High-orbit satellites could light the way for travel to the moon
Acting as cooperative optical beacons, the satellites could provide GPS-like navigation and communications support for spacecraft operating across cislunar space.
Diffuse puffs of “missing” matter surround most galaxies
An MIT-led team used bright radio bursts to illuminate a vast source of matter that was previously unaccounted for.
MIT researcher proposes a way to detect nuclear weapons in space
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons in space, but there’s currently no way to verify that satellites aren’t carrying them.
Many black holes had past lives, new research shows
Physicists have found signs of colliding black holes that are themselves products of previous black hole smash-ups.
MIT student teams win top honors in NASA competition
Three MIT teams took five top awards in the 2026 NASA RASC-AL Competition for designing critical elements for the moon base and future missions to Mars.
Antenna array could provide protected tactical satellite communications in low-Earth orbit
The prototype array uses a small, lightweight, low-power, and low-cost aperture.
Listening for the echoes of black holes
By analyzing X-ray reverberations and other astrophysical data, Erin Kara seeks to understand the most extreme objects in the universe.
Astronomers map a magnetic “skeleton” funneling gas into a stellar nursery
MIT Haystack Observatory researchers use SOFIA observations to reveal how magnetic fields guide the assembly of one of our galaxy's most active high-mass star-forming regions.
MIT SPURS looks to the future of urban technology and policy
As the international program approaches its 60th year, leaders are reshaping its curriculum to address emerging technologies and the policies shaping their use in urban planning.
MIT astronomers discover the earliest known flickering quasar
When the universe was just 850 million years old, this voracious black hole was already surprisingly mature, a new study finds.
How Artemis II livestreamed hi-def videos and images from the moon to Earth
This first use of laser communications on a crewed mission at lunar distance was a foundational step to establishing a high-speed internet in deep space.
New propulsion system could make tiny satellites both fast and fuel-efficient
For satellites as small as a briefcase, getting around in space just got a whole lot easier.
MIT students study plasma physics beneath Alaska’s aurora
Student-led expeditions use distributed instruments to observe auroral structures and probe space plasma in real-world conditions.
A new way to spot signs of dark matter
Gravitational waves emitted by colliding black holes may bear imprints of dark matter, which physicists could detect with a new model.
Astronomers pin down the origins of a planetary odd couple
New measurements of a hot Jupiter and its mini-Neptune companion suggest both planets formed surprisingly far away from their host star.