A SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers last year. Space tracking experts say the upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon on Wednesday. The high-speed impact will carve out a crater and send up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists and skygazers are eager to observe. The eastern portions of the U.S. and Canada, and much of South America, should have the best views. SpaceX's abandoned rocket stage hoisted a pair of private lunar landers in January 2025 and has been drifting ever since.

A U.S.-Russian space crew landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday after an eight-month stint on the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian crewmates Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev touched down in their Soyuz MS-28 that landed smoothly by parachute in a designated area southeast of Dzhezkazgan. Their 241-day stint on the orbiting outpost was the first space mission for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud‑Sverchkov.

A U.S.-Russian space crew has arrived at the International Space Station for an eight-month mission. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian crewmates Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off Tuesday from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and docked at the station three hours later. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch, marking the first visit to Baikonur by a NASA chief in eight years. This highlights ongoing cooperation between Moscow and Washington in space, despite tensions over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

China has successfully recaptured the first stage of a rocket after a launch, marking a breakthrough for its space program. The Long March-10B rocket's first stage separated after liftoff and returned to a platform in the sea. The achievement, reported by state media, mirrors what SpaceX has been doing for years to reduce launch costs. The rocket launched from Hainan Island, a popular beach destination. It can carry up to 25,285 pounds into low Earth orbit. In comparison, SpaceX's Falcon 9 can carry up to 50,265 pounds. The Falcon 9 transports astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.

A three-armed spacecraft is rushing to the rescue of a NASA telescope that’s in danger of crashing back to Earth. Northrop Grumman launched Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link spacecraft on Friday from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The Pegasus rocket blasted off from the belly of a modified airplane, putting Link on course to reach NASA’s Swift Observatory in about a month. Launched in 2004, Swift is sinking faster than ever because of recent solar storms. NASA is paying $30 million for Katalyst to capture the telescope and boost its orbit so it can continue tracking the universe’s biggest explosions.