Two spacecraft on Mars have captured new images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in the closest view that the European Space Agency (ESA) will get of the mysterious object, according to an ESA statement. The comet, which came from an unknown star system far beyond our own, is currently taking a months-long tour of the inner solar system. It made …
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Japan’s Venus Climate Orbiter Akatsuki was launched on May 21, 2010, and started its active mission in 2015 after an initial orbital insertion failure. Since that time, Akatsuki has continuously observed Venus from orbit until issues began to crop up in 2024 when contact was lost in April of that year due to attitude control issues. Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has …
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Science & Exploration 01/09/2025 1666 views 31 likes The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter mission has split the flood of energetic particles flung out into space from the Sun into two groups, tracing each back to a different kind of outburst from our star. The Sun is the most energetic particle accelerator in the Solar System. It whips up electrons …
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WASHINGTON — NASA is still working on a strategy to procure a Mars communications spacecraft funded in the budget reconciliation bill even as the agency moves more towards a services approach to communications. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out at any …
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SALT LAKE CITY — Blue Origin is offering a version of its Blue Ring spacecraft as a Mars communications orbiter as it and other companies seek ways to provide commercial services for NASA at Mars. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out …
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Blue Origin has proposed the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) to support NASA’s Mars exploration missions. Set for a potential launch window in 2028, this spacecraft aims to provide enhanced communication capabilities between Earth and Mars, addressing the growing need for reliable data transmission. As NASA’s current orbiters, such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and MAVEN, approach the end of their …
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For more than 20 years, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express orbiter has been imaging the surface of the Red Planet. One region, in particular, continues to fascinate the Mars Express team, known as Acheron Fossae. A new high-resolution photo examines the western edge of this region, giving us a closer look at the fascinating topography found here. Acheron …
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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover demonstrated a new multitasking capability when capturing this view: It snapped the 15 images that make up the mosaic while simultaneously communicating with an orbiter. The images were taken by the right navigation camera on Curiosity’s mast July 26, 2025, the 4,611th sol, or day, of the mission. The rover’s tracks cross through a region filled …
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NASA has finally given up on Lunar Trailblazer. The 440-pound (200-kilogram) moon orbiter went dark on Feb. 27, 2025 a day after it launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. NASA kept trying to hail the probe for months afterward but finally threw in the towel last week. “While it was not the outcome we had hoped for, mission experiences …
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