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Space.com • Leonard David

Experts: Returning Mars samples before China should be a top U.S. priority

Experts warn that Beijing could "well beat the U.S. with a grab sample," and say returning Mars samples should be a top U.S. priority to protect scientific lead, secure uncontested provenance of materials, strengthen international partnerships, and avoid rushed, reactionary policy responses.

2026-01-07T03:10:48.369878-08:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA moves to extend Swift spacecraft's life ahead of planned reboost

2026-01-06T16:45:03.649967-08:00

Space.com

Curiosity sends November 2025 panorama from high on Mount Sharp showing Martian daylight shifts

2026-01-06T12:06:04.722594-08:00

NASA

NASA selects industry proposals to mature Habitable Worlds Observatory technologies for direct imaging of Earth-like planets

2026-01-05T13:45:37.558323-08:00

News Timeline

Space.com

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Experts: Returning Mars samples before China should be a top U.S. priority Experts warn that Beijing could "well beat the U.S. with a grab sample," and say returning Mars samples should be a top U.S. priority to protect scientific lead, secure uncontested provenance of materials, strengthen international partnerships, and avoid rushed, reactionary policy responses.

2026-01-07T03:10:48.369878-08:00

Experts: Returning Mars samples before China should be a top U.S. priority

SpaceNews.com

NASA moves to extend Swift spacecraft's life ahead of planned reboost As teams prepare a mission to raise the orbit of NASA's Swift spacecraft, project officials are pursuing measures to extend the satellite's operational life. Those actions are intended to preserve Swift's science capabilities and maximize mission value ahead of the planned reboost.

2026-01-06T16:45:03.649967-08:00

NASA moves to extend Swift spacecraft's life ahead of planned reboost

Space.com

Curiosity sends November 2025 panorama from high on Mount Sharp showing Martian daylight shifts NASA's Curiosity rover returned a panorama captured in November 2025 from a high vantage on Mount Sharp, Mars. The sequence maps how lighting and shadows change across the slope through the day, providing new visual context for surface geology and ongoing Mars science operations.

2026-01-06T12:06:04.722594-08:00

Curiosity sends November 2025 panorama from high on Mount Sharp showing Martian daylight shifts

Space.com

Hubble confirms 'Cloud‑9' — first starless, hydrogen‑rich, dark‑matter‑dominated relic of galaxy formation Using Hubble, astronomers have confirmed the first starless, hydrogen‑rich object dominated by dark matter—nicknamed 'Cloud‑9' and identified as a RELHIC—a relic of early galaxy formation. The finding provides a novel laboratory to probe dark‑matter structures and the baryon physics that suppressed star formation in the young Universe.

2026-01-06T11:03:39.410202-08:00

Hubble confirms 'Cloud‑9' — first starless, hydrogen‑rich, dark‑matter‑dominated relic of galaxy formation

Payload

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NASA starts 2026 with budget preserved, permanent administrator in place NASA begins 2026 with its budget effectively preserved after a year of threatened deep cuts, and a permanent administrator installed following nearly a year of interim leadership. The White House had earlier outlined reductions that now will not shrink agency funding.

2026-01-06T09:59:23.359405-08:00

NASA starts 2026 with budget preserved, permanent administrator in place

New Scientist

Commercial Space Stations to Begin Orbiting in 2026 — A New Era for the LEO Economy Commercial space stations are slated to begin orbiting in 2026, ending the International Space Station's near-30-year monopoly on crewed low Earth orbit access and opening new platforms for microgravity research, manufacturing and commercial services as agencies and industry prepare for the ISS's 2030 retirement.

2026-01-06T09:42:51.328585-08:00

Commercial Space Stations to Begin Orbiting in 2026 — A New Era for the LEO Economy

Payload

Global launches hit record in 2025 — 329 attempts, 321 reach orbit or near‑orbit 2025 set a new global launch record with 329 attempted rockets, 321 of which reached orbit or near‑orbit, according to data compiled by astronomer Jonathan McDowell. The tally marks an unprecedented year of launch activity across commercial, national and small‑launcher fleets worldwide.

2026-01-06T06:02:40.849661-08:00

Global launches hit record in 2025 — 329 attempts, 321 reach orbit or near‑orbit

NASA Spaceflight

SpaceX to lead busy launch week with three missions — two Starlink flights and a Twilight rideshare carrying NASA's Pandora SpaceX will conduct three launches this week — two Starlink batch deployments plus a Twilight rideshare that includes NASA's Pandora exoplanet observatory — extending the company's early‑2026 dominance as provider for the first five launches of 2026 and supporting ISRO rideshare activity to sun‑synchronous orbit.

2026-01-05T21:03:42.419916-08:00

SpaceX to lead busy launch week with three missions — two Starlink flights and a Twilight rideshare carrying NASA's Pandora

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Experts: Returning Mars samples before China should be a top U.S. priority

NASA moves to extend Swift spacecraft's life ahead of planned reboost

Curiosity sends November 2025 panorama from high on Mount Sharp showing Martian daylight shifts

NASA selects industry proposals to mature Habitable Worlds Observatory technologies for direct imaging of Earth-like planets

News Timeline