Spaceflight

The American space agency has successfully flown a small helicopter on Mars.

The drone, called Ingenuity, was airborne for less than a minute, but Nasa is celebrating what represents the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another world.

Confirmation came via a satellite at Mars which relayed the chopper's data back to Earth.

Russia will end its participation in the International Space Station after it reaches the end of its planned lifespan in 2024, a senior official has confirmed. Moscow is already working on a new station to replace the current one.

NASA's experimental Mars helicopter rose from the dusty red surface into the planet's thin air on April 19, achieving the first powered flight on another planet.

NASA has selected SpaceX to land the first astronauts on the surface of the Moon since 1972, the agency said on April 16, in a huge victory for Elon Musk's company.

The contract, worth $2.9 billion, involves the prototype Starship spacecraft that is being tested at SpaceX's south Texas facility.

A photograph of Turkey's Lake Van taken from space by an astronaut has been crowned the winner in a weeks-long NASA competition.

The photo, which depicts the lake in eastern Turkey with its swirling cerulean and azure waters was one of two finalists heading into the final day of voting on April 12. It was captured by Kate Rubins in September 2016.

Today, the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first manned space flight. On this day in 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. When responding to the ground control if he was ready, he said his famous "Poekhali!" meaning "Let's go!" in Russian. His Vostok1 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 09:07 (Moscow time).

Today, April 12, marks exactly 60 years since the first manned flight into space, a significant event in the history of our planet. Exactly 60 years ago, the famous Gagarin's "Poehali" ("Let's go!") flew around the world, and radio stations from different parts of the world interrupted their programs to broadcast this sensational news.

Turkey has successfully passed the first test of its indigenous engine to be used in a rocket that will be sent to the Moon in 2023.

"We, as a country, have a mission to the Moon, and I think we will succeed the first leg of our long mission in 2023," said Mustafa Varank, the minister of industry and technology, on April 11.

The airplane will be restored by the “Ikaros” Foundation

In the battle between the best photos taken by astronauts, the showdown came down to a unique Turkish lake versus stars in the heavens.

The photos, taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), are in the final of a special NASA contest.