Japan is set to launch a space probe on a six-year mission to mine a distant asteroid after the event was postponed because of bad weather, officials said.

A mysterious Russian object is being tracked by space agencies, giving new life to fears about the increase of space weapons.

Mankind may have already accomplished the giant leap of walking on the moon, but a group of scientists and entrepreneurs is hoping to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Scientists are hailing Philae's flight and landing - described as the equivalent of aiming a fly at a speeding bullet - as an outstanding success.

European space engineers hope to carry out carefully programmed manoeuvres over the coming hours and days to rescue the Philae lander from its precarious position on the comet.

Rosetta’s lander comes to rest in the shade – starving it of the solar power it requires to function.

It was audacious, it was bold, but it was a success. For the first time, humanity has a physical presence on the icy surface of a passing comet.

Virgin Galactic's Peter Siebold says he regained consciousness on the way down to Earth after tragic explosion that claimed the life of his co-pilot.

So fans of the actor's witty puns, intellectual musings and calls to humanitarian arms will be disappointed to learn that he's decided to temporarily quit the network.

A European Space Agency astronaut has made a dazzling time-lapse video from aboard the International Space Station as it flew over New Zealand.

This timelapse video was taken by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst as he flew over New Zealand on the International Space Station at around 400 km altitude. The nighttime video shows an aurora that occurs when Earth’s atmosphere interacts with solar radiation. The International Space Station travels at 28 800 km/h meaning that it only takes 90 minutes to circle Earth completely. Footage: European Space Agency

Kiwis on waiting lists for commercial space flights remain determined would-be astronauts, although one admits to losing some confidence in Virgin Galactic's programme.

The pilot who died in a tragic accident aboard Virgin's SpaceShipTwo has been identified.

A NZer booked to go into space with Virgin Galactic is weighing up his plans after the company's rocket exploded yesterday.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, warns about artificial intelligence, saying it could be more threatening than nuclear weapons.

Rocket taking cargo to ISS as part of US$1.9bn project exploded after lift-off – and the whole frightening scene was captured on video.

Aucklanders might not get the best glimpse of tonight's total lunar eclipse, with cloudy skies and a few evening showers forecast.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos will team up with a Boeing-Lockheed Martin to develop US-made rocket engines, in competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX venture.

Nasa has awarded its first private contracts for ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station.

An asteroid nicknamed after a maligned dog and with the potential to cause catastrophic damage will pass within 40,000km of Earth this morning.

A newly discovered asteroid the size of a whale will fly by New Zealand tomorrow morning.

Night-time images captured by US defence satellites show a New Zealand much brighter than it was in the early 1990s.

Satellites in orbit are routinely used for communication, imaging and navigation - yet many people don't understand how these satellites remain in space.

A geomagnetic storm has sparked auroras around both poles - helping set up a stunning photograph taken in Otago.

Researchers established that tiny life forms were thriving in a lake beneath 800 metres of pack ice, despite not seening sunlight or fresh air for around a million years.

Snaps taken of the 'supermoon' rising in New Zealand. The full moon tonight will be the largest until September 2015.