Space news
79 stories
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NASA Invites Media to Crew Completion of Yearlong Mars Simulation
The four volunteers who lived and worked in a simulated NASA Mars mission for more than a year will exit their habitat on Saturday, Oct. 31, after 378 days of isolation in a facility at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Health and performance data collected from the simulation can help NASA develop metho…
MarsAstronauts
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NASA’s Neo Surveyor Sunshade
A technician inspects the large sunshade of NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission in this image released on Oct. 26, 2026. The sunshade structure, which stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall and measures 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide at its base, will keep the infrared space telescope cool as it searches for near-Eart…
Telescopes
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First light: Hera resolves two asteroids instead of one
The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft for planetary defence has resolved its two target asteroids separately for the very first time, revealing the binary nature of the Didymos system, currently some 197 million km away from Earth.
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ESA procures four new Galileo Second Generation satellites
The European Space Agency (ESA) has extended ongoing contracts to build four additional Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites, ensuring the long-term continuity of the constellation and supporting the rollout of new services. With this procurement, the Galileo Second Generation fleet grows to 16 satellites.
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How a Johnson Mentor Shapes the Next Generation of NASA Talent
When Rice University student Malvika Bhardwaj asked her mentor Daniel Cohen, a Guidance, Navigation & Control (GN&C) engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, whether he had time to keep teaching interns with his busy workload, he answered, “You decide what’s important.” In honor of National Mentoring Day on Oct. 27,…
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A-81 Reaches South Georgia
The Antarctic iceberg made a relatively quick exit from the Weddell Sea, only to slow at the edge of a remote island’s underwater shelf.
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NASA’s Perseverance Views Dust at Neretva Vallis
Description This 360-degree look at Neretva Vallis within Mars’ Jezero Crater was stitched together using 217 images acquired by the rover’s Mastcam-Z on May 20, 2024, the 1,155th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. While it is a wind-swept dusty vista today, billions of years ago it was home to a river channel tha…
Mars
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Tinga’s Tale
Written by Margaret Deahn, Ph.D. candidate at Purdue University Oct. 19, 2026 Once upon a time, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover investigated the southern border of “Idubi,” an outcrop composed primarily of an igneous mineral geologists call olivine. The rover’s “eyes” captured a very exciting geologic feature during its trav…
Mars
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NASA’s Perseverance Offers Clues to Protect Crews From Mars Dust
Over 1,645 Martian days, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover measured the fine and ultrafine Martian dust particles found clinging to samples of spacesuit materials that are carried aboard the rover, including some that are small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The findings will be published Tues…
Mars
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NEO Surveyor’s Sunshade Gets Inspected
Description The large sunshade of NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor is mounted on an assembly ring during inspections in a clean room at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in July 2026. The sunshade structure stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall and measures 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide at its bas…
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Solar Cells Inspected on NASA’s NEO Surveyor
Description The large sunshade of NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission is inspected by a technician at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in late July. Built by Applied Aerospace in Stockton, California, the sunshade structure was outfitted with its solar cells by SolAero Technologi…
Solar System
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NASA SEES Interns Tackle Real-World Challenges in Lunar Exploration
The NASA STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Internship Program at the University of Texas Center for Space Research places high school students on small, mission-focused research teams mentored by NASA, academic, and industry experts. During summer 2026, the…
Moon
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NASA Invites Media to Moon Landing Simulation Experience in California
Members of the media are invited to tour a new lunar landing simulator at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley on Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30.
Moon
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NASA’s X-59 Aircraft and Test Pilot
NASA test pilot Mike Lippert poses for a photo ahead of his first time flying the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft on Oct. 21, 2026. The X-59 has flown numerous times since its inaugural flight in November 2025; its first supersonic flight was on June 5, 2026. Lippert took off from NASA’s Armstrong F…
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NASA, USDA Sign Agreement Advancing Earth Science, Agriculture
NASA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding expanding cooperation in Earth observation, geospatial analytics, and advanced data technologies, supporting USDA’s data modernization plan for United States agriculture. “NASA develops some of the most advanced sensing, com…
Earth
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Ice mission CRISTAL opens its wings
With its solar arrays integrated and key qualification reviews under way, Europe’s new ice-monitoring satellite, CRISTAL, is moving from assembly into the demanding testing phase that will demonstrate its readiness for the rigours of launch and life in orbit.
LaunchesSolar System
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Hunting Red Leaves with Satellites
A modern satellite makes it possible to pursue the ancient tradition of leaf-peeping in a whole new way.
