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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Is there a hidden cave under this Moon pit? NASA is sending instruments to find out
Scientists can see the pit from orbit, but only instruments on the ground can show whether it leads anywhere.
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A giant star 2.5 million times brighter than the Sun vanished from view. Scientists may know why
When researchers returned to study the distant star, they found no sign of the massive object they had been tracking for years. Here’s what happened.
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Astronomers found a giant planet that should have been swallowed by its dying star
The strange system may offer clues about how planets can survive some of the most violent changes their stars undergo.
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An astronaut suddenly couldn't speak in space, and NASA still doesn't know why
A sudden illness cut a NASA crew's space station stay short, and doctors still don't have an answer. Here’s what happened.
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.
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Stunning ‘space jellyfish’ appears over the East Coast after SpaceX’s CRS-35 launch; See photos
Eyewitnesses called the view ‘just beautiful beyond belief.’ Here’s a look at the stunning images from the launch.
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NASA’s Pioneer probes seemed to defy physics for decades. Scientists finally found out why
For decades, NASA’s Pioneer probes fell behind schedule for no clear reason, until scientists solved the mystery.
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.
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How the Pentagon’s top-secret project fueled America’s biggest UFO mysteries
As investigators revisited decades-old UFO claims, they uncovered a mix of hidden military tests and mysteries that lingered for years.
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"Houston, we've had a problem": How Apollo 13’s Moon mission turned into a fight to get home
A "bang" about 205,000 miles from Earth ended Apollo 13's Moon landing plan and started a race to bring the crew home.
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Black holes may be stranger than we thought, researchers suggest
A new theory asks whether the standard story of how black holes form rests on an assumption that has gone unnoticed.
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.
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These are the haunting last images from NASA's Opportunity rover on Mars
NASA's Opportunity rover sent its last images from Mars in June 2018, as a global dust storm darkened the sky. See the images.
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Astronomers detect first-ever radio signal from a planet outside our solar system
The radio waves point to a magnetic field at least 200 times stronger than Jupiter's, researchers say.
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Japan once dismissed UFOs. Now the government is investigating unexplained sightings seriously
Recent UAP reports near Japan have put the country’s approach to these mysterious objects back in the spotlight.
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.
SpaceX Starship Flight 14: Booster splashes down in the Gulf, Ship ends in a fireball (watch video)
Ship reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites before SpaceX cut the flight short.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 launches its third classified U.S. Space Force mission (watch video)
This was Falcon 9's 108th flight this year, with about 75% going toward the Starlink constellation.
NASA's Crew-13 mission will study astronaut health for future Moon and Mars missions
“Together, these investigations will help NASA better understand how the human body responds to spaceflight”
ESA and JAXA's Ramses probe powers up ahead of a rare close encounter with asteroid Apophis
“For the first time ever, nature is bringing one to us and conducting the experiment itself.”
Mars looks purple in a stunning new ESA image. Here's what's behind the color
ESA shared 3D close-ups and a topographic map to show how high or low the ground sits.
NASA lays out timeline for new US Space Academy, first class set for 2028
The first class of 300 students will begin in 2028, with the permanent campus fully operational by 2031.
SpaceX gears up to launch its second classified Space Force mission; Here's how to watch it live
Just days after its first classified payload of the week, SpaceX is gearing up for a second launch from Vandenberg.
White House forms new council to find answers to the UFO mystery
The new council will study unexplained aerial phenomena and examine what may be behind the sightings.
Scientists just found a bizarre new form of ice that could explain what’s inside Uranus and Neptune
A new hexagonal ice phase found in lab tests may explain Neptune and Uranus's odd magnetic fields. Here’s how.
What if dark energy is evolving? Comprehensive new dataset questions a core assumption
“Two completely independent measurements have found hints of time variation in dark energy"
Mercury has been shrinking faster than we realized. Here’s what that means
New research suggests the planet has lost nearly 12 miles from its diameter, and the reason could lie deep inside.