Billionaires, not governments, are the contestants in the new space race. Their competition is drawing criticism and eye rolling — and sparking debate about whether it actually benefits the rest of us. The big picture: International and corporate competition have been a part of the space industry since the launch of Sputnik nearly 65 years ago.

The Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo will pass on either side of our neighboring planet.

China is looking at the ways of getting astronauts to Mars and back safely and potentially establishing a long-term presence on the Red Planet.

Last Thursday the large new Russian space station module, Nauka, finally docked with the International Space Station after several technical issues en route to the orbiting laboratory. However, the problems did not end there. About three hours after linking to the station, Nauka began firing its propulsion thrusters, throwing the space station off kilter.

The federal government Friday rejected an appeal by billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to get in on NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the moon by using rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX. NASA in April awarded the $2.9 billion contract for a lunar lander to the more established SpaceX, which also offered a cheaper price than the bids from Blue Origin and Dynetics Inc., a subsidiary of Leidos.

Scientists have published a new, detailed radio image of the Andromeda galaxy – the Milky Way’s sister galaxy – which will allow them to identify and study the regions of Andromeda where new stars are born.

A "short-term software failure" made Nauka fire its engines.

The space rocks may have come from beyond Neptune, and potentially offer hints at the chaos of the early solar system.

Just because you were in space doesn't mean you get the wings of an astronaut. The Federal Aviation Administration set new rules concerning the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program and the criteria used to award those commanding, piloting or working on privately funded spacecraft with the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings badge.

It was Ingenuity's highest flight yet, too.

The US government has tightened rules on which space-goers can claim their astronaut wings.

Russia is launching a new module for the International Space Station (ISS), after more than a decade of delays. The Nauka module is set to lift off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on top of a Proton-M rocket at around 1500 GMT today, along with a new robotic arm for the station created by the European Space Agency.

There are already too many "sacrifice zones" on this planet.

A UK Space Agency project is being used to showcase how a quantum-inspired algorithm can work out the best way to manage space debris.

Last weekend, Richard Branson described his bounce up to low-earth orbit as making space “more accessible to all.” It’s laughably ironic for a billionaire to co-opt the language of inclusivity to describe the privatization of space flight. However, mainstream media shared the speech far and wide, largely uncritically, with few journalists pointing out that this carnival ride for the uber-rich was funded with over $200 million dollars in taxpayer subsidies.

Working with the United Nations, scientists hope to establish standards for satellite ‘megaconstellations’ and reduce disruption of astronomical observations.

By 2031, you may be able to spot the icy object in night skies with a good telescope.

What has SpaceX been up to in South Texas since early May?

Jeff Bezos' space venture Blue Origin on Thursday revealed that 18-year-old Oliver Daemen will fly in place of the still anonymous auction winner.

A House appropriations subcommittee advanced a spending bill July 12 that would give NASA a small increase over what the White House proposed for 2022.