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Space Mission

All articles tagged with #space mission

science9 days ago•12 min saved

BepiColombo set to enter Mercury orbit after eight-year slow cruise

After eight years of a slow, gravity-assisted cruise powered by ion propulsion, the European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft will enter Mercury’s orbit in November 2026—Mercury’s third close visit and second orbiter. The arrival is gradual due to a prior thruster issue fixed in 2024, and the two orbiters will then separate to study Mercury’s surface/interior and magnetic environment, with full science operations expected to begin in 2027.

via Space Daily|

#bepicolombo #ion-propulsion #mercury

space1 month ago•3 min saved

ESA approves Arrakihs to map faint galaxy haloes and decode cosmic history

The European Space Agency has adopted Arrakihs, a fast F-class mission designed to map ultra-faint galaxy haloes and stellar streams to reveal how galaxies like the Milky Way form and evolve. Using a four-camera binocular instrument spanning near-UV to near-IR, Arrakihs will study at least 80 Milky Way–mass galaxies to piece together merger histories, with a launch targeted for 2030.

via European Space Agency|

#arrakihs #esa #galactic-archaeology

space1 month ago•2 min saved

NASA Declares End of MAVEN Mars Mission After 11-Year Run

NASA has officially ended the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission after losing contact in December 2025. Launched in 2013 and in Martian orbit since 2014, MAVEN surpassed its one-year primary mission by more than a decade and even aided the Perseverance rover as a communications relay. An anomaly review determined the spacecraft can no longer perform science or relay data, likely due to a high-rate safe-mode rotation that drained its batteries after re-emerging from behind Mars. NASA will publish a full root-cause report later this year. MAVEN’s observations showed solar winds and storms drive atmospheric loss on Mars and helped explain dust-storm–related water loss.

via Engadget|

#mars #maven #nasa

$Apollo debris taught the Moon to ring and revealed its solid, fractured interior$

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Apollo debris taught the Moon to ring and revealed its solid, fractured interior

From 1969–1972 NASA intentionally steered spent Apollo hardware into the Moon to serve as calibrated seismic sources; the near-side seismometer network recorded highly diffused, long-lasting signals—nearly an hour in some cases—because the Moon’s dry, fractured megaregolith scatters and slowly absorbs seismic energy, not a hollow shell, producing a bell-like reverberation rather than sharp Earth-like waves. Apollo 12’s LM impact created a ~9-meter crater and the larger third-stage impacts rang even longer; gravity mapping by the GRAIL mission and continued data analysis confirm the Moon is solid, not hollow, though the seismic network logged more than 12,000 moonquakes before going standby in 1977.

via Space Daily|

#apollo #lunar-geology #moon

science-space1 month ago•15 min saved

Psyche Probe Captures Stunning Crescent Mars During Gravity Flyby

NASA's Psyche spacecraft flew by Mars on May 15, using a gravity assist to boost its speed by about 1,000 mph and capturing high-resolution images, including a crescent view of Mars' polar ice caps and wind-carved craters from roughly 2,900 miles above the surface, as it continues toward the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche (arrival expected in 2029); the flyby also served to calibrate instruments for the longer journey.

via The Weather Channel|

#gravity-assist #mars #nasa

science-and-exploration2 months ago•2 min saved

Smile mission set for May 19 launch to map Earth's response to solar wind

The European-Chinese Smile mission, a joint ESA-CAS project to study how Earth reacts to solar wind using an X-ray camera for magnetosphere observations and a UV imager for auroras, is rescheduled to launch on May 19, 2026, aboard a European Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana after a precautionary delay due to a Vega-C subsystem issue. The launch time is 05:52 CEST / 04:52 BST / 00:52 local, with Smile released after about 57 minutes into a low-Earth orbit and solar panels unfolding around 63 minutes after liftoff, before entering an elongated orbit peaking about 121,000 km above the North Pole and extending to roughly 5,000 km above the South Pole to deliver data to ground stations. The mission aims to shed light on space weather, solar storms and geomagnetic processes through its four instruments, as ESA and CAS collaborate on this Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer.

