When NASA launched the Pioneer probes, they were met with an intriguing mystery. At around 20 astronomical units, both spacecraft began accelerating towards the Sun.

NASA will roll out a costly rocket to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, a milestone in a lunar space race between the US and China.

A Mars spacecraft has now been AWOL for more than a month. But NASA hasn't given up hope of restoring contact with the MAVEN orbiter.

The JWST tracks a path right-to-left across the eastern horizon in the hours following sunset in January. On Jan. 19 it will be located to the left of the star Nu Orionis in the raised right arm of the hunter represented in the constellation Orion.