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New Study Reveals How Jupiter’s Storms Hide Ammonia
A new study reveals Jupiter’s monster storms create mushballs—giant hailstones made of ammonia and water. This discovery explains the puzzling absence of ammonia in the planet’s upper atmosphere and suggests similar processes might be happening on gas giants across the universe.
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NASA Observes Rare Uranus Occultation, Unveiling New Atmospheric and Ring Details
NASA captured a rare stellar occultation of Uranus this month, providing fresh data about the ice giant’s atmosphere and rings. Scientists measured temperature changes and atmospheric composition, offering new insights since the last major occultation in 1996. The findings could help guide future exploration missions and deepen our understanding ...
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NASA Prepares to Launch First Quantum Sensor for Measuring Gravity from Orbit
NASA, in collaboration with academia and private companies, is developing the first quantum sensor to map Earth’s gravity from space. Using cold rubidium atoms, the compact instrument will deliver highly sensitive, long-term measurements. This mission could transform how we study Earth’s subsurface and explore planetary bodies across the solar ...
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NASA Shares Planetary Defense Strategy to Protect Earth From Potential Asteroid Strikes
NASA and international scientists closely tracked asteroid 2024 YR4, which initially showed a rare 3 percent collision probability with Earth. Although the threat has now diminished, the incident highlights the importance of asteroid surveillance, open data, and upcoming space missions like NEO Surveyor.
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New Study Challenges Claims of Vast Underground Water on Mars
Mars’ water history remains a mystery as new research questions the claim that vast amounts of water are stored beneath its surface. A study led by Bruce Jakosky argues that previous estimates of Mars’ mid-crust being saturated with liquid water may be inaccurate. The findings challenge earlier interpretations of seismic data from NASA’s InSi...
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NASA’s EZIE Satellites Begin Mission to Study Auroral Electrojets and Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The trio of small satellites will map auroral electrojets, powerful currents in Earth’s atmosphere linked to solar storms. Their data will enhance space weather prediction models and help understand planetary mag...
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Private Venus Mission Plans to Retrieve Cloud Samples for Life Research
A privately-led space mission is being developed to retrieve and analyse cloud samples from Venus. Scientists believe the planet’s sulfuric acid clouds might sustain organic molecules necessary for life. The mission, named Morning Star, involves deploying probes to collect mist from Venus' atmosphere. The collected samples would be returned to Ea...
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NASA Partners With SpaceX To Launch NEO Surveyor, a Mission To Detect Asteroid Threats
NASA has selected SpaceX for the launch of its NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2027. The mission, valued at $100 million, will use a Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the spacecraft to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1. The infrared telescope will help detect and track hazardous near-Earth objects, including difficult-to-spot dark asteroids. This mission builds on...
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NASA SPHEREx Mission to Map Water Ice in the Milky Way for Life’s Origins
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, launching February 27, will search for water ice and frozen compounds in the Milky Way’s molecular clouds. By surveying over 9 million regions, the mission aims to understand how these compounds influence planet and star formation. Findings will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope, enhancing insights into...
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UCLA Unveils SPLITTER, a Tethered Jumping Robot for Space Exploration
Researchers at UCLA’s RoMeLa lab have developed SPLITTER, a robotic system designed for planetary exploration through tethered jumping. The system consists of two quadrupedal robots connected by a tether, allowing efficient movement in low-gravity environments like the Moon and asteroids. Unlike traditional rovers, SPLITTER’s design enables sta...
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Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Conducts First Lunar Gravity Simulation
Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-29 mission, marking the first lunar gravity simulation on its New Shepard vehicle. The capsule rotated mid-flight to replicate Moon gravity for research payloads, including NASA-supported experiments on lunar dust behaviour and fire safety. Over half of the 30 payloads focused on Moon-related technologies. T...
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SPHEREx Space Telescope to Map Cosmos in Infrared Light, Launching in February 2025
Set to launch in February 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx mission will provide a comprehensive map of the universe in infrared light. The telescope will examine 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars, shedding light on the universe’s formation, early conditions after the Big Bang, and the presence of water in planetary systems. SPHEREx will survey the...
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New Study Finds Active Lunar Tectonics, Challenges Moon’s Dormancy
A recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal reveals that the moon is still experiencing tectonic activity. Scientists identified 266 small ridges on the far side of the moon, formed within the last 160 to 200 million years. The study suggests these ridges result from geological forces like lunar shrinking and orbital shifts. The findi...
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Seismic Data from NASA’s InSight Might Solve the Mystery of Mars’ Dichotomy
NASA’s InSight mission has provided seismic data shedding light on the Martian dichotomy, the split between Mars’ northern lowlands and southern highlands. Findings from the mantle’s seismic wave analysis suggest the split stems from ancient tectonic activity and magma dynamics, rather than asteroid impacts. Variations in crust thickness and ...
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Organic Molecules in Space: A Key to Understanding Life's Cosmic Origins
Organic molecules, the building blocks of life, have been discovered across space—from interstellar clouds to asteroids and comets. Findings from missions like Rosetta, Hayabusa2, and Osiris-Rex reveal that these compounds existed long before the Sun formed. Scientists believe organic molecules survived planetary formation in protoplanetary disks...
