Live coverage: Soyuz crew lands in Kazakhstan

Photos captured by astronauts on the International Space Station show a Japanese cargo freighter, covered with reflective solar panels and golden insulation, on final approach to the 250-mile-high outpost.

Nearly a decade after launching from Cape Canaveral on a planet-hunting quest that has netted 2,650 new confirmed worlds beyond our solar system, NASA’s Kepler telescope has paused its observations after on-board sensors detected it is running low on fuel.

An Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo ship has exploded moments after lift off from Wallops Island, Virginia.