ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will return to Earth on 19–20 August, with flight controllers guiding the spacecraft first past the Moon and then past Earth itself. This ‘braking’ manoeuvre will take Juice on a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus.

As climate change drives more frequent and severe weather events, the need for accurate and timely forecasting has never been more critical. And now, the next Meteosat Third Generation weather satellite has passed its environmental test campaign with flying colours, taking it a significant step closer to launch.

Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Jul 14, 2024
In late April, farmers in Saskatchewan stumbled upon spacecraft fragments while preparing their fields for seeding. It sounds like the beginning of a science fiction movie, but this really happened, sending a powerful warning: it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed by falling space junk. The Axiom Space private astronaut mission (Ax-3) concluded safely on Fe

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 15, 2024
Astronauts on spacewalks face the uncomfortable and unhygienic task of relieving themselves inside their spacesuits, resulting in wasted resources as the urine is not recycled. Unlike wastewater on the International Space Station (ISS), urine produced during spacewalks isn't processed for reuse. Inspired by the 'stillsuits' from the Dune series, researchers at Cornell University have devel

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 15, 2024
To mark the second anniversary of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's scientific operations, a captivating image of two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142 has been released. The interaction between the Penguin galaxy (NGC 2936) and the Egg galaxy (NGC 2937) began between 25 and 75 million years ago when they first approached each other. This cosmic dance will continue for hund

London, UK (SPX) Jul 15, 2024
BAE Systems, in collaboration with L3Harris Technologies and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), has been chosen as one of three teams to develop technologies for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). HWO is an innovative telescope designed to search for signs of life beyond our solar system and conduct detailed astronomical observations. Its primary objective is to identify and

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 15, 2024
The Laboratory for Space Research at The University of Hong Kong (HKU-LSR) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the International Lunar Observatory Association Hawai'i (ILOA) on May 16, 2024, marking a partnership to participate in the ILOA-led Chang'e 7 lunar mission. This mission features a small, wide-field optical telescope named ILO-C. The HKU-LSR telescope design has been selected, and

Houston TX (SPX) Jul 12, 2024
When the first humans travel to the Red Planet, they will need to know how to repair and maintain equipment, grow their own food, and stay healthy, all while contending with Earth-to-Mars communication delays. They must also find ways to build comradery and have fun. The first all-volunteer CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) crew accomplished all of that and more durin

Paris (AFP) July 11, 2024
A planet relatively close to Earth could be the first ever detected with a potentially life-sustaining liquid ocean outside our Solar System, according to scientists using the James Webb space telescope. More than 5,000 planets have been discovered outside of the Solar System so far, but only a handful are in what is called the "Goldilocks zone" - neither too hot or too cold - that could h