Leonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.com's Space Insider Columnist among his other projects, Leonard has authored numerous books on space exploration, Mars missions and more, with his latest being "Moon Rush: The New Space Race" published in 2019 by National Geographic. He also wrote "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet" released in 2016 by National Geographic. Leonard has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He has received many awards, including the first Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2015 at the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You can find out Leonard's latest project at his website and on Twitter.
Latest articles by Leonard David

By Leonard David Published
A piece of smoldering wreckage found in Western Australia is likely part of a Chinese rocket that crashed to Earth on Saturday (Oct. 18), experts say.

By Leonard David Published
"The Russians and the Chinese are demonstrating more sophisticated orbital maneuvering abilities. There's no denying that."

By Leonard David Published
Humanity has a new tool in the fight against space junk — "Space Armor," a multi-functional composite that could protect both spacecraft and astronauts.

By Leonard David Published
A recent DARPA study laid out a step-by-step process that could enable an economic link between Earth and the moon. But how real is the promise of giving the moon an industrial makeover?

By Leonard David Published
Mining the moon for helium-3: How real is the prospect, and is there a business case for such an undertaking?

By Leonard David Published
A Russian biological research satellite toting more than 30 experiments landed on Sept. 19 in the steppes of the Orenburg region after spending 30 days in Earth orbit.

By Leonard David Published
The rover's design is "a mix between a dune buggy and a heavy-duty truck."

By Leonard David Published
Witnesses and whistleblowers testified that the U.S. government knows more than it is letting on about encounters with UAP during a U.S. congressional hearing on Sept. 9.

By Leonard David Published
In the not-too-distant future, "artificial astronauts" could fly as actual crew members on human missions to Mars, and elsewhere in space.

By Leonard David Published
China is going full throttle in its quest to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, notching several important milestones over the past few months.

By Leonard David Published
Scientists studying the famous 'Wow! signal' think they've finally pinpointed a possible origin for the baffling radio transmission detected in 1977.

By Leonard David Published
Russia is readying its Bion-M No. 2 biosatellite for a planned Aug. 20 launch. The mission will send 75 mice and other specimens on a monthlong mission to Earth orbit.

By Leonard David Published
A large simulated moonscape built by the Colorado School of Mines is open for business, allowing researchers and companies to test their ideas for lunar rovers, landing pads, mining gear and more.

By Leonard David Published
The company is also looking at using its mothership aircraft that releases spacecraft at high altitude as a carrier platform for other customers.

By Leonard David Published
China conducted takeoff and touchdown tests with its "Lanyue" moon lander on Aug. 6, 2025, as it prepares to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2030.

By Leonard David Published
International oversight would reduce risks, but could be "a politically sensitive and contentious matter."

By Leonard David Published
NASA currently leads the nation's planetary defense efforts, but some are calling for the Space Force to take control.

By Leonard David Published
"With six helicopters, Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiplies the range we would cover, the data we would collect, and the scientific research we would conduct."

By Leonard David Published
U.S. President Trump's "One, Big Beautiful Bill Act," H.R. 1 includes $1 billion for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) X-37B military spacecraft program.

By Leonard David Published
"Can humanity enjoy the benefits of both asteroid and lunar mining without compromise, or do we have to choose one at the expense of the other?"

By Leonard David Published
Private lunar landing: How Blue Ghost measured the moon's electric and magnetic fields

By Leonard David Published
"Returning the scientifically selected samples that await us on Mars, as part of a balanced portfolio, will help to ensure the US does not cede leadership in deep space to other nations, such as China."

By Leonard David Published
"Being off even a little bit represents hundreds or thousands of kilometers in distance on the surface of the Earth."

By Leonard David Published
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has imaged the crash site of Resilience, a moon lander built and operated by the Tokyo-based company ispace.

By Leonard David Published
Sen. Ted Cruz's newly unveiled legislative directives for Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill would dedicate almost $10 billion to win the new space race with China.
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