🚀 Space Exploration · IELTS Vocabulary by Topic · 20 words

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astronaut /ˈæstrənɔːt/ n	a person who travels into space As a child, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut and walking on the moon.
orbit /ˈɔːbɪt/ n	the curved path of an object moving around a planet or star The space station travels in orbit around the Earth every ninety minutes.
satellite /ˈsætəlaɪt/ n	a machine sent into space to travel around the Earth and collect or send information Weather forecasts rely heavily on data from satellites.
galaxy /ˈɡæləksi/ n	a very large group of stars held together in space There may be billions of planets in our galaxy alone.
exploration /ˌekspləˈreɪʃn/ n	the act of travelling to unknown places to learn about them Space exploration has led to many inventions we use every day.
spacecraft /ˈspeɪskrɑːft/ n	a vehicle that travels into space The unmanned spacecraft sent back detailed photographs of Mars.
launch /lɔːntʃ/ v	to send a rocket or satellite into the sky or space The agency plans to launch a mission to the moon next year.
telescope /ˈtelɪskəʊp/ n	an instrument that makes distant objects look closer and larger Powerful telescopes allow scientists to study stars billions of years old.
gravity /ˈɡrævəti/ n	the force that pulls objects towards a planet or star Astronauts lose muscle mass because there is almost no gravity in space.
universe /ˈjuːnɪvɜːs/ n	everything that exists, including all stars, planets and space Scientists still do not know whether the universe will expand forever.
astronomy /əˈstrɒnəmi/ n	the scientific study of stars, planets and space Interest in astronomy has grown thanks to popular science documentaries.
colonise /ˈkɒlənaɪz/ v	to send people to live in and control a new place Some billionaires dream of colonising Mars within this century.
extraterrestrial /ˌekstrətəˈrestriəl/ adj	existing or coming from outside the planet Earth Scientists are searching for signs of extraterrestrial life on distant moons.
mission /ˈmɪʃn/ n	an important journey or task, especially one into space The mission to Jupiter will take several years to reach its destination.
solar system /ˈsəʊlə sɪstəm/ n	the sun and all the planets that move around it Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system.
atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪə(r)/ n	the layer of gases surrounding a planet Mars has a very thin atmosphere that cannot support human life.
asteroid /ˈæstərɔɪd/ n	a large rock that moves around the sun An asteroid impact may have wiped out the dinosaurs.
space debris /ˌspeɪs ˈdebriː/ n	pieces of old satellites and rockets left floating around the Earth Space debris poses a growing risk to working satellites.
probe /prəʊb/ n	an unmanned spacecraft sent to collect information about space The probe has been sending data back to Earth for over forty years.
cosmos /ˈkɒzmɒs/ n	the universe considered as an ordered system Humans have always been curious about their place in the cosmos.