Jon Kelvey

The samples hold chemical clues to the formation of our solar system—and the origin of life-supporting stuff on our planet.

In a recent panel on the status of space biology research, experts called for open data practices that would make big meta-analyses possible.

If it succeeds, NOVA-C will be the first-ever commercial craft to land on the moon that hasn't failed—or crashed.

India's upcoming space goals include a 2026 crewed mission, plus sending an orbiter to Venus and Mars, too.

We may be a spacefaring species, but only a tiny vanguard have actually explored beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Charting the galaxies in the sky has come a long way since the 18th century, when Charles Messier first included 40 nearby galaxies in his catalog of celestial objects.

Despite the best efforts of humans, the natural entropy of the space environment and the persnickety nature of rockets still occasionally prevail.

During the years NASA has been planning its Mars Sample Return mission, coders were busy charting an artificial intelligence revolution, while robotics engineers continued making ever more sophisticated machines. Is it time to consider analyzing the samples on Mars instead of bringing the rocks and dirt home to search for organisms or evidence of ancient life? Jon Kelvey asked the hard questions and learned the harsh realities.

Nation-states are blowing up satellites. Companies are launching megaconstellations of thousands of satellites. Dead rocket stages whiz around the planet for years. And yet, the International Space Station hasn't been destroyed, payloads reach deep space unharmed, and we're not trapped on Earth — at least not by debris. Either calamity is not upon us or we just don't recognize it. Jon Kelvey takes the measure of Kessler Syndrome.

NASA and DARPA think nuclear thermal propulsion could be the best way to get humans to Mars. Elon Musk is keeping his faith in the brute force of burning hydrocarbons. Who is right? It turns out either could work, but there are a lot of “ifs” for both strategies. Jon Kelvey has the analysis.