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Happy Thursday, space fans!
Starting things out with some strange science, scientists have discovered a planet that orbits its star in...the wrong direction? That's right, a newly-found exoplanet seems to be orbiting its star backwards — weird! In more strange science news, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has discovered evidence of ancient hot water on Mars. And in perhaps the strangest news of all, an asteroid-mining company (which, yes, that's now a thing, or at least will be soon) has announced its plans to launch the world's first autonomous space mission in 2027. What could go wrong?
Check out what's big in space below:
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Follow live updates as SpaceX prepares its latest Starship rocket for the vehicle's first orbital launch attempt. The company is currently targeting Sept. 28 for Starship's Flight 14, which is poised to fly the spacecraft farther than ever before.
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AstroForge plans to launch the first-ever totally autonomous space mission in 2027, potentially paving the way for a new era of exploration.
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Use September's full moon as a guide to spot the ringed planet, then turn a telescope toward two of the night sky's most rewarding sights.
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The dazzling show comes as aurora season gets underway — and the sun's turbulent declining phase could mean we're in for a good one.
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A spectacular wildflower bloom has transformed parts of Western Australia's normally arid landscape following months of unusually wet weather.
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There's also a possible nod to 'Deep Space Nine' in the time-hopping "Tomorrow's Enterprise"
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And that's it for our space update today!
What do you think about the idea of an asteroid-mining company launching an autonomous space mission? That's many different layers of science fiction come to reality, so we will certainly keep you in the loop as we learn more. Coming up soon, we are looking forward to the next Starship launch at the end of this month. With this launch, which will be Flight 14 for Starship, SpaceX aims to put a Starship into orbit for the first time. With lots of ups and downs for this vehicle, we will have to wait and see how that goes.
This weekend, on Saturday, we will be treated to the Full Harvest Moon. So throw on some Neil Young and enjoy the spectacular lunar view. And did you watch the season finale of season 4 of "Strange New Worlds?" I won't spoil anything if you haven't, but if you're a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan, you might want to check this out. It's never a dull moment on the final frontier. To follow closely along and stay up to date with all things space, you can now get Space.com right in the palm of your hand with our new app available now on iOS and Android.
Ad astra, per aspera
Chelsea Gohd
Content Manager, Space.com
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