A unique phenomenon that could be mistaken for spiders scuttling across the planet’s surface has been spotted on Mars, according to the European Space Agency. The ESA said in a news release that one of its Mars Express orbiter captured images of the “spiders,” which are really just small, dark-colored features that begin to be formed when sunshine falls on …

Three Chinese taikonauts blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Thursday and set off after the the Tiangong space station to replace three long-duration crew members who are closing out a six-month stay in space. With veteran Ye Guangfu, 43, at the controls of the Shenzhou 18 spacecraft, flanked by rookies Li Cong, 34, and …

Two veteran astronauts flew to the Kennedy Space Center Thursday afternoon to prepare for the first piloted launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, a long-awaited flight running years behind schedule after two uncrewed test flights and extensive work to resolve a variety of technical problems. Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, two of NASA’s most seasoned astronauts with four previous …