two moons, reveals report

According to the report, the team of astronomers managed to capture snapshots of the mysterious clouds lurking just 250,000 miles away, roughly the same distance as the moon.

NASA to send organs-on-chips to space

Made of flexible plastic, tissue chips have ports and channels to provide nutrients and oxygen to the cells inside them.  

Novel ‘bionic mushrooms’ can produce electricity

With 3D printing, it was possible to assemble them so as to boost their electricity-producing activity eight-fold more than the casted cyanobacteria using a laboratory pipette.

Where did Earth's water originate from?

Researchers noted that since comets contain a lot of ices, it could have supplied some water. Asteroids, which are not as water-rich yet still plentiful, could be a source as well.  

NASA probe in good health after closest-ever approach to Sun

  The manoeuvre exposed the spacecraft to intense heat and solar radiation in a complex solar wind environment, NASA said in a statement.

NASA probe set to visit Jupiter's Trojan asteroids

Ralph was first launched aboard the New Horizons spacecraft in 2006m and obtained stunning flyby images of Jupiter and its moons.

Chinese authorities use 'gait' surveillance to identify people by their body shape and walk

'Gait recognition' is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance.

Mars InSight landing site may look like a stadium parking lot

"If Elysium Planitia were a salad, it would consist of romaine lettuce and kale - no dressing," said InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.   

Astronomers discover ancient star formed by Big Bang

According to co-author Andrew Casey, it was previously believed that the first stars that formed in the universe could not possibly still exist today.

Ozone hole modest despite optimum conditions for depletion, claim scientists

According to NASA, the annual ozone hole reached an average area coverage of 22.9 square km in 2018.