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NASA, Partners Accelerate Lander Development for 2028 Moon Missions
As NASA returns humans to the lunar surface and establishes a long-term presence on our closest celestial neighbor, the agency and commercial human landing system providers Blue Origin and SpaceX have streamlined the designs and changed both concepts of operations for its future crewed landers. Since NASA establishe…
Moon
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NASA’s Artemis III Mission to Test Future Moon Lander Operations
Before astronauts return to the lunar surface, NASA will first conduct one of the most ambitious and complex test missions in the agency’s history. Launching in 2027, Artemis III will send NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano aboard the O…
MoonAstronauts
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NASA’s Swift Mission Ends, Leaves Behind Scientific Bonanza
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has ended its science mission now that the spacecraft is orbiting less than 171 miles (275 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. The greater atmospheric drag at this height prevents the satellite’s telescopes from steadily gazing at their astronomical targets. Swift conducted its f…
Telescopes
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RS-25 Engine Tests at NASA Stennis
Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi tested RS-25 engine No. 10001 on Oct. 21, 2026. The hot fire test lasted for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time RS-25 engines fire during launch of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, with a 111% power level…
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NASA, Virginia Launch Power Partnership for Energy Security
NASA is helping to foster long-term energy security in Virginia. NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is partnering with the Virginia Department of Energy to support informed decisions for effective energy generation, delivery and use by providing solar, meteorological, and future weather risk datase…
LaunchesSolar System
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El Niño Then and Now
A 35-year satellite altimetry record lets scientists hold this year’s El Niño up against its strongest predecessors.
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NASA Invites Media to 2026 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium
Members of the media are invited to join NASA at the 2026 von Braun Space Exploration Symposium from Monday, Oct. 26, to Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. This year’s symposium is focused on humanity’s return to the Moon, sustainable lunar infrastructure, advanced space propulsion, and…
Moon
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Spiral’s Edge
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image released on Oct. 16, 2026, features the edge-on, intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 1827, located roughly 37 million light-years away in the constellation Columba, the Dove. Hubble captured the image as part of a survey looking at 260 satellite galaxies around 22 Milky Way-like hos…
TelescopesDeep space
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350th ESA Council: Media information session
Watch the replay of the media information session where ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and ESA Council Chair at delegate level Juan Carlos Cortés outline the key decisions and main outcomes of the 350th Council meeting held at ESA Headquarters in Paris on 21—22 October 2026.
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Resilience takes centre stage at the NAVISP Industry Days
Resilience, maritime and drone applications, and alternative navigation technologies were on the menu of the sixth edition of the European Space Agency's (ESA) NAVISP Industry Days, which brought together over 350 participants in Rome, Italy for two days of discussions, networking and collaboration.
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Help a lost lunar rover find its way in new ESA competition
A small rover is alone on the Moon, with no signal and no idea of its position. All it has is a panoramic camera and an aerial map of the Moon’s surface. The lunar night is fast approaching… can you help the rover find its way before it’s too late?
Moon
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ESA Open Days 2026
ESA Open Days 2026 welcomed over 23 000 visitors across its six establishments, giving the public the opportunity to discover more about Europe’s space activities, meet the people behind the missions and explore how ESA is shaping the future of space.
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ESA Council approves appointment of two new directors
The European Space Agency Council has approved the appointment of two new directors: Andrzej Banasiak as Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, and Nicolaus Hanowski as Director of Space Operations.
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Fires Char New Guinea
Emissions on both sides of the island are unusually high as human-set fires spread in a landscape parched by drought.
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Faster to Science: A Letter to the Science Community
NASA Science wants to deliver science faster, so we’re changing how we compete and select missions. On Monday, October 26, we will host a virtual NASA Science Town Hall.
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NASA Conducts RS-25 Engine Test in Support of Future Artemis Missions
NASA tested RS-25 engine No. 10001 on Oct. 21 on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Test teams fired the developmental engine for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time RS-25 engines fire during launch of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch…
MoonLaunches
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NASA JPL Looks to Next 90 Years of Innovation, Exploration
Interstellar probes. Lunar drones. Helicopters on Mars. When a group of Caltech graduate students and enthusiasts began conducting rocket-propulsion tests in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco on Oct. 31, 1936, they had no idea that their work marked the inception of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ninety years later, the lab, n…
MoonMarsLaunches
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NASA to Conduct NCAA Flyover, Engage Fans at University of Alabama
As part of the agency’s Inspiration Tour, NASA will conduct a flyover at the University of Alabama vs. Texas A&M football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday, Oct. 24. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will pilot one of three F-5 fighter jets during the flyover, highlighting NASA’s contributions to aeronautics…
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Tracks Along the Longest Drive on Another World
Written by Vandi Verma, Chief Engineer for Robotic Operations at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Oct. 12, 2026 Since the last blog update, Perseverance has achieved a major milestone on Mars. On Sol 2006 (Oct. 11, 2026), its odometer reached 45.22 kilometers (28.10 miles), setting a new record for the farthest dist…
Mars
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Science on the Space Station with NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins
NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Jessica Watkins works inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox on Oct. 9, 2026, safely mixing living cell samples with a bioink and then filling a special cartridge with the cell‑ink mixture. The advanced research operations were part of the InSPA‑Aux…
Astronauts
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NASA’s CASALS Instrument Bridges Gaps in 3D Maps of Earth’s Surface
From orbit, today’s space-based laser instruments measure Earth’s forests and terrain one narrow line at a time. Between those lines are enormous gaps that include millions of acres of land scientists never directly measure. NASA’s CASALS instrument will blend machine learning with an ultra-compact lidar instrument…
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Finding Our Way: Inside the Galileo Project: 2 - The people behind the signal
At its heart, Galileo is a story about people: engineers, operators and programme leaders working across Europe, united by a shared mission to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty while delivering a secure, resilient signal that supports safety, innovation and economic growth across the globe. Finding Our W…
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Finding Our Way: Inside the Galileo Project: 1 – A European vision
It started with a bold idea: Europe should find its own way. Finding Our Way: Inside the Galileo Project tells the story of the vision, perseverance and people behind Galileo, Europe’s global navigation satellite system, and the decades-long journey that turned an idea into the signal that guides us all.
