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• Jeff Foust
An agency investigation concluded that a computer glitch and a faulty gyro likely led to the loss of NASA’s MAVEN orbiter nearly a year ago. The finding identifies the probable technical causes of the spacecraft’s loss, though the provided report summary gives no further detail on the failure sequence or mission impact.
Space Exploration & Science Missions
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European Space Agency member states are scheduled to meet in Rome on Dec. 15 to decide the future of Europe’s human and robotic exploration program. The decision will set the direction for the agency’s exploration agenda as Europe looks beyond the International Space Station.
Samples returned from asteroid Ryugu appear to differ from carbonaceous chondrites that have fallen to Earth, posing a puzzle for researchers. New analysis may explain the discrepancy, but the available report provides no details on the proposed resolution or its implications for future missions.
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An agency investigation concluded that a computer glitch and a faulty gyro likely led to the loss of NASA’s MAVEN orbiter nearly a year ago. The finding identifies the probable technical causes of the spacecraft’s loss, though the provided report summary gives no further detail on the failure sequence or mission impact.
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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope found that interstellar object 3I/ATLAS has ice unlike familiar solar-system comets and more like bodies beyond Neptune. Separate Hubble and Webb observations of faint outer-solar-system objects are revealing clues to the solar system’s earliest history.
Stellar Alpina is introducing two spacecraft: Monarch, described as a high-performance orbiter, and Morpho, a lunar lander. The announcement puts the Swiss startup’s ambitions in both orbital and lunar transportation in focus, though the available details do not specify mission timelines, customers or technical capabilities.
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Four volunteers emerged from a 160-square-meter habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after 378 days simulating life on Mars. The experiment was designed to help prepare for future long-duration crewed missions, with the participants living in isolation in a windowless environment.
Military and civil satellites are observing fireballs as they blaze through Earth's atmosphere, giving scientists data to improve planetary-defense capabilities and understand the impacts of space debris. The observations connect routine atmospheric events with two growing areas of concern: detecting hazardous space rocks and assessing objects that fall back to Earth.
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