About Author
A creative professional with forays into all kinds of artistic pursuits, Pranjal's knack for meticulousness when it comes down to telling stories about space is rooted in his existential fascination. Aspects of his creative writing stem from a range of influences—be it the excellent authorship of Carl Sagan in Cosmic Connection, or in Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. From an early age, the works of astronomy iconoclasts Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler helped him develop a scientific temper in the face of prevailing traditions, and this has pervaded into Pranjal's current works on spaceflight and skywatching. With him joining Starlust.org’s brilliant team of writers, he can realize his dream of perhaps awakening the curiosity of a fellow stargazer, the same way his own interests were piqued many moons ago.
Latest From Pranjal Pranit
ESA's Mars Express reveals how the most visually striking cloud on the Red Planet forms
Despite some difference between how the cloud behaved in reality and what simulations showed, scientists still said that “the result is remarkable".
SpaceX's 35th space station resupply mission: Launch date, timing, live coverage, and cargo details
NASA and SpaceX are targeting October 13 for the launch of the CRS-35 mission, which will deliver a variety of science experiments to the International Space Station.
Aurora forecast: Solar storm could bring northern lights to New York and other U.S. states on October 9
This will be the second moderate geomagnetic storm in the past seven days, with only minor auroras seen in the months before.
South Korea's Nuri rocket falls just short of perfect on its most complex mission yet
The mission marked the rocket's first attempt to deploy multiple primary satellites designed to perform the same mission.
A breakthrough Hubble discovery shows signs of a planet forming after its host star's death
"What Hubble is showing us in this white dwarf system is something we haven’t seen before," said astronomer Jamie Williams.
SpaceX targets October 8 for Falcon 9 launch of SDA’s fourth Tranche 1 data transport mission after delay
The mission was postponed after Monday's planned launch was scrubbed for unknown reasons.
NASA-SpaceX's Crew-12 astronauts to return from ISS: How to watch return trip and splashdown livestream
The livestream will start with closing of the spacecraft hatch and end with splashdown.
NASA’s Jessica Meir hands ISS command to cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov ahead of Crew-12 return
Jessica Meir took charge in July this year and will return to Earth with Crew-12 soon.
69th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch: How the world’s first satellite ushered in the space age
While the launch of Sputnik 1 represented a tremendous achievement for all of humanity, the U.S. reacted with fear.
Space weekly recap, September 26 - October 2, 2026: Key stories you may have missed
While Starship's Flight 14 made the headlines, several other interesting developments took place.
China unveils bold plan to complete first AI-driven geological map of Mars by 2028
The map will serve to complement the Tianwen-3 sample return mission from Mars, slated for 2028.
New NASA material, grown inside bacteria, could be produced directly on Moon and Mars
This material could allow NASA to pack light, thereby making launches cheaper for the agency.
Aurora forecast: Maine and other U.S. states may see the northern lights on October 2 as CME hits Earth
Geomagnetic storms make auroras expand southward, and northern U.S. states could benefit.
Starship Flight 14 in photos: See how SpaceX executed the first orbital test of its giant rocket
The third test flight of Starship V3, Flight 14 lasted a little over three hours.
A second shot for Starliner: NASA set to re-induct Boeing's spacecraft after 2024 ISS incident
It appears that confidence in the spacecraft to carry out missions to the ISS has been restored.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission: How and when to watch astronauts launch towards International Space Station
This will be the 14th flight of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft with a crew on board, including the Demo2 test flight, to the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
SpaceX Starship Flight 14 launches today: When and how to watch the livestream
This will be the first orbital flight of SpaceX's flagship rocket, and is likely to span 10 hours.
What are coronal holes on the Sun? How do they affect us on Earth?
Coronal holes are temporary features of our star’s surface that can have far-reaching consequences.
Space weekly recap, September 19 - 25, 2026: Key stories you may have missed
Read about the new constraints on asteroid Bennu's origins, SpaceX's plans for October, and more in this week's space recap.
Scientists have discovered new heat-resistant amoeba—and it could help find alien life
Certain fungi and algae are known to survive extreme heat, but this newly discovered amoeba has broken all records.
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NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is in space now: See stunning pics from its launch
The most advanced space telescope ever launched is set to uncover some of the age-old mysteries of the universe. After the lift-off on August 30, 2026, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is enroute to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), about 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from our planet.
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SpaceX Crew-13 seen training for the first time post NASA announcement
The upcoming batch of humans to go to space with SpaceX Commercial Crew-13, who will later form part of Expedition 75 aboard the Space Station, train at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. NASA’s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency’s Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will form part of the crew. Only Commander Watkins has been in space before.
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President Trump welcomes the Artemis II crew to the White House after their historic Moon mission
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and the Artemis II crew in the Oval Office of the White House on April 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. The crew consisted of Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Commander Reid Wiseman and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
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Jordan becomes 63rd Artemis Accords signatory
NASA and the US Department of State and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords in 2020. With many countries and private companies conducting missions and operations around the Moon, the Artemis Accords provide a common set of principles to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space.
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Artemis II in photos: Humanity’s historic mission around the Moon and back
NASA's Artemis II mission returned humans to the Moon for the first time in over five decades. Thanks to the photographs captured by the crew, people across the globe can now view pictures of the lunar far side, the Earth in its entirety, and a rare solar eclipse.
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Latvia becomes the 62nd country to join US-led Artemis Accords
Representatives from the Republic of Latvia, including Minister of Education and Science Dace Melbārde, agreed to join the Artemis Accords. These are a set of governing principles that outline an ideal of cooperative nature of space exploration for all member nations. The event, making the European nation the 62nd signatory, was held on April 20, 2026 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.