Missions
CHEOPS Just Opened Its Eyes to Start Studying Known Exoplanets, We Should See the First Picture in a Few Weeks
The CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite) spacecraft just opened the cover on its telescope. The spacecraft was launched on December 18th 2019 and…
It’s Time to Decide. Where Should OSIRIS-REx Take a Sample from Bennu?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018. During the past year, it's been imaging the surface of the…
It’s Time for Hayabusa-2 to Come Home
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is on its way home. The asteroid-visiting, sample-return mission departed asteroid Ryugu (162173 Ryugu) on Wednesday,…
A NASA Panel Says We Don’t Need to be so Careful About Infecting Other Worlds
It's time to update the rules. That's the conclusion of a panel that examined NASA's rules for planetary protection. It…
Here’s NASA’s New Plan to Get InSight’s Temperature Probe Into Mars
The mole is still stuck. The mole is the name given to the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3)…
Even Though it Hasn’t Launched Yet, JUICE Took its First Images of Jupiter and its Moons
Is there a more complicated and sophisticated technological engineering project than a spacecraft? Maybe a particle accelerator or a fusion…
Hardy Tardigrades on Board Israel’s Beresheet Lander Probably Survived the Crash
When SpaceIL's Beresheet lander crashed into the Moon, it was a bitter-sweet moment for Israel's space exploration aspirations. The privately-built…
It’s Decided, the Mars 2020 Rover Will Land in Jezero Crater
Jezero crater is the landing spot for NASA's upcoming 2020 rover. The crater is a rich geological site, and the…
How Mission Delays Hurt Young Astronomers
Back in Ye Olden Times, the job of astronomer was a pretty exclusive club. Either you needed to be so…
Musk Says that SpaceX will use a Giant Party Balloon to Bring an Upper Stage Back. Wait, what?
Elon Musks hints in a tweet that SpaceX wants to use "giant party balloons" to retrieve upper stage rockets.