About Author
Meet Ankita, a journalist and editor who’s spent almost a decade getting good stories in front of the people they’re meant for. At Starlust, you’ll find her covering the latest discoveries and stories from NASA, ESA, SpaceX, upcoming skywatching events, and more. Over the years, she’s worked on thousands of articles across a wide range of topics, with her work reaching millions of readers. Before joining Starlust, she served as Chief Editor at Kalrecon and covered stories for CollegeDunia and GameRant. Outside of work, Ankita spends her free time reading and exploring different creative side projects.
Latest From Ankita Garkoti
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How a 1947 UFO sighting near Mt. Rainier popularized the term “flying saucer”
On June 24, 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine shiny objects flying near Mount Rainier. Here's how he described the mysterious encounter.
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NASA-funded study reveals a Sahara meteorite is one of the oldest pieces of Mars ever found
Researchers age-dated the minerals in a nearly 2-pound (800-gram) meteorite and found it is a piece of Mars that formed more than 4.1 billion years ago.
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What does the Moon smell like? Here’s how Apollo astronauts described it
Every Apollo astronaut who walked on the Moon noticed a smell once lunar dust came inside the lunar module. Here’s what they shared.
Artemis II left temporary holes in Earth’s upper atmosphere that could have affected GPS, new study finds
The disturbances were stronger than any other rocket launch has caused so far and large enough that they could have triggered brief, localized errors in GPS positioning.
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This mysterious radio source has baffled astronomers for more than 20 years: Here’s why
Astronomers are still trying to identify VT J1906+0849, a radio source in the Milky Way that has been active since at least 2005. They still can’t say for sure what it is.
Watch: Rocket Lab launches 10th iQPS radar satellite on its 99th mission
Of Rocket Lab’s 99 launches, 90 were Electron flights, and nine used HASTE, a suborbital version.
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Goodbye, 3I/ATLAS: What scientists learned from this mysterious interstellar comet’s flyby
After passing closest to the Sun in late October 2025, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is on its way back to deep space.
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Does dark energy really exist? Some physicists are betting it doesn’t
Most of the universe is made of things we can’t yet explain, and some physicists think the leading explanation may be wrong.
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NASA’s Webb telescope reveals thousands of galaxies in its first deep field image
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far. See the image here.
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Project Sign: The U.S. Air Force's first UFO investigation that left 20 percent of cases a mystery
When the U.S. Air Force couldn’t make sense of what people said they were seeing in 1947, it opened an investigation called Project Sign. Here’s what happened next.
China’s top-secret space plane will pass over the U.S. this week: Here’s when and how to watch
Skywatchers across the U.S. have several chances to spot China’s Shenlong space plane through early November. Here’s how to spot it.
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Hundreds reported UFO sightings in 1951, and the mystery remains unsolved
In 1951, hundreds of people in and around Lubbock, Texas, reported seeing mysterious lights in the sky. Here’s what happened.
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Scientists don’t know how Mars got its two moons, and a new probe is on its way to find out
Scientists still can’t say how Phobos and Deimos ended up around Mars, and JAXA’s new mission is meant to help solve that mystery.
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Water likely isn’t forming gullies on Mars today, NASA orbiter data suggest
On Earth, flowing water cuts gullies like the ones on Mars, but a survey found no evidence that abundant liquid water was involved.
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WWII airmen saw mysterious UFOs trailing their planes, and the sightings are still unexplained
Near the end of World War II, crews of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron began reporting lights over the Rhine Valley that they could not identify.
Watch: SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites on its 117th Falcon 9 mission of 2026
Falcon 9 has launched 117 times this year, with about three-quarters of those flights carrying Starlink satellites.
Astronomers puzzle over a record-breaking cosmic explosion that lasted for 27 days
“We don’t know what the central engine driving this outburst is, and that’s what makes this such a compelling event.”
NASA safety panel asks agency to re-examine Artemis IV Moon landing plan
NASA’s safety panel questions Artemis IV’s untested refueling plan and warns of gaps in Earth-orbit access.
NASA reveals major details on SpaceX and Blue Origin lander plans ahead of Artemis III and IV
NASA has outlined its Artemis III and IV plans, with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers set for key tests ahead of the 2028 Moon landing.
Pentagon just released the 7th batch of declassified UFO files
The Pentagon’s latest release includes 28 new records, bringing its UAP archive to 478 files.
NASA shares moon lander timelines for SpaceX and Blue Origin ahead of Artemis III and IV
SpaceX and Blue Origin are targeting uncrewed moon landings by early 2028, according to NASA. Here’s what’s next.
SpaceX scrubs Bandwagon-5 launch over poor weather, now targets today: How to watch live
SpaceX's Falcon 9 will now attempt to launch 32 payloads, including two return capsules, on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
Rocket Lab delays next-gen Neutron rocket’s debut to 2027: Here’s what went wrong
Rocket Lab pushes Neutron’s first launch to 2027 after flaws were found in a carbon-fiber tank dome.
Watch: SpaceX’s first Starship to survive an ocean splashdown is finally back at Starbase
SpaceX’s Ship 40 completes its trip from the Indian Ocean back to Texas. Here’s what’s next.
Watch: SpaceX launches 6,300 pounds of cargo and the final solar arrays to the ISS
SpaceX’s Dragon is now on its way to the ISS with 6,300 pounds of cargo, including the final solar arrays and new research gear.
UAE reveals lander for its bold mission to seven asteroids; Launch expected in March 2028
The UAE’s second interplanetary mission will travel about 3 billion miles before the lander makes its final descent.
Watch: SpaceX launches 21 military satellites for U.S. Space Force after a five-day delay
The rocket’s first stage landed back at Vandenberg a little over seven minutes after liftoff. Watch the livestream here.
Watch: Splashdown! NASA's Crew-12 astronauts return to Earth after 237 days in space
After 237 days in orbit, the four astronauts safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on October 8, 2026.
Watch: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 undocks from the ISS; Splashdown expected on October 8
Crew-12 departed the ISS on October 7 and will spend about 27.5 hours traveling home before splashing down off California.
NASA wraps up Crew-12 mission: Four crew members set to leave the ISS no earlier than October 7
The crew is now completing a mission filled with research that could help shape future space missions.
Watch: SpaceX's Transporter-18 sends Google's AI test satellite to orbit with 129 other payloads
SpaceX's second launch of the day carried 130 payloads to orbit, including a Google AI pathfinder.
Watch: SpaceX launches NASA's Crew-13 on a record-fast trip to the ISS; Falcon 9 booster nails landing
The next milestone is docking with the ISS at 7:00 p.m. EDT, with the crew expected to enter the station at 8:45 p.m. EDT.