On April 21, 1997, the cremated remains of 24 people were launched into space in the first ever space funeral. One of those people was Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek. Other notable cremated people on board included the physicist and space exploration activist Gerard O’Neill, the...

Space in Africa, in collaboration with the African Space Agency AfSA and hosted by the Egyptian Space Agency EgSA, is organising the 2025 NewSpace Africa Conference from 21 to 24 April at the Egypt Space City, Cairo, Egypt. As Africa’s premier gathering for the continent’s and international space...

Africa’s long-standing ambitions in space took a historic step forward today, April 20, 2025, with the official inauguration of the African Space Agency AfSA at its permanent headquarters in Egypt’s Space City, Cairo. The landmark event marks the culmination of nearly a decade of strategic...

The International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development IAU-OAD will support 13 global projects in 2025, selected to receive a total of EUR 69,500. Two ongoing multi year projects have received EUR 21,000 for their second and third year of funding. This represents a 42.48%...

On April 16, 1972, Apollo 16 launched to the moon Apollo 16 was NASA’s fifth lunar landing and the penultimate mission of the entire Apollo program. Three NASA astronauts were on board John Young, the commander, Ken Mattingly, the command module pilot, and Charlie Duke, the lunar module pilot...

South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope has discovered a new giant radio galaxy, nicknamed ‘Inkathazo, meaning trouble in Xhosa and Zulu languages, due to the difficulty in understanding the physics behind this discovery. The cosmic megastructure measures 3.3 million light-years, which is 32 times the size...

At the 24th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa, Ms Fatimé Hamat Daoussa was elected as the final member of the African Space Council for a four-year term, securing 48 votes out of a possible 49. The Chadian delegation was represented by H.E. Mr...

Guinea-Bissau’s National Regulatory Authority for Information and Communication Technologies ARN-TIC has officially approved Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, for operation in the country, marking a significant step towards enhancing digital connectivity. The licensing announcement...

On April 15, 2005, NASA launched a spacecraft on a mission to rendezvous with a small communications satellite. The launch went according to plan, but the mission ended abruptly when the spacecraft collided with the satellite. The mission was known as DART, which is short for Demonstration for...