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    • Could next-gen artificial intelligence help map out future space outposts?
      on October 28, 2026 at 9:30 pm

      Planning a successful trip can be challenging, especially when your destination is in outer space. Even before liftoff, space missions require extraordinary amounts of scientific preparation and data analysis to succeed, which can take years to complete. However, as space agencies race to establish a permanent presence on the moon, using artificial intelligence to combine such information into a single system could make mission planning much more efficient.

    • Autonomous rendezvous system overcomes simulated spacecraft failures in lab tests
      on October 27, 2026 at 8:00 pm

      There is a problem in low Earth orbit, and it’s growing. According to the European Space Agency, there are about 19,440 satellites on orbit, 3,540 of which are nonfunctioning and/or not emitting a signal to warn other spacecraft of their location. The need to service these sleepwalking satellites in space will only increase as more are launched.

    • Perseverance offers clues to protect crews from ultrafine Mars dust
      on October 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm

      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 particles small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and could inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures and crew health standards for future NASA missions to Mars.

    • Everyday Mylar turned into a promising insulator for lunar habitats
      on October 23, 2026 at 7:20 pm

      Establishing a long-term presence on the moon will require solving challenges that are easy to overlook on Earth. Lunar temperatures, for instance, can vary from hundreds of degrees below zero to boiling, making effective insulation essential for lunar habitats.

    • Artemis I: Crystals of experimental detectors record radiation doses near the moon
      on October 23, 2026 at 3:40 pm

      Do cosmic radiation doses near the moon differ significantly from those received by astronauts in low Earth orbit? Experimental lithium fluoride detectors, installed aboard the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis I mission, have now made it possible to obtain preliminary estimates.

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    • NASA discovers Jupiter’s invisible shield is more complex than Earth’s
      on October 29, 2026 at 12:26 pm

      NASA’s Juno spacecraft has discovered that Jupiter uses a surprisingly complex system of powerful plasma waves and multiple shock regions to defend against the solar wind. The findings reveal major differences between Jupiter and Earth and could help scientists understand the enormous shock waves produced by exploding stars.

    • NASA’s Artemis I mission reveals surprising radiation levels near the Moon
      on October 28, 2026 at 10:29 am

      NASA’s Artemis I mission has revealed that cosmic radiation near the Moon is higher than in Earth orbit, but not by as much as scientists might expect. Tiny experimental detectors also uncovered surprising details about how radiation passes through the human body, offering valuable insights for future lunar exploration.

    • James Webb discovers a scorching lava planet with a “giant sunscreen”
      on October 27, 2026 at 10:20 am

      A scorching lava planet 280 light-years away has surprised astronomers by apparently maintaining a thick atmosphere despite conditions that should have stripped it away billions of years ago. James Webb Space Telescope observations suggest that TOI-561 b reflects about 75% of incoming starlight, possibly because of mineral clouds that act like a giant sunscreen. The planet may also be continually replenishing its atmosphere through gases released from a global ocean of molten rock.

    • Astronomers may have discovered the first moon beyond our Solar System
      on October 25, 2026 at 3:13 am

      Astronomers have uncovered evidence of a bizarre, potentially historic discovery: the first moon ever detected beyond our Solar System. Unlike familiar moons, this mysterious object is at least as massive as Jupiter and orbits a brown dwarf, which itself circles a star. The unusual arrangement challenges traditional definitions of planets and moons, leaving scientists unsure what to call it.

    • NASA’s asteroid Bennu samples reveal a 4.5-billion-year-old secret
      on October 24, 2026 at 12:50 pm

      Tiny samples from asteroid Bennu are rewriting scientists’ understanding of how our Solar System formed. New evidence suggests that Bennu was born where material from the inner and outer Solar System mixed, with Jupiter playing a surprising role in shaping its formation.

