Space exploration

This photo provided by researcher Jane Greaves shows the planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe in May 2016. (J. Greaves/Cardiff University/JAXA via AP)

Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus

A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth.

May 2

In this image provided by NASA, astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers work outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/NASA TV)

NASA astronauts step outside space station to perform the 5th all-female spacewalk

May 1

FILE- Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong wave as they attend the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

3 astronauts return to Earth after 6 months on China’s space station

April 30

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with a payload of 27 of Amazon's Project Kuiper internet satellites lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Amazon launches its first internet satellites to compete against SpaceX’s Starlinks

April 29

China's Long March 2F rocket, carrying three astronauts for the Shenzhou 20 manned space mission, heads for a space station, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Spaceship carrying 3 Chinese astronauts docks with Tiangong space station in latest crew rotation

April 24

NASA astronauts step outside space station on the 5th all-female spacewalk

NASA’s Anne McClain emerged from the International Space Station on Thursday alongside Nichole Ayers for the 5th all-female spacewalk

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China launches 3 astronauts to replace crew on Chinese space station

Scientists find possible chemical signs of life on a faraway planet

AP top stories April 8 P

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Astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou 20 mission captain Chen Dong, center, Wang Jie, left, and Chen Zhongrui meet with the press at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China reveals new team of astronauts for space station launch

April 23

This photo provided by NASA shows the asteroid Donaldjohanson as seen by the Lucy spacecraft during its flyby on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL via AP)

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft beams back pictures of an asteroid shaped like a lumpy bowling pin

April 23

This image provided by Mike Olason shows the newly-discovered comet SWAN on April 6, 2025. (Mike Olason via AP)

A green comet likely is breaking apart and won’t be visible to the naked eye

April 21

Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner sits outside the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft after landing with NASA astronaut Don Pettit and fellow cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

A Soyuz capsule with 2 Russians and 1 American returns to Earth from the International Space Station

April 20

This image from video animation provided by NASA in October 2022 depicts the Lucy spacecraft. (NASA via AP)

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is speeding toward another close encounter with an asteroid

April 18

Astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan poses for a photo at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, England, April 2025. (Atlantic Studios via AP)

Scientists find possible chemical signs of life on a faraway planet

April 18

This artist’s illustration provided by the European Southern Observatory shows an exoplanet orbiting around two brown dwarfs, celestial objects that are lighter than stars, but heavier than gas giant planets. (M. Kornmesser/ESO via AP)

Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say

April 16

This China National Space Administration (CNSA) handout image released by Xinhua News Agency, shows the lander-ascender combination of Chang'e-6 probe taken by a mini rover after it landed on the moon surface, June 4, 2024. (CNSA/Xinhua via AP, File)

Soil from the moon’s far side suggests drier conditions than the side facing Earth

April 9

Commander Jared Isaacman speaks at a news conference after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center for an upcoming private human spaceflight mission in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Billionaire spacewalker highlights Mars trip for astronauts in his bid to become NASA’s next chief

April 9

This artistic animation shows asteroid 2024 YR4 passing by Earth. Astronomers created a 3D image of the newly discovered asteroid after observing it with a telescope in Chile. (9NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor via AP)

New observations show the asteroid that won’t hit Earth resembles a spinning hockey puck

April 8

A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, lifts off for the International Space Station from the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)

A US-Russian crew of 3 arrives at the International Space Station

April 8

This image provided by the European Space Agency on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, captured by NASA's Webb telescope, shows the asteroid 2024 YR4. (European Space Agency via AP)

NASA’s Webb telescope captures photos of the asteroid that won’t hit Earth in 2032

April 2

This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that's capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP, File)

A NASA spacecraft will make another close pass of the sun

March 21

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows Venus taken from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

Venus passes between the Earth and sun this weekend — but don’t try to look for it

March 20

NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo enroute to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on a Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Who else has been stuck in space? A short history of long spaceflights

March 19

This image provided by NOAA on March 19, 2025 shows Earth. (NOAA via AP)

The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?

March 19

This photo provided by the European Space Agency shows various galaxies imaged by the Euclid mission. (European Space Agency via AP)

European telescope studying the dark universe unveils new images of distant galaxies

March 19

This image provided by NASA/Firefly Aerospace, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, shows the sun setting on the moon, with Earth and Venus in the distance. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)

Blue Ghost lander captures stunning sunset shots on the moon before falling silent

March 18

This image made from video by NASA shows Russian astronaut Alexei Ovchinin, left, Butch Wilmore, center, and Suni Williams wait to greet newly arrived astronauts after the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (NASA via AP)

Behind the story of the return of stuck NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams

March 18

In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

Who are the NASA astronauts who have been stuck in space for 9 months?

March 18

This image made from video by NASA shows astronauts Don Pettit, bottom center, hugging Kirill Peskov as astronauts greet each other after a SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (NASA via AP)

NASA’s stuck astronauts welcome their newly arrived replacements to the space station

March 16

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of four aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifts off on a mission to the International Space Station lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

SpaceX launches a new crew to the space station to replace NASA’s stuck astronauts

March 15

Manager Stephen Jarrett displays their National Pie Championships 1st place winning country apple pie at Michele's Pies, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Norwalk, Conn. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

What’s Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more

March 14

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft scrubbed prior to liftoff for a mission to the International Space Station from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

SpaceX delays flight to replace NASA’s stuck astronauts after launch pad problem

March 13

In this image taken from video released by SpaceX, NASA's newest space telescope, Spherex, drifts off into space after separating from a SpaceX rocket's upper stage after launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (SpaceX via AP)

NASA’s newest space telescope blasts off to map the entire sky and millions of galaxies

March 12

In this satellite image provided by CSU/CIRA & NOAA taken 1:10 GMT on Feb. 25, 2025, shows three cyclones, from left, Alfred, Seru and Rae east of Australia in the South Pacific. (CSU/CIRA & NOAA via AP, File)

Climate change, already causing problems on Earth, could soon create a mess for orbiting satellites

March 10

This photo provided by NASA shows the Intuitive Machines' Athena lander approaching the surface of the moon on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (NASA via AP)

Private lunar lander is declared dead after landing sideways in a crater near the moon’s south pole

March 7

This photo provided by NASA shows the Intuitive Machines' Athena lander approaching the surface of the moon on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (NASA via AP)

Private lunar lander may have fallen over while touching down near the moon’s south pole

March 6

This illustration provided by NASA depicts Voyager 1. (NASA via AP, File)

NASA powers down two instruments on twin Voyager spacecraft to save power

March 5

This image taken from video posted by NASA shows, from left, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Suni Williams speaking during a news conference, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (NASA via AP)

NASA’s two stuck astronauts are finally closing in on their return to Earth after 9 months in space

March 4