Space.com
• Sharmila Kuthunur
NASA formally concluded its OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling mission on Sept. 30, 2026, after the spacecraft returned pieces of an asteroid to Earth. The mission’s operational close does not end its scientific work: researchers expect to study the returned material for decades.
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NASA has opened its Artemis human lunar program with the uncrewed Artemis 1 test flight and the crewed Artemis 2 mission around the moon. The next challenge is translating those milestones into crewed lunar landings, a progression the article argues will depend on sound decisions.
NASA formally concluded its OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling mission on Sept. 30, 2026, after the spacecraft returned pieces of an asteroid to Earth. The mission’s operational close does not end its scientific work: researchers expect to study the returned material for decades.
The Moon has contracted by about 45 meters as its interior cools, and NASA scientists have mapped more than 10,000 faults across its surface to assess the effects. The findings connect a long-term change inside the Moon with geological features visible at the surface.
Astronomers used NASA’s SPHEREx spacecraft to study brown dwarfs—objects that do not become stars and drift through space alone. The observations offer a closer look at these poorly understood objects and demonstrate the mission’s use in investigating the composition and properties of the universe.
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Poland’s ability to make long-term commitments to NASA’s Artemis program is complicated by uncertainty over US politics and budgets, a Polish minister said. The warning underscores how shifting US policy and funding conditions can affect international partners’ planning for the lunar program.
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Engineering studies found that Orion’s heat shield performed as expected during the Artemis 2 mission, with none of the erosion seen on Artemis 1. The result addresses a key concern for the spacecraft’s crewed lunar flight, though the report provides no further technical details.
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JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission launched aboard an H3 rocket to study Phobos and Deimos, with a plan to collect material from Phobos and return it to Earth. The mission could also capture dust originating from Mars, offering clues to the moons’ origins and the Red Planet’s history.
The pioneering computer scientist’s problem-solving helped NASA land Apollo astronauts on the moon. An opinion essay reflects on Hamilton’s example and the lasting significance of her work, which helped establish software as a critical part of human spaceflight.
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