      NASA Official National Aeronautics and Space Administration Website

      • NIH–NASA QuSAFE Challenge
        by Bailey Light on October 29, 2026 at 5:44 pm

        The Quantum-Enabled Predictive Preclinical NAMs for Toxicity and Safety (QuSAFE) Challenge, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NASA, advances quantum-enabled sensing for in vitro NAMs, such as organoids and microphysiological systems (MPS), to improve drug safety while reducing animal use. In vitro NAMs, such as organoids and microphysiological systems (MPS), can

      • Envía tu nombre a Titán a bordo de la misión Dragonfly de la NASA
        by María José Viñas on October 29, 2026 at 3:21 pm

        Read this release in English here. Puede que nunca llegues a surcar los cielos bajo las nubes o sobre las arenas orgánicas de la luna Titán de Saturno, ¡pero tu nombre sí puede hacerlo! La NASA invita al público a enviar su nombre a bordo de la aeronave de ala giratoria Dragonfly de la agencia

      • Send Your Name to Titan Aboard NASA’s Dragonfly Mission
        by Jessica Taveau on October 29, 2026 at 3:10 pm

        You may never soar under the clouds or over the organic sands of Saturn’s moon Titan, but your name can. NASA is inviting the public to send their names aboard the agency’s Dragonfly rotorcraft and be part of the first science mission to fly and explore the surface of another world.   To have your

      • NASA’s ISAM State of Play: The Industry Standard for Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing
        by Sondra Woodward on October 29, 2026 at 3:06 pm

        When companies began approaching NASA’s Langley Research Center, asking to be included in the In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) State of Play for access to competitive intelligence, the team knew they had crossed an inflection point. “We’ve had some unnamed companies ask if we have any proprietary information,” says Dale Arney, senior team lead

      • NASA’s Hubble Marks Way for Roman Space Telescope
        by HQ Web Team on October 29, 2026 at 2:49 pm

        A sweeping barred galaxy takes center stage in this Oct. 22, 2026, image, but the gravitational lensing at bottom right is the real target. This observation is one of many gravitational lensing images taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in preparation for science with the new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Astronomers will use these

      NASA Image of the Day The latest NASA “Image of the Day” image.

      • NASA’s Hubble Marks Way for Roman Space Telescope
        on October 29, 2026 at 3:02 pm

        A sinuous spiral galaxy (center) appears in the same field of view as a vivid gravitational lens (right corner) in this Hubble image.

      • Webb Sees Turbulent Star Nursery
        on October 28, 2026 at 3:35 pm

        In this Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent cauldron of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas.

      • NASA’s Neo Surveyor Sunshade
        on October 27, 2026 at 6:02 pm

        The large sunshade of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission is inspected by a technician at BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in late July.

      • NASA’s X-59 Aircraft and Test Pilot
        on October 26, 2026 at 3:29 pm

        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.

      • RS-25 Engine Tests at NASA Stennis
        on October 23, 2026 at 6:59 pm

        Teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi tested RS-25 engine No. 10001 on Oct. 21, 2026.

      ESA Top News ESA Top News

      • Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula lurks within sight of Hubble and Webb
        on October 29, 2026 at 2:00 pm

        The NASA/ESA Hubble and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes recently stared at an eerie star-forming scene within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud located approximately 7500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form, nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula, which reflects the ‘magical” process of star formation. Hubble’s visible-light view shows the cat as a dark, elongated dust pillar and hints of young forming stars, while Webb’s infrared-light imagery unveils many stars and other hidden details.

      • First light: Hera resolves two asteroids instead of one
        on October 27, 2026 at 2:00 pm

        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.

      • ESA procures four new Galileo Second Generation satellites
        on October 27, 2026 at 10:00 am

        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.

      • Ice mission CRISTAL opens its wings
        on October 26, 2026 at 10:00 am

        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.

      • Week in images: 19-23 October 2026
        on October 23, 2026 at 1:15 pm

        Week in images: 19-23 October 2026 Discover our week through the lens

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