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New Study Reveals How Jupiter’s Storms Hide Ammonia
A new study reveals Jupiter’s monster storms create mushballs—giant hailstones made of ammonia and water. This discovery explains the puzzling absence of ammonia in the planet’s upper atmosphere and suggests similar processes might be happening on gas giants across the universe.
-
NASA Observes Rare Uranus Occultation, Unveiling New Atmospheric and Ring Details
NASA captured a rare stellar occultation of Uranus this month, providing fresh data about the ice giant’s atmosphere and rings. Scientists measured temperature changes and atmospheric composition, offering new insights since the last major occultation in 1996. The findings could help guide future exploration missions and deepen our understanding ...
-
NASA Prepares to Launch First Quantum Sensor for Measuring Gravity from Orbit
NASA, in collaboration with academia and private companies, is developing the first quantum sensor to map Earth’s gravity from space. Using cold rubidium atoms, the compact instrument will deliver highly sensitive, long-term measurements. This mission could transform how we study Earth’s subsurface and explore planetary bodies across the solar ...
-
NASA Shares Planetary Defense Strategy to Protect Earth From Potential Asteroid Strikes
NASA and international scientists closely tracked asteroid 2024 YR4, which initially showed a rare 3 percent collision probability with Earth. Although the threat has now diminished, the incident highlights the importance of asteroid surveillance, open data, and upcoming space missions like NEO Surveyor.
-
New Study Challenges Claims of Vast Underground Water on Mars
Mars’ water history remains a mystery as new research questions the claim that vast amounts of water are stored beneath its surface. A study led by Bruce Jakosky argues that previous estimates of Mars’ mid-crust being saturated with liquid water may be inaccurate. The findings challenge earlier interpretations of seismic data from NASA’s InSi...
-
NASA’s EZIE Satellites Begin Mission to Study Auroral Electrojets and Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The trio of small satellites will map auroral electrojets, powerful currents in Earth’s atmosphere linked to solar storms. Their data will enhance space weather prediction models and help understand planetary mag...
-
Private Venus Mission Plans to Retrieve Cloud Samples for Life Research
A privately-led space mission is being developed to retrieve and analyse cloud samples from Venus. Scientists believe the planet’s sulfuric acid clouds might sustain organic molecules necessary for life. The mission, named Morning Star, involves deploying probes to collect mist from Venus' atmosphere. The collected samples would be returned to Ea...
-
NASA Partners With SpaceX To Launch NEO Surveyor, a Mission To Detect Asteroid Threats
NASA has selected SpaceX for the launch of its NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2027. The mission, valued at $100 million, will use a Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the spacecraft to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1. The infrared telescope will help detect and track hazardous near-Earth objects, including difficult-to-spot dark asteroids. This mission builds on...
-
NASA SPHEREx Mission to Map Water Ice in the Milky Way for Life’s Origins
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, launching February 27, will search for water ice and frozen compounds in the Milky Way’s molecular clouds. By surveying over 9 million regions, the mission aims to understand how these compounds influence planet and star formation. Findings will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope, enhancing insights into...
-
UCLA Unveils SPLITTER, a Tethered Jumping Robot for Space Exploration
Researchers at UCLA’s RoMeLa lab have developed SPLITTER, a robotic system designed for planetary exploration through tethered jumping. The system consists of two quadrupedal robots connected by a tether, allowing efficient movement in low-gravity environments like the Moon and asteroids. Unlike traditional rovers, SPLITTER’s design enables sta...
-
Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Conducts First Lunar Gravity Simulation
Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-29 mission, marking the first lunar gravity simulation on its New Shepard vehicle. The capsule rotated mid-flight to replicate Moon gravity for research payloads, including NASA-supported experiments on lunar dust behaviour and fire safety. Over half of the 30 payloads focused on Moon-related technologies. T...
-
SPHEREx Space Telescope to Map Cosmos in Infrared Light, Launching in February 2025
Set to launch in February 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx mission will provide a comprehensive map of the universe in infrared light. The telescope will examine 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars, shedding light on the universe’s formation, early conditions after the Big Bang, and the presence of water in planetary systems. SPHEREx will survey the...
-
New Study Finds Active Lunar Tectonics, Challenges Moon’s Dormancy
A recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal reveals that the moon is still experiencing tectonic activity. Scientists identified 266 small ridges on the far side of the moon, formed within the last 160 to 200 million years. The study suggests these ridges result from geological forces like lunar shrinking and orbital shifts. The findi...
-
Seismic Data from NASA’s InSight Might Solve the Mystery of Mars’ Dichotomy
NASA’s InSight mission has provided seismic data shedding light on the Martian dichotomy, the split between Mars’ northern lowlands and southern highlands. Findings from the mantle’s seismic wave analysis suggest the split stems from ancient tectonic activity and magma dynamics, rather than asteroid impacts. Variations in crust thickness and ...
-
Organic Molecules in Space: A Key to Understanding Life's Cosmic Origins
Organic molecules, the building blocks of life, have been discovered across space—from interstellar clouds to asteroids and comets. Findings from missions like Rosetta, Hayabusa2, and Osiris-Rex reveal that these compounds existed long before the Sun formed. Scientists believe organic molecules survived planetary formation in protoplanetary disks...
