The Latest Breaking News from Mars

First to (fictional) Mars.

The last two test flights of the biggest rocket ever built ended with explosions

Starbase in Texas, where the world’s richest man has a rocket-launching facility, was incorporated this week. Mars obsessives are flocking there – but some long-term locals are far from happy

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Space Agency (Esa). It has launched spectacularly successful missions, but is different to other space agencies which generally represent one country. Esa is funded by 23 member states and also has cooperation agreements with nations such as Canada.

Andy Weir’s bestselling story “The Martian” predicts that by 2035 NASA will have landed humans on Mars three times, perfected return-to-Earth flight systems and collaborated with the China National Space Administration. We are now 10 years past the Hollywood adaptation’s 2015 release and 10 years shy of its fictional timeline.…

Astronomers say new methane-powered Chinese rocket likely behind giant white streak

The latest selfie by NASA's Perseverance rover at Mars has captured an unexpected guest: a Martian dust devil

A newly discovered bacterial species aboard China's Tiangong space station may offer insights into how life can survive and potentially thrive in space.

DNA analysis has revealed that 26 novel species of "extremophile" bacteria were lurking in a clean room that housed NASA's Phoenix lander before it was launched to Mars in 2007. The hardy microbes might be capable of surviving in space.