Mars
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Finding Our Way: Inside the Galileo Project: 3 - A symphony of precision
Galileo is a system in perfect synchronisation: satellites orbiting above, atomic clocks setting the tempo, and ground stations listening and refining below. Each plays its part. Together, they create the precision behind the signal that guides us all. See how it all comes together in Finding Our Way: Inside the Gal…
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Extratropical Cyclone Whips Past Iceland
The powerful low-pressure system formed over the North Atlantic out of the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.
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NASA’s SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power Module
Destined for Mars and beyond, NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity’s first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth’s orbit. Announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event, this mission will demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, and progress is underway on its key element: the…
Mars
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Lunar Link complete and ready for a new adventure
ESA’s Lunar Link telecommunications element has completed its final major integration and testing campaign at Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France.
Moon
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New brain for Galileo
Twelve Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites will join the current fleet in the coming years. They will deliver unprecedented positioning, navigation and timing capabilities thanks to an array of new features, including a new signal generation module, the ‘brain' of the spacecraft.
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Celebrating BepiColombo, three words at a time
BepiColombo launched on 20 October 2018. This year, the anniversary is special. After eight years of travelling through the inner Solar System, the ESA/JAXA mission will arrive at Mercury on 9 December, 2026. To celebrate, mission team members were asked to describe BepiColombo in just three words.
Solar System
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A Mars-velous decade: Celebrating ten years of TGO
Ten years after arriving at Mars, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has grown far beyond its original ambitions. From revealing the martian atmosphere to becoming a vital communications link with the surface, the mission’s story is also one of adaptability, resilience and the people behind it.
Mars
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Euclid discovers new comet
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered its first previously unknown comet, in images taken between 16 and 24 September 2026.
TelescopesSolar System
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Space materials lab marks 10 years of innovation
Space materials lab marks 10 years of innovation
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Science and technology for the Moon
Returning to the Moon is about more than reaching the surface. Before we can live and work there long-term, we need to learn how to operate safely and sustainably in the lunar environment, understand its resources and develop the technologies that future explorers will depend on.
Moon
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Small lunar missions, big ambitions
Europe is preparing for a future in which astronauts, robots and scientific instruments work on and around the Moon. While major missions often capture the headlines, smaller missions can move faster, test new ideas and provide essential support to larger missions.
Moon
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Moon Explore sprinter missions
Europe is preparing for a future in which astronauts, robots and scientific instruments work on and around the Moon. While major missions often capture the headlines, smaller missions can move faster, test new ideas and provide essential support to larger missions.
Moon
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New NAVISP activities support resilient transportation in Europe
On 14 October, at the NAVISP Industry Days in Rome, Italy, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed new contracts with three European companies that will support the development of innovative technologies for resilient rail transportation and aviation.
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Earth today, Jupiter tomorrow: An insight into Juice’s recent Earth flyby
On 28 September, ESA’s Juice mission reached another important Jupiter-bound milestone with its penultimate gravity assist manoeuvre: a flyby of Earth. This encounter, however, was not only an essential step on the road to Jupiter, but an opportunity to rehearse the observations and operations that will define Juice…
Solar System
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Mars moon lander set to launch on 19 October
The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is set to launch into space on a H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 04:41 JST on 20 October 2026 (20:41 BST / 21:41 CEST on 19 October 2026). MMX will be the first mission to collect a sample from Mars’s moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth.
MoonMarsLaunches
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Press conference: ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot returns to Europe
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has returned to Europe following her 237-day εpsilon mission aboard the International Space Station. A press conference with Sophie and Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander took place on 13 October 2026 at 11:00 CEST in Cologne, Germany.
Astronauts
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Welcome home, Sophie Adenot
After 237 days and over 3,700 orbits around Earth aboard the International Space Station, Sophie Adenot is back on Earth!
Astronauts
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ExoMars rover twin rehearses first drive
Before the Rosalind Franklin rover can explore Mars, it must first get off its lander.
Mars
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Preparing for a first drive on Mars
Before Rosalind Franklin can explore Mars, it has to get off its lander.
Mars
