Mars Exploration News

CNN • Jackie Wattles

SpaceX Starship Test Flight 9 Breaks Up on Uncontrolled Reentry

SpaceX's ninth Starship test reached space on May 27 but suffered a loss of attitude control during atmospheric reentry, causing the booster to break apart and the spacecraft to tumble uncontrolled. The incident follows debris-related disruptions from earlier flights and underscores further hurdles for Starship's development toward lunar and Mars missions.

2025-05-27T16:45:41.810943-07:00

Space.com

Martian Dust Devils May Generate Lightning, Threatening Perseverance

2025-07-02T06:08:10.690464-07:00

Payload

Trump’s 2026 “Skinny Budget” Proposes 24% NASA Cut, Axes SLS, Orion, Gateway and Mars Sample Return

2025-05-02T08:40:43.602197-07:00

NBC News

China's Shenzhou 20 Launch Advances Space Station Operations and Lunar Ambitions

2025-04-24T06:51:53.917784-07:00

Mars Exploration News Timeline

Live Science

Largest known Martian meteorite fetches $5.3M at auction A 54-pound chunk of Mars known as NWA 16788, the largest Martian meteorite on Earth, sold for $5.3 million at auction, surpassing high estimates. The record-breaking acquisition could unlock new geological insights about the Red Planet—if regulatory and scientific approvals allow thorough study.

2025-07-16T10:09:50.039529-07:00

Largest known Martian meteorite fetches $5.3M at auction

Space.com

❗️

New $3 B Commercial Plan Aims to Rescue NASA’s Mars Sample Return An aerospace firm has unveiled a $3 billion, privately funded plan to resurrect NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission. By leveraging proven hardware and a streamlined design, the proposal promises a leaner, lower-cost alternative to the agency’s flagship effort to bring Martian rocks and soil home.

2025-07-08T12:12:28.796589-07:00

New $3 B Commercial Plan Aims to Rescue NASA’s Mars Sample Return

koaa.com

Proposed NASA Budget Cuts Threaten Colorado Space Missions, Imperiling Second-Largest US Space Economy The White House’s latest budget proposal would slash NASA funding for key Colorado missions, risking the shutdown of projects at state labs and universities. Colorado, home to the nation’s second-largest space economy and leading per capita in aerospace employment, could face significant job and investment losses.

2025-07-07T08:58:28.574850-07:00

Proposed NASA Budget Cuts Threaten Colorado Space Missions, Imperiling Second-Largest US Space Economy

CNBC

SpaceX Opens Utah Mars Analog to Train Crews for 2029 Mission Elon Musk’s SpaceX has opened a Mars simulation facility in the Utah desert to train astronaut crews for a 2029 human mission, validating habitat systems, mission protocols and crew operations in a high-fidelity analog environment ahead of Starship interplanetary flights.

2025-07-05T06:19:10.127055-07:00

SpaceX Opens Utah Mars Analog to Train Crews for 2029 Mission

Space.com

❗️

Martian Dust Devils May Generate Lightning, Threatening Perseverance Simulations indicate that static buildup within Mars’ swirling dust devils may trigger lightning bolts capable of disrupting sensitive electronics on NASA’s Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater. The threat underscores gaps in current atmospheric charging models and calls for updated risk assessments for ongoing and planned Mars surface missions.

2025-07-02T06:08:10.690464-07:00

Martian Dust Devils May Generate Lightning, Threatening Perseverance

The Space Review

ISDC Spotlights Space Solar Power and Elevators as Settlement Viability Faces Scrutiny The 2025 International Space Development Conference brought renewed focus on space-based solar power systems, space elevator concepts and Moon and Mars exploration, while experts questioned the practical and economic feasibility of permanent off-world settlements. Student proposals on colonies provided the primary basis for debate.

2025-06-30T16:52:13.245268-07:00

ISDC Spotlights Space Solar Power and Elevators as Settlement Viability Faces Scrutiny

NASA

❗️

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Drills into Boxwork Formations to Probe Mars’s Subsurface Habitability NASA’s Curiosity rover has begun drilling into boxwork formations in a newly reached Martian region, collecting samples that could reveal whether the subsurface once supported life. Work on these features follows Curiosity’s April detection of ancient carbonate minerals, strengthening the case for past water activity.

2025-06-23T10:23:30.433106-07:00

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Drills into Boxwork Formations to Probe Mars’s Subsurface Habitability

The Atlantic

NASA Redefines Astronaut Role, Eyes Explorers for Mars NASA is overhauling its astronaut selection criteria as it prepares for eventual crewed Mars missions, including the potential recruitment of professional explorers with expedition experience. The agency believes that traditional pilot-heavy crews may lack the specialized skills needed for autonomous, long‐duration surface operations on the Red Planet.

2025-06-17T05:15:01.175290-07:00

NASA Redefines Astronaut Role, Eyes Explorers for Mars

Create a free account to see more recent Mars Exploration stories.

About

Our Mars Exploration news feed is the go-to source for the latest discoveries, mission updates, and technological advancements related to the Red Planet. With a focus on the international efforts to explore Mars, from robotic rovers to plans for human colonization, our coverage tracks humanity's progress in uncovering the secrets of our celestial neighbor.