
Brett Tingley
Brett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more. Brett has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett enjoys skywatching throughout the dark skies of the Appalachian mountains.
Latest articles by Brett Tingley

Night sky for tonight: Visible planets, stars and more in this evening's sky
By Jamie Carter last updated
Find out what you can see in the night sky for tonight, from planets and stars to dazzling meteor showers.

Keeping space safe is the 'ultimate team sport', and the US Space Force has a new playbook
By Brett Tingley published
The U.S. Space Force is leaning more heavily into its allies around the world and unveiling a new International Partnership Strategy, the service's chief said today.

Lunar Outpost unveils sleek new 'Eagle' moon rover (photos)
By Brett Tingley published
Lunar Outpost unveiled its new "Eagle" moon rover at the 40th annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, and it looks straight out of science fiction.

NASA's in a 'weird period' right now, acting chief Janet Petro says
By Brett Tingley published
Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro says that these are strange times for the space agency.

US needs 'orbital interceptors' to win a war in space, Space Command chief says
By Brett Tingley published
Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting says the United States military needs orbital weapons in order to be successful if war ever comes to space.

The moon joins Mars and Jupiter in a 'mini planet parade' tonight. Here's how to see it
By Brett Tingley published
If you're lucky enough to have clear skies tonight, you can catch a "mini planet parade" as Mars and Jupiter appear alongside a half-lit moon in the southwestern sky.

Rare colorful lightning caught on camera by ISS astronaut. 'OK, this is kind of out there'
By Brett Tingley published
"OK, this is kind of out there and caters to your inner Uber-Geek."

SpinLaunch wants to send 250 broadband 'microsatellites' to orbit with a single launch
By Brett Tingley published
SpinLaunch has unveiled its plans for a new broadband satellite constellation known as Meridian Space.

Remember that asteroid everyone was worried about 2 months ago? The JWST just got a clear view of it
By Brett Tingley published
"All together, we have a better sense of what this building-sized asteroid is like."

Drone pilot who flew over Vandenberg Space Force Base sentenced to 4 months in jail
By Brett Tingley published
A California man has been sentenced to jail for flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base and photographing the installation.

DARPA accidentally detects SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket reentry by listening to Earth's atmosphere
By Brett Tingley published
Researchers with the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have successfully used Earth's atmosphere as a sensor to detect a distant disturbance.

US Space Force wants a new 'orbital carrier' to be a satellite launch pad in space
By Brett Tingley published
The U.S. Space Force is funding the development of a new "Orbital Carrier" spacecraft that can deploy multiple satellites when needed.

1st-ever orbital rocket launch from European soil falls to Earth and explodes seconds into flight
By Brett Tingley published
The first orbital rocket launch from European soil ended in an explosion when Isar Aerospace's rocket fell to Earth seconds after launching on March 30.

Katy Perry, Gayle King blast off on star-studded all-female Blue Origin rocket launch on April 14
By Brett Tingley published
Blue Origin has announced an April 14 liftoff date for its star-studded, all-female NS-31 mission launching on its New Shepard rocket.

NASA says removal of 'first woman, person of color' language from Artemis websites 'does not indicate' moon mission crew change
By Brett Tingley published
NASA websites no longer state that the Artemis 3 mission will aim to land the first person of color and the first woman on the moon, but the agency says this does not reflect a change in crew.

Wow! Private lunar lander watches 'diamond ring' eclipse from the surface of the moon (photo)
By Brett Tingley published
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander witnessed a solar eclipse during what we on Earth saw as a total lunar eclipse on March 14, 2025.

NASA's SPHEREx science probe heads to orbit | Space photo of the day March 12, 2025
By Brett Tingley published
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched two NASA science probes on March 11, 2025 in a spectacular nighttime liftoff from California after multiple delays.

Wispy comet photobombs 'rare' planetary parade above Chile's Atacama Desert (photos)
By Brett Tingley published
The moon, the Milky Way, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter Mars, Neptune, Uranus and comet C/2024 G3 are all visible at once in breathtaking new photos from the European Southern Observatory.

NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet clears 'major hurdle' ahead of 1st flight (photos)
By Brett Tingley published
NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet recently passed electromagnetic interference testing, moving it one step closer to its first flight.

NASA's brand-new Lunar Trailblazer probe suffers glitch on way to the moon
By Brett Tingley published
NASA's water-hunting Lunar Trailblazer probe is experiencing communication and power issues while it makes its way to the moon following a Feb. 26 launch.

US Space Force reveals 1st look at secretive X-37B space plane in orbit (photo)
By Brett Tingley published
The United States Space Force released the first public photo taken by X-37B space plane in orbit, showing the vehicle high above Earth.

Does the moon look smaller tonight? Here's why a 'micromoon' rises
By Brett Tingley published
The moon reaches its farthest point from Earth tonight, known as apogee, making it appear ever so slightly smaller in the night sky.

See Mars next to a nearly full moon in the sky Feb. 9
By Brett Tingley published
The moon makes for an excellent guide to see Mars in the night sky on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 9.
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