Now playing Next world news 2020 wasn't a great year on Earth - but what about in space? With so much of the planet's population stuck at home for large parts of the year, 2020 has at least been a good one for looking up at the sky and taking in the wonders of the cosmos. 28/12/2020
Now playing Next world news The Great Conjunction: Jupiter and Saturn align closest in centuries The planets pass each other in their respective orbits around the Sun every 20 Earth years, they haven't been this close in the sky since 1623. 21/12/2020
Now playing Next Chile Total solar eclipse wows crowds across Latin America Thousands travelled across Chile and Argentina to catch a glimpse of the celestial event which won't be seen again until 2048. 15/12/2020
Now playing Next no comment Russia successfully test-launches Angara-5 space rocket It blasted off from Plesetsk cosmodrome in northwest Russia on Monday. 14/12/2020
Now playing Next Russia Russia completes second successful test launch of Angara A5 rocket Russia has successfully launched its Angara A5 rocket, the second successful test flight of the rocket officials said. 14/12/2020
Now playing Next USA SpaceX’s Starship test flight explodes on touchdown An unmanned test flight for SpaceX’s Starship, a rocketship Elon Musk hopes will carry people to Mars, ended in a spectacular explosion upon touchdown on Wednesday night. 10/12/2020
Now playing Next world news NASA recruits companies to collect moon rock for as little as $1 The contracts are primarily intended to set a legal precedent for the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources by the private sector going forward. 04/12/2020
Now playing Next world news Astronomers produce most detailed 3D map yet of the Milky Way The first accurate 3D map of the Milky Way has been unveiled by the European Space Agency which could help shed fresh light on the Galaxy. 03/12/2020
Now playing Next Latvia Latvian technology could one day prevent asteroids from hitting Earth Latvia's space technology tradition dates back to Soviet times when Sputnik - the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth - was launched in 1957. 02/12/2020
Now playing Next China China's space probe will bring rocks back to Earth from the moon It will be the first time samples from the moon have been brought back to Earth since the 1970s. 02/12/2020
Now playing Next Switzerland Europe signs €86 million deal to bring space trash home The European Space Agency said on Thursday that the deal with ClearSpace SA will lead to the "first active debris removal mission in 2025". 26/11/2020
Now playing Next Green News Why has the UK Space Agency won an award for sustainability? The Agency has been honoured for its International Partnership Programme. 07/11/2020
Now playing Next world news NASA spacecraft leaking asteroid samples into space NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft has collected too much material from the asteroid Bennu, millions of miles from Earth, and it is now spilling its contents into space. 24/10/2020
Now playing Next world news Astronaut and cosmonauts return after mission launched during pandemic An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) after a six-month mission in space, launched in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. 22/10/2020
Now playing Next world news Spacecraft touches asteroid's surface in mission to grab rock sample Flight controllers declare success in NASA mission to collect material from an asteroid 200 million miles from planet Earth using the Osiris-Rex spacecraft 20/10/2020
Now playing Next world news ‘How’s the signal up there?’: Nokia to bring 4G to the moon Nokia says it will build a 4G communications system for the moon, as part of NASA’s plan to establish a long-term human presence there 19/10/2020
Now playing Next world news Chief astronaut swaps space trip for daughter's wedding Veteran astronaut Christopher Ferguson has swapped a trip to space to make sure he can make his daughter's wedding 08/10/2020
Now playing Next USA Potty training: NASA tests new $23M titanium space toilet NASA is set to launch a new space toilet to the International Space Station for testing. 02/10/2020
Now playing Next Russia Volunteers build path to site of cosmonaut landing in Russian forest The trail, deep in the remote Perm region of Russia, will take visitors to the site where 55 years ago two cosmonauts crash-landed after their spacecraft malfunctioned. 01/09/2020
Now playing Next world news No supernova: Dust may have caused mysterious dimming of giant star The mysterious dimming of one of the brightest stars in the sky, which caused a stir among space-watchers at the end of 2019, may now have an explanation. 14/08/2020