Mike Wall
Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.
Latest articles by Mike Wall

SpaceX delays Flight 8 of Starship megarocket to March 3
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX has pushed back the eighth test flight of its Starship megarocket by three days, to Monday (March 3).

NASA leadership shakeup continues as agency settles into Trump's 2nd term
By Mike Wall published
Among other changes, Vanessa Wyche, who previously led Johnson Space Center, has been named NASA's acting associate administrator.

SpaceX rolls huge Super Heavy booster to pad ahead of Starship Flight 8 launch (photos)
By Mike Wall published
The Super Heavy booster that will fly on the eighth test mission of SpaceX's Starship megarocket is now on the launch pad. Liftoff is scheduled for Friday (Feb. 28).

Blue Origin launches 'Perfect 10' space tourists on New Shepard rocket (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, Blue Origin, launched its 10th space tourism mission this morning (Feb. 25), sending a crew of six to space on its New Shepard rocket.

Explosion of Starship Flight 7 traced to fires in rocket's 'attic,' SpaceX says
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX has finished its investigation into what went wrong on the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket, which ended with a dramatic explosion.

SpaceX targeting Feb. 28 for next launch of Starship megarocket
By Mike Wall published
SpaceX plans to launch the eighth test flight of its Starship megarocket on Friday (Feb. 28), company founder and CEO Elon Musk says.

NASA picks SpaceX rocket to launch asteroid threat hunter NEO Surveyor in 2027
By Mike Wall published
NASA has selected SpaceX to launch its NEO Surveyor spacecraft, which will hunt for asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to Earth.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin targeting Feb. 25 for 10th space tourism launch
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin is targeting next Tuesday (Feb. 25) for its 10th space tourism launch, which will send six people to the final frontier. You'll be able to watch the action live.

The ISS should be deorbited 'as soon as possible,' Elon Musk says: 'Let's go to Mars'
By Mike Wall published
The International Space Station "has served its purpose" and should be deorbited "as soon as possible," SpaceX chief and close Trump adviser Elon Musk said today (Feb. 20).

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin unveils crew for 10th space tourism launch
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin just revealed the identities of five of the six crewmembers for NS-30, its next suborbital space tourism mission. The company has not yet announced a launch date.

SpaceX Starlink mission lands rocket off coast of The Bahamas for 1st time (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink satellites today (Feb. 18) and then landed the Atlantic Ocean near The Bahamas — a first for the company.

Rocket Lab launches sharp-eyed Earth-observation satellite to orbit (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
Rocket Lab launched a high-resolution imaging satellite for the company Blacksky toward low Earth orbit this evening (Feb. 18).

Japan's Resilience moon lander aces lunar flyby ahead of historic touchdown try (photo)
By Mike Wall published
Resilience, a lunar lander built by Japanese company ispace, zoomed within a mere 5,220 miles (8,400 kilometers) of the moon on Feb. 14.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 21 Starlink satellites on record-setting 26th flight (video, photos)
By Mike Wall published
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for the 26th time this morning (Feb. 15), setting a new reuse record for the company.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin laying off 1,000 employees: reports
By Mike Wall published
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is laying off about 1,000 employees, according to media reports. That's about 10% of the aerospace company's workforce.

Welcome to the moon! Firefly's Blue Ghost lander reaches lunar orbit (video, photos)
By Mike Wall published
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost moon lander reached lunar orbit on Thursday (Feb. 13) and snapped some photos to commemorate the milestone.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin targeting late spring for 2nd launch of powerful New Glenn rocket
By Mike Wall published
Blue Origin aims to launch its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket for the second time in late spring, after making modifications designed to help the vehicle's first stage stick its landing this time.

Moon or Mars? Why not both, acting NASA head Janet Petro says
By Mike Wall published
NASA still views the moon as a stepping stone to Mars, even though Elon Musk has dismissed Earth's nearest neighbor as "a distraction."

NASA picks SpaceX to launch Pandora exoplanet mission
By Mike Wall published
NASA's Pandora exoplanet-studying probe will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than this fall.

Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet breaks sound barrier 3 times on final test flight (video, photos)
By Mike Wall published
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 pathfinder vehicle went out in style on Monday (Feb. 10), breaking the sound barrier three times on its 13th and final test flight.

Crater-diving hopper 'Gracie' will launch to the moon aboard private Athena lander this month
By Mike Wall published
Intuitive Machines' second lunar lander will carry four mobile robots, including a hopper named Gracie, toward the moon when it launches late this month.

Rocket Lab launches 'Internet of Things' satellites from New Zealand (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
Rocket Lab launched five "Internet of Things" satellites for the French company Kinéis from New Zealand on Saturday (Feb. 8).

SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from Florida (video)
By Mike Wall last updated
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 more of the company's Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast on Saturday (Feb. 8).
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