NASA pauses work by key space science groups amid Trump executive orders

February 4, 2025 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE The Launchpad (Space.com/Josh Dinner / Blue Origin / Rocket Lab / Space.com/Josh Dinner / Roscosmos) New record coming? 5 rockets launching in next 24 hours It could be a banner day for spaceflight today (Feb. 4), with five rocket launches planned in 24 hours, four of them from the U.S. alone. Watch them live Space Quiz! What geological feature creates the 'man in the moon' phenomenon? Learn the answer here! Lunar Maria Lunar Core Lunar Crust Lunar Craters (NASA) NASA space science groups pause work amid Trump orders There is a good chance of seeing the northern lights from high-latitude regions tonight as geomagnetic activity remains unsettled. Earth is still feeling the effects of the fast solar wind stream from a coronal hole but solar wind speeds are gradually slowing down and will likely return to normal by Feb. 5. Read More Skywatching Northern lights forecasts, alerts, and geomagnetic warnings (Space.com / Josh Dinner) A giant coronal hole is currently aiming aurora-sparking solar wind directly at Earth. The incoming solar wind is expected to arrive around Jan. 31 to Feb. 1. Full Story: Space (11/18)  Spaceflight Blue Origin to launch New Shepard moon-gravity mission (Blue Origin) Blue Origin is now targeting today for its first-ever moon-gravity mission. The company first tried to launch the NS-29 mission on Jan. 28, but called was off due to uncooperative weather. Now, plans to fly the uncrewed NS-29 on Tuesday morning. Full Story: Space (2/3)  Science & Astronomy Is the moon still geologically active? Evidence says maybe (LeonardoFernndezLzaro / 500px via Getty Images) The moon may still be geologically active, judging from the way the lunar far side is wrinkling as the moon contracts. At least, that's what planetary scientists who have discovered 266 lunar "wrinkle ridges," say, as all of these ridges appear to have formed during the past 160 million years in the rare volcanic plains on the lunar far side. Full Story: Space (2/3)  SpaceX SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from Florida (photos) (SpaceX) SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast early this morning (Feb. 4). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today at 5:14 a.m. EDT (1014 GMT). Full Story: Space (2/2)  Search for Life NASA wants a 'Super-Hubble' to search for alien life (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab) Called the Habitable Worlds Observatory, the telescope is so massive it may even need to ride a next-gen megarocket like SpaceX's Starship to reach space. Full Story: Space (1/16)