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NASA Spaceflight • Chris Bergin

NASA schedules Artemis II 'wet' fueling test Jan. 31 as crew enters quarantine; launch window could open Feb. 6

NASA will perform a critical 'wet' dress rehearsal — a full fueling and countdown simulation of the SLS/Orion stack — as soon as Jan. 31, the last major prelaunch test ahead of an Artemis II launch window that could open Feb. 6. The four astronauts have entered quarantine.

2026-01-27T05:56:21.902866-08:00

Universe Today

Rubin Observatory to pair with neutrino alerts and rapidly boost core-collapse supernova discoveries

2026-01-27T08:54:59.802814-08:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA lauds quality of PlanetiQ radio occultation data

2026-01-27T06:24:05.333815-08:00

Universe Today

Habitable Worlds Observatory pre-print: picometer‑level precision and tech maturation needed to find an Earth 2.0

2026-01-27T06:23:30.260772-08:00

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Universe Today

Rubin Observatory to pair with neutrino alerts and rapidly boost core-collapse supernova discoveries The Milky Way hasn't seen a directly observed core-collapse supernova in roughly a millennium, despite expectations of one to two per century. The Vera Rubin Observatory, leveraging its wide-fast-deep survey and real-time neutrino detector alerts, should rapidly identify far more supernovae, enabling prompt multi-messenger follow-up.

2026-01-27T08:54:59.802814-08:00

Rubin Observatory to pair with neutrino alerts and rapidly boost core-collapse supernova discoveries

SpaceNews.com

NASA lauds quality of PlanetiQ radio occultation data NASA's evaluation has lauded the quality of radio occultation data produced by PlanetiQ, finding the measurements consistent and reliable for atmospheric profiling. The assessment represents an external validation of PlanetiQ's radio occultation dataset and its suitability for scientific and operational use.

2026-01-27T06:24:05.333815-08:00

NASA lauds quality of PlanetiQ radio occultation data

Universe Today

Habitable Worlds Observatory pre-print: picometer‑level precision and tech maturation needed to find an Earth 2.0 NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, the agency’s flagship 2040s space‑telescope concept, will need picometer‑level precision in stability and measurements to directly image Earth‑like planets, according to a new arXiv pre‑print from the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office that maps required technology maturation and the mission trade space.

2026-01-27T06:23:30.260772-08:00

Habitable Worlds Observatory pre-print: picometer‑level precision and tech maturation needed to find an Earth 2.0

NASA Spaceflight

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NASA schedules Artemis II 'wet' fueling test Jan. 31 as crew enters quarantine; launch window could open Feb. 6 NASA will perform a critical 'wet' dress rehearsal — a full fueling and countdown simulation of the SLS/Orion stack — as soon as Jan. 31, the last major prelaunch test ahead of an Artemis II launch window that could open Feb. 6. The four astronauts have entered quarantine.

2026-01-27T05:56:21.902866-08:00

NASA schedules Artemis II 'wet' fueling test Jan. 31 as crew enters quarantine; launch window could open Feb. 6

Space.com

JWST 'Little Red Dots' flagged as candidate nurseries for direct-collapse supermassive black holes JWST has detected compact sources dubbed 'Little Red Dots' that researchers say may be the first direct observational evidence of direct-collapse supermassive black hole formation. If confirmed, these objects would pinpoint the birth sites of the universe's most massive black holes and reshape early-galaxy assembly models.

2026-01-27T05:14:50.448267-08:00

JWST 'Little Red Dots' flagged as candidate nurseries for direct-collapse supermassive black holes

Universe Today

Asteroid 2024 YR4: ~4% chance of striking the Moon in 2032 — risk to satellites and a rare science opportunity A preprint by Yifan He (Tsinghua) finds ~60‑meter asteroid 2024 YR4 has about a 4% chance of striking the Moon in 2032. Though odds are small, researchers warn of hazards to lunar‑orbit and Earth satellites and highlight a rare chance to study impact mechanics, seismology and lunar composition.

2026-01-27T03:22:47.232524-08:00

Asteroid 2024 YR4: ~4% chance of striking the Moon in 2032 — risk to satellites and a rare science opportunity

SpaceNews.com

NASA seeks partners for Earth Science extended missions, updates INNOVATE solicitation NASA has issued solicitations to find partners for Earth Science extended missions and published Amendment 41 updating the A.10 INNOVATE solicitation, inviting proposals that apply NASA Earth observations and models to value‑added technologies, applications and societal benefits. The actions aim to accelerate operational use of satellite data.

2026-01-26T18:59:56.679315-08:00

NASA seeks partners for Earth Science extended missions, updates INNOVATE solicitation

Space.com

Solar Orbiter reveals cascading 'magnetic avalanches' that trigger solar flares ESA's Solar Orbiter captured, in unprecedented detail, the precursor phase of a major solar flare, showing cascading 'magnetic avalanches'—small, initially weak magnetic disturbances that rapidly trigger large‑scale magnetic reconnection and explosive energy release. The observations identify a multiscale trigger mechanism with direct implications for improving space‑weather forecasts.

2026-01-26T14:15:44.290643-08:00

Solar Orbiter reveals cascading 'magnetic avalanches' that trigger solar flares

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

NASA schedules Artemis II 'wet' fueling test Jan. 31 as crew enters quarantine; launch window could open Feb. 6

Rubin Observatory to pair with neutrino alerts and rapidly boost core-collapse supernova discoveries

NASA lauds quality of PlanetiQ radio occultation data

Habitable Worlds Observatory pre-print: picometer‑level precision and tech maturation needed to find an Earth 2.0

News Timeline