The European Space Agency’s Plato spacecraft has safely arrived at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands. There, engineers will complete the spacecraft by connecting its solar panels and sunshield, and carry out a series of critical tests to confirm that Plato is fit for launch and ready for its planet-hunting mission in space.

The fourth satellite for the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, Sentinel-1D, has arrived at Félix Eboué airport, the main airport in French Guiana. From there the spacecraft, safely stored in its protective casing, will be transported to launch preparation facilities at the European Spaceport in Kourou.

New York (AFP) Sept 10, 2025
Billionaire Elon Musk is at risk of losing his title as the world's wealthiest person to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whose software giant appears poised for massive AI riches through a major deal with OpenAI. Ellison, 81, amassed about $95 billion in additional wealth Wednesday as Oracle shares skyrocketed after the nearly 50-year-old company forecast massive revenue growth thanks to la

Paris, France (SPX) Sep 11, 2025
Organic molecules discovered in the geyser-like plumes erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus may form when surface ices are exposed to radiation, rather than originating in its hidden subsurface ocean, according to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki. Dr Grace Richards of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziale (INAF) explained that wh

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 11, 2025
A decade after scientists first detected gravitational waves, researchers have now recorded the clearest evidence yet of how black holes behave, confirming foundational predictions from Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. The findings stem from a black hole merger observed by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and analyzed by astrophysicists Maximiliano Isi and Will

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 11, 2025
A Southwest Research Institute-led research team has made the first detection of gas on Makemake, a distant dwarf planet in the outer Solar System, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The discovery marks Makemake as only the second trans-Neptunian object after Pluto to show confirmed gaseous emissions, identified as methane. "Makemake is one of the largest and brightest icy wor

College Station TX (SPX) Sep 11, 2025
A new study co-authored by Texas A and M University geologist Dr. Michael Tice has revealed potential chemical signatures of ancient Martian microbial life in rocks examined by NASA's Perseverance rover. The findings, published by a large international team of scientists, focus on a region of Jezero Crater known as the Bright Angel formation - a name chosen from locations in Grand Canyon N

London, UK (SPX) Sep 11, 2025
Led by NASA and featuring key analysis from Imperial College London, the work has uncovered a range of minerals and organic matter in Martian rocks that point to an ancient history of habitable conditions and potential biological processes on the Red Planet.

Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 11, 2025
Last week, the Perseverance rover began an exciting new journey. Driving northwest of the Soroya ridge, Perseverance entered an area filled with a diverse range of boulders that the science team believes could hold clues to Mars' early history. The terrain we are exploring is known as megabreccia: a chaotic mixture of broken rock fragments likely produced during ancient asteroid impacts. S

Washington DC (SPX) Sep 11, 2025
NASA has certified a new lander flight training course using helicopters, marking a key milestone in crew training for Artemis missions to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA explore the lunar South Pole, paving the way for human exploration farther into the solar system, including Mars. The mountains in northern Colorado offer similar visual illusions and flight environments to the Moon. NASA