via European Space Agency|

#esa #science-and-exploration #smile

science3 months ago•3 min saved

NASA's DART Nudge Shifts Dimorphos' Orbit, Demonstrating Planetary Defense Feasibility

NASA's DART spacecraft slammed into the Didymos system’s moon Dimorphos in 2022, creating ejecta that boosted momentum and slowed the system’s orbit by about two inches per hour, shortening its solar orbit by roughly 0.15 seconds over 770 days. The result shows we can alter an asteroid’s path, but a much larger or multiple impacts would likely be needed to deflect a real threat; the event provides essential data for improving planetary defense as near-Earth objects remain a vulnerability.

via Jalopnik|

#asteroids #dart #nasa

space3 months ago•6 min saved

Russia bets on Venus return with 2036 Venera-D mission

Russia unveils the 2036 Venera-D mission to Venus—a three-vehicle venture (lander, balloon, and orbiter) designed to study Venus’ extreme conditions and search for signs of microbial life, building on the Soviet-era Venus legacy amid growing global interest in the planet.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#planetary-exploration #russia #space

science6 months ago•0 min saved

NASA Ends Space Mission Early Due to Astronaut Health Concerns

NASA has decided to end the Crew-11 mission early due to a medical emergency involving an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, marking the first time such a decision has been made in the station's history.

via The Washington Post|

#astronaut-health #crew-11 #international-space-station

science6 months ago•2 min saved

Roman Space Telescope Set for September Launch with Advanced Instruments for Deep Universe Exploration

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is on track for a September 2026 launch, ahead of schedule and within budget, marking a successful flagship mission that demonstrates NASA's improved project management after previous delays with missions like the James Webb Space Telescope.

via SpaceNews|

#budget #launch-schedule #nasa

space-exploration6 months ago•10 min saved

NASA's ESCAPADE Probes to Delay Mars Mission by a Year

NASA's twin ESCAPADE probes were launched into a loiter orbit near Earth's Lagrange point 2 to analyze solar wind interactions with Mars' atmosphere. They will use Earth's gravity for a slingshot to Mars in late 2026, with a planned orbit insertion in 2027. The extra year in space adds some wear but is deemed manageable, serving as a template for future Mars missions and colonization efforts.

via Space|

#escapade #mars #nasa

science-and-technology6 months ago•1 min saved

ESA Confirms Data Breach on External Servers

The European Space Agency confirmed a security breach involving unclassified data from science servers, with reports suggesting the leak included source code, confidential documents, and system credentials, potentially affecting the Ariel exoplanet study mission; ESA is investigating and has taken measures to secure affected systems.

via SpaceNews|

#cybersecurity #data-breach #esa

space6 months ago•2 min saved

Russian Crew Docking with ISS as All Ports Fill for First Time

The Russian Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2025, carrying three crew members and marking a historic moment with all eight ISS docking ports occupied for the first time in its 25-year history, despite damage to Baikonur's launch pad.

via Space|

#international-space-station #iss #soyuz-ms-28

science-and-exploration7 months ago•5 min saved

Celebrating Three Decades of SOHO's Solar Observations

The ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has celebrated 30 years of continuous solar observation, overcoming challenges and revolutionizing solar science, space weather monitoring, and comet discovery, while inspiring future missions and international collaboration.

via European Space Agency|

#science-and-exploration #soho #solar-observation

science7 months ago•2 min saved

Dying Satellite to Capture Asteroid Apophis in 2029

An Australian company, HEO Robotics, plans to use a dying satellite to photograph the asteroid Apophis during its close approach to Earth in 2029, joining international efforts to study this rare event, which offers a unique opportunity to understand asteroid behavior near Earth.

via Space|

#2029 #apophis #asteroid