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Ars Technica • Eric Berger

NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft — and it must decide soon

NASA must soon pick whether to proceed with a Mars spacecraft for a mission insiders call "important" and feasible, agency sources say. The decision's timing is pressing; officials are weighing options that will determine near-term Mars science and program schedules.

2026-01-30T08:09:35.898675-08:00

Reuters

JWST and Chandra push back the cosmic timetable — MoM‑z14, an early cluster and a Helix Nebula close‑up

2026-01-30T07:14:09.112427-08:00

Universe Today

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches and kaolinite 'white stones' in Jezero Crater

2026-01-30T07:15:12.739926-08:00

Space.com

Artemis II lunar suits declared flight‑ready as NASA advances toward historic mission

2026-01-30T06:04:49.865902-08:00

News Timeline

Ars Technica

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NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft — and it must decide soon NASA must soon pick whether to proceed with a Mars spacecraft for a mission insiders call "important" and feasible, agency sources say. The decision's timing is pressing; officials are weighing options that will determine near-term Mars science and program schedules.

2026-01-30T08:09:35.898675-08:00

NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft — and it must decide soon

Universe Today

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches and kaolinite 'white stones' in Jezero Crater A new study of NASA Perseverance data confirms parts of Jezero Crater were ancient wave‑formed beaches and identifies kaolinite “white stones” altered by subsurface water, signaling prolonged liquid‑water conditions in the crater’s lake. The findings resolve a long debate over shoreline features and sharpen targets for cached samples.

2026-01-30T07:15:12.739926-08:00

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches and kaolinite 'white stones' in Jezero Crater

Reuters

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JWST and Chandra push back the cosmic timetable — MoM‑z14, an early cluster and a Helix Nebula close‑up New observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, supported by Chandra X‑ray data, show structure forming far sooner than expected: JWST confirms the most distant galaxy yet (MoM‑z14 at ~280 million years after the Big Bang) and detects a galaxy cluster assembling unusually early, while also returning a detailed Helix Nebula portrait.

2026-01-30T07:14:09.112427-08:00

JWST and Chandra push back the cosmic timetable — MoM‑z14, an early cluster and a Helix Nebula close‑up

Space.com

Artemis II lunar suits declared flight‑ready as NASA advances toward historic mission NASA’s lunar spacesuits for Artemis II have been certified flight‑ready, clearing a critical hardware milestone ahead of the mission. The approval reduces suit‑related schedule risk and lets teams concentrate on final integration, systems verification and launch rehearsals.

2026-01-30T06:04:49.865902-08:00

Artemis II lunar suits declared flight‑ready as NASA advances toward historic mission

Universe Today

KAIST 'laser ruler' synchronises radio telescopes with optical frequency combs to sharpen black‑hole images Researchers at KAIST developed an optical frequency‑comb “laser ruler” that delivers an ultra‑precise reference signal to synchronise multiple radio telescopes. The laser‑based system solves long‑standing phase‑calibration limits of electronic methods—especially at higher observing frequencies—promising markedly sharper images of black holes and other distant objects.

2026-01-30T00:48:26.495465-08:00

KAIST 'laser ruler' synchronises radio telescopes with optical frequency combs to sharpen black‑hole images

Payload

UK Research & Innovation budget cuts threaten astronomy, physics and nuclear research UK Research and Innovation's austerity measures will disproportionately hit astronomy, physics and nuclear researchers, jeopardising observational programmes, laboratory science and long-term talent pipelines. The planned budget cuts risk undermining UK contributions to space science, key scientific infrastructure and international collaborations.

2026-01-29T22:13:45.388270-08:00

UK Research & Innovation budget cuts threaten astronomy, physics and nuclear research

SpaceNews.com

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NASA at crossroads over lunar Gateway logistics; explores alternative supply and transport approaches NASA is at a crossroads over how to handle logistics for the lunar Gateway, weighing alternative supply and transport approaches to support sustained cislunar operations. The review could redefine mission architectures, contractor roles and timing for Gateway resupply and related Artemis activities.

2026-01-29T14:41:17.299919-08:00

NASA at crossroads over lunar Gateway logistics; explores alternative supply and transport approaches

Universe Today

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NASA completes first major nuclear reactor propulsion tests in 50 years NASA completed its first major tests of nuclear reactor hardware for spacecraft propulsion in more than 50 years, running over 100 2025 'cold‑flow' trials on a full‑scale reactor engineering unit at Marshall Space Flight Center to characterize propellant flow and support development of nuclear thermal/electric deep‑space propulsion.

2026-01-29T14:12:20.604359-08:00

NASA completes first major nuclear reactor propulsion tests in 50 years

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft — and it must decide soon

JWST and Chandra push back the cosmic timetable — MoM‑z14, an early cluster and a Helix Nebula close‑up

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches and kaolinite 'white stones' in Jezero Crater

Artemis II lunar suits declared flight‑ready as NASA advances toward historic mission

News Timeline