Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Space.com • Elizabeth Howell

Tianwen-2 snaps Earth ‘selfie’ with Chinese flag amid asteroid-sampling mission

China's Tianwen-2 asteroid-sampling spacecraft returned a 'selfie' showing Earth — with Beijing's flag visible — as the probe conducts in-situ sampling operations at a near‑Earth asteroid. The image underscores mission progress and Beijing's increasing prominence in robotic planetary exploration and outreach.

2025-10-02T13:08:16.014571-07:00

skyandtelescope.org

Mars orbiters, led by MRO/HiRISE, will image interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during Oct. 3 flyby

2025-10-02T11:36:41.404875-07:00

Space.com

Cassini data reveals complex organics in Enceladus plumes, bolstering habitability case

2025-10-02T03:03:39.907774-07:00

Space.com

Perseverance's potential biosignature sample raises stakes as China's Tianwen‑3 aims to return Mars material

2025-10-01T05:08:11.589447-07:00

Space Exploration & Science Missions News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

NASA’s newest astronauts will have to be willing to wait NASA’s newest astronaut class should expect extended waits for mission assignments as agency schedules and vehicle readiness remain uncertain. The group will begin training but operational flight opportunities and Artemis-era assignments will likely be delayed while launch systems and mission timelines are finalized.

2025-10-03T07:07:15.080445-07:00

NASA’s newest astronauts will have to be willing to wait

Space.com

ESA deepens Asia ties — MoU with South Korea and a joint asteroid mission with Japan The European Space Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea to expand bilateral cooperation in space activities and is advancing a joint asteroid mission with Japan, signalling a deliberate push to deepen ESA’s scientific and programmatic partnerships across Asia.

2025-10-03T07:04:27.319568-07:00

ESA deepens Asia ties — MoU with South Korea and a joint asteroid mission with Japan

Space.com

Solar 'last gasp' could boost auroras and geomagnetic storms over next two years — risks for satellites, comms and polar flights Solar activity may be getting a 'last gasp' as the Sun declines toward cycle minimum, with experts warning of renewed geomagnetic storms and auroras over the next two years. That uptick could disrupt satellites, high-frequency communications and polar flight operations, especially in vulnerable infrastructure.

2025-10-03T05:01:07.447577-07:00

Solar 'last gasp' could boost auroras and geomagnetic storms over next two years — risks for satellites, comms and polar flights

Space.com

Perseverance finds 'shiny' new clue in hunt for signs of life on Mars The Perseverance rover has uncovered a 'shiny' new clue on Mars that scientists say could advance the search for past life; researchers report the discovery provides a tangible target for follow-up imaging, sampling and laboratory analysis to determine its composition and origin.

2025-10-03T03:04:16.139380-07:00

Perseverance finds 'shiny' new clue in hunt for signs of life on Mars

SpaceNews.com

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At IAC, partners grapple with U.S. policy shifts and changing NASA priorities At the International Astronautical Congress, international space leaders confronted the impact of shifting U.S. policy, budget pressure and leadership changes at NASA, pressing partners to reassess cooperation, program timelines and reliance on U.S. platforms while exploring commercial and multilateral alternatives.

2025-10-02T14:37:00.335941-07:00

At IAC, partners grapple with U.S. policy shifts and changing NASA priorities

Space.com

JWST captures clearest-ever image of M87's supermassive black hole jet The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the clearest-ever infrared image of the jet from the M87 galaxy's supermassive black hole — the same black hole astronomers first photographed — revealing unprecedented jet structure and providing new constraints on accretion and relativistic outflow physics.

2025-10-02T14:09:10.172352-07:00

JWST captures clearest-ever image of M87's supermassive black hole jet

NASA Spaceflight

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Rubin’s wide-field discovery power paired with JWST’s deep infrared precision The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which began science operations earlier this year in Chile, delivers comprehensive wide-field optical surveys and rapid discovery of transients and small bodies. The James Webb Space Telescope provides deep, high-resolution infrared characterization — together enabling discovery-plus-follow-up across time-domain and early-universe science.

2025-10-02T13:43:38.114710-07:00

Rubin’s wide-field discovery power paired with JWST’s deep infrared precision

Space.com

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Tianwen-2 snaps Earth ‘selfie’ with Chinese flag amid asteroid-sampling mission China's Tianwen-2 asteroid-sampling spacecraft returned a 'selfie' showing Earth — with Beijing's flag visible — as the probe conducts in-situ sampling operations at a near‑Earth asteroid. The image underscores mission progress and Beijing's increasing prominence in robotic planetary exploration and outreach.

2025-10-02T13:08:16.014571-07:00

Tianwen-2 snaps Earth ‘selfie’ with Chinese flag amid asteroid-sampling mission

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