Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Space.com • Unnati Ashar

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

Space.com

James Webb Reveals Milky Way’s Stellar Disk Formed 8 Billion Years Ago

2025-07-01T14:06:12.765144-07:00

Fox Weather

Vera C. Rubin Observatory Unveils First Images, Captures Nebulae and Thousands of Asteroids

2025-06-23T04:39:34.140481-07:00

Space.com

JWST Captures First Direct Image of Saturn-Mass Exoplanet TWA 7 b

2025-06-25T08:03:37.570161-07:00

Space Exploration & Science Missions News Timeline

The Independent

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NASA and ESA Confirm Third Known Interstellar Comet, 3I/ATLAS, Will Fly Safely Through Solar System NASA and ESA have reported the discovery of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS—first spotted on July 1 by the ATLAS survey telescope. It’s only the third confirmed extrasolar object to visit our solar system and is projected to pass safely through the inner system without approaching Earth.

2025-07-03T08:32:57.580090-07:00

NASA and ESA Confirm Third Known Interstellar Comet, 3I/ATLAS, Will Fly Safely Through Solar System

Payload

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Lunar Landers Under Scrutiny: Fire, Mass and Propellant Transfer Risks A recent risk assessment of lunar lander designs highlights critical threats from thruster plume impingement, tight mass margins and the technical hurdles of in-space propellant transfer, raising concerns for upcoming commercial and NASA lunar missions.

2025-07-03T04:56:36.244735-07:00

Lunar Landers Under Scrutiny: Fire, Mass and Propellant Transfer Risks

Space.com

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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

SpaceNews.com

Now Is Not the Time to Slash Space-Enabled Medical Research Academic and industry leaders are cautioning against proposed cuts to space-enabled medical research, arguing it underpins critical advances in drug development, disease modeling and astronaut health. Reduced funding risks delaying breakthroughs in therapies for cancer, Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular diseases that depend on microgravity studies.

2025-07-02T06:08:08.858522-07:00

Now Is Not the Time to Slash Space-Enabled Medical Research

Space.com

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James Webb Reveals Milky Way’s Stellar Disk Formed 8 Billion Years Ago Using deep cosmic archaeology, JWST has identified a thin stellar disk in the Milky Way dating back 8 billion years, challenging existing galaxy formation models. The infrared observatory's sensitivity to faint, ancient stars allows astronomers to reconstruct the timeline of our galaxy's assembly with unprecedented detail.

2025-07-01T14:06:12.765144-07:00

James Webb Reveals Milky Way’s Stellar Disk Formed 8 Billion Years Ago

SpaceNews.com

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Bezos-backed $134M MethaneSAT climate satellite loses contact after going off course MethaneSAT, a $134 million climate-monitoring satellite backed by Jeff Bezos’s Earth Fund and Environmental Defense Fund, went off course and lost contact about ten days ago. The satellite, launched in March 2024 to map global methane emissions, has failed after just over a year in orbit.

2025-07-01T12:26:45.613623-07:00

Bezos-backed $134M MethaneSAT climate satellite loses contact after going off course

protolaunch.co.uk

Protolaunch to Build Throttling Control Valves for ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Propulsion Test Bench Protolaunch has been awarded a contract to design and manufacture throttling control valves for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Lander's propulsion test bench. The valves will enable precise flow control during ground-based hot-fire and functional tests, supporting critical verification of the lander's descent propulsion system prior to its scheduled launch.

2025-07-01T11:45:38.035389-07:00

Protolaunch to Build Throttling Control Valves for ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Propulsion Test Bench

Live Science

ChatGPT-Style AI Models Excel in Spacecraft Piloting Contest In a recent research competition, developers trained AI models, including ChatGPT variants, to autonomously pilot simulated spacecraft. Top-performing models not only completed orbital maneuvers but outperformed traditional guidance algorithms, highlighting a potential leap toward unmanned deep-space exploration driven by AI.

2025-07-01T08:52:39.343987-07:00

ChatGPT-Style AI Models Excel in Spacecraft Piloting Contest

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