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This image shows Webb’s recent observation of the asteroid 2024 YR4 using both its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Data from NIRCam shows reflected light, while the MIRI observations show thermal light.

On 8 March 2025, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope turned its watchful eye toward asteroid 2024 YR4, which we now know poses no significant threat to Earth in 2032 and beyond.

This is the smallest object targeted by Webb to date, and one of the smallest objects to have its size directly measured.

Observations were taken to study the thermal properties of 2024 YR4,

WASHINGTON — An institute in Japan’s space agency is pursuing a concept that could allow the agency to send small rovers to the surface of Mars.

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
A key achievement for European commercial spaceflight has been achieved as Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket completes a brief but successful maiden test flight from Norway's Andoya Spaceport, ascending for 30 seconds and clearing the pad in a vital demonstration of its liftoff capabilities. Spectrum, a two-stage launch vehicle developed by German company Isar Aerospace, stands 28 meters ta

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
Isar Aerospace, a startup emerging from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has successfully completed the inaugural test flight of its launch vehicle. This marks a historic milestone as the first orbital-class rocket launch conducted from Western European soil. The new vehicle is engineered to deploy small and mid-sized satellites into orbit, a capability that is growing increasingly esse

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
An international team of scientists has unraveled the story behind the April 2019 fall of rare meteorites near Aguas Zarcas in northern Costa Rica, highlighting that these so-called "mudball" meteorites can be much more robust than previously assumed. "27 kilos of rocks were recovered, making this the largest fall of its kind since similar meteorites fell near Murchison in Australia in 196

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Airbus the contract to design and construct the landing platform for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, marking a major step forward for the mission targeting a 2028 launch. The European-led initiative will search for traces of life, past or present, on Mars. Airbus teams in the UK will handle development of the platform's mechanical systems, t

London, UK (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
The UK Space Agency has announced the winner of its Aqualunar Challenge, a Pounds 150,000 award recognizing pioneering technology to purify water extracted from frozen lunar soil. Gloucestershire-based Naicker Scientific claimed the top prize with its SonoChem System, an innovative device that uses high-frequency sound waves to clean water derived from lunar ice. The prize, part of a larg

Washington DC (SPX) Apr 02, 2025
Every NASA mission represents a leap into the unknown, collecting data that pushes the boundaries of human understanding. But the story doesn't end when the mission concludes. The data carefully preserved in NASA's archives often finds new purpose decades later, unlocking discoveries that continue to benefit science, technology, and society. "NASA's science data is one of